A Guide to Generational Marketing Strategies: State of Advertising

Why generational segmentation and context are key to advertising effectiveness in 2025 

In a media environment defined by choice and fragmentation, two people can see the same ad and walk away with completely different impressions. One might be intrigued. Another, indifferent. One may take action immediately. The other might forget the ad entirely. 

DISQO’s State of Advertising 2025 report reinforces this reality and underscores that generational differences aren't subtle. Gen Z doesn't respond like Gen X and Millennials, and Boomers value entirely different things. What resonates with one group may alienate another, showing up in ad recall, favorability, sensitivity to frequency, and purchase behavior.

Still, while traditional measurement frameworks apply uniform assumptions across audiences, flattening generational distinctions overlooks the nuances that drive performance. Without visibility into how real people engage with ads across platforms and age groups, performance data tells only part of the story. 

The following sections explore how advertising is experienced across generations, what makes advertising strategies effective, and why deterministic measurement is essential to understanding what drives results. This is not about simply customizing creative for every age group. It’s about identifying how their responses diverge and using that insight to measure effectiveness with clarity, not guesswork.

• Measuring attention and action starts with understanding general segmentation 

• What different generations value in advertising 

• Ad frequency, relevance, and personalization are not one-size-fits-all

• Cross-device and cross-platform behavior is consistent, but the action drivers vary

• Align ad context, creative, and measurement by age group

• Generational segmentation is not a strategy. It’s an essential signal.

Measuring attention and action starts with understanding general segmentation 

Attention metrics like views and likes are some of the most widely tracked in advertising, but are rarely interpreted with enough nuance or depth. It’s not enough to know that people are seeing ads. What matters is who is paying attention, how they engage, and whether that attention leads to action.

Generational differences shape not just the likelihood of noticing an ad, but how that moment translates into impact. According to DISQO’s State of Advertising 2025 report:

• Gen Z (17%) and Millennials (18%) are more likely to say they always pay attention to ads.
• Boomers (34%) are the most likely to say they usually ignore them.

Younger audiences tend to be especially responsive when content feels relevant and well-placed for them. Older audiences are more selective and have a higher threshold of skepticism for relevance and placement. 

Importantly, attention does not always mean influence. The same ad can create recall for one group and frustration for another. This is where broad averages in measurement fall short. Without understanding how each generation responds, advertisers risk overvaluing what looks like engagement but does not convert. 

Brands need to measure attention in context. Who is paying attention matters as much as how often. True advertising effectiveness comes from connecting exposure to outcome, and doing so with visibility into how different consumers actually respond.

What different generations value in advertising

Not all attention leads to action, and not all creatives resonate the same way. Each generation brings different expectations to the ads they see, shaped by their media habits, cultural reference points, and tolerance for marketing tactics. Understanding these differences is key to evaluating generational advertising. 

What the data shows:

Key insights:

• Boomers are 2.6X more likely than Gen Z to want ads with clear explanations.
• Gen Z and Millennials are the most receptive to retargeting and personalized ad relevance.
  
  

Creative that leans on novelty or emotional storytelling may land well with younger audiences but miss with older ones. Conversely, informative or trust-building messages may resonate with Boomers and Gen X, but fail to stand out for Gen Z.

When evaluating creative effectiveness, brands need to account for how message style, tone, and value proposition align with the audience on the receiving end. Measurement should reflect not just what was delivered, but whether it connected with the right people and why. And these aren’t just generational quirks. They reflect deeper differences in how people perceive relevance, recall value, and decide whether a brand is worth their time. 

Ad frequency, relevance, and personalization are not one-size-fits-all

Content relevance is essential to ad effectiveness, but it loses impact when it’s delivered without sensitivity to tone, timing, or frequency. 

Key insights from DISQO’s State of Advertising 2025 report:

• Thirty-five percent of consumers say they ignore ads they see repeatedly.
• Boomers are 1.8x more likely than Millennials to be negatively influenced by repetition. 
• Eighty-five percent of advertisers say they invest in personalization, but only 28% customize creative by platform.

This targeting gap between strategy and execution creates waste. Personalization that doesn’t adapt to context is rarely effective. Repeating the same message across every channel may increase exposure, but it can quickly erode attention and trust.

What to consider across age groups:

• Gen Z and Millennials tend to be more receptive to personalized ads, especially when the creative feels personally relevant and well-timed.
• Gen X and Boomers are more likely to view retargeting as intrusive, particularly when repetition is high or creative lacks substance.
• The tolerance for ad frequency is different across generations and should be managed with care.

Advertisers must move beyond broad audience definitions and focus on delivery that respects how people want to engage.

Personalization works best when it’s paired with thoughtful pacing and relevant creative. Frequency is not just a media variable, but a brand experience. 

Cross-device and cross-platform behavior is consistent, but the action drivers vary

Most consumers no longer discover and purchase on the same device or within a single platform. The path from awareness to action moves across screens, apps, and formats. While this behavior is consistent across age groups, its motivations—and how each group navigates the journey—look very different.

Key insights from DISQO’s State of Advertising 2025 report:

• Eighty-seven percent of consumers say they research a product on one device and complete the purchase on another.
• Sixty percent have seen an ad on one platform and taken action on a different one.
• Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to move fluidly between social platforms, mobile devices, and commerce sites.
• Boomers tend to rely more on trusted environments like search engines and retailer websites before completing a purchase.

Data and measurement implications:

• Attribution based on last-touch metrics misses critical signals by ignoring the full path to purchase. It overlooks how brand awareness, mid-funnel engagement, and cross-channel exposure shape consumer decisions long before the final click or conversion.
• For younger consumers, influence may begin in one environment, escalate in another, and convert much later. Their journey is fluid, nonlinear, and shaped by multiple touchpoints across different platforms and devices that build familiarity and intent over time.
• Brands need to connect exposure and outcome across the full journey, not just where the final click occurs. That means understanding how early signals like ad impressions, brand awareness, and consideration behaviors build over time and lead to downstream actions such as search, site visits, and purchases.

Align ad context, creative, and measurement by age group

People respond not just to what an ad says, but where and how it shows up.

Key insights from DISQO’s State of Advertising 2025 report that highlight these generational differences :

• Sixty-seven percent of Gen Z and 61% of Millennials are more likely to consider a brand that advertises in content they like. 
• Boomers place more value on message clarity and credibility than on placement.
• Contextual alignment, or the content brands advertise alongside, influences both perception and purchase intent, especially among younger audiences. 

To drive performance, brands must connect the dots across media strategy, creative execution, and audience insight. That means placing ads where they are most likely to feel relevant and measuring outcomes in ways that reflect each group’s expectations and behavior.

Precision in media planning starts with understanding what different audiences value. Precision in measurement ensures those insights are actionable.

Generational segmentation is not a strategy. It’s an essential signal.

Consumers don’t experience advertising the same way, and age is one of the clearest indicators of how those experiences differ. It shapes attention, perception, and engagement because Gen X marketing vastly differs from marketing to Gen Z. Yet too often, traditional ad measurement flattens those differences and misses the signals that matter.

Building campaigns around generational stereotypes is more than recognizing that different groups engage on different terms and that those differences appear in the data. The goal is not more segmentation but better visibility to fuel smart delivery and optimization. When brands can see how real people respond—by generation, channel, and across the full consumer journey, they stop guessing and start making smarter, more effective decisions.

Ready to see how your advertising performs across age groups?  Explore how DISQO’s person-level Brand and Outcomes Lift ad measurement reveals what drives your audience's attention, consideration, and action. 

Want to ground your strategy in actionable, generation-level insights? Download your copy of DISQO’s 2025 State of Advertising report today.