In an industry obsessed with going younger to stay modern, we're ignoring an extremely influential, high-spending cohort in the room: Gen X.
Leith's new research report, The Youth Bias, explores how advertising misrepresents Gen X and why it's costing brands.
Click points on the graph below to understand how The Youth Bias is affecting perceptions of different generations.
Gen X are often framed as the sandwich generation, parenting digitally native children while caring for analogue parents.
In reality, they're shaping how households run, how brands are chosen, and what modern looks like.
Yet advertising frequently defaults to younger-led stories, leaving many Gen X consumers feeling overlooked and talked down to.
In an industry obsessed with going younger to stay modern, we're ignoring an extremely influential, high-spending cohort in the room: Gen X.
Leith's new research report, The Youth Bias, explores how advertising misrepresents Gen X and why it's costing brands.
Our research reveals significant gaps between how different generations feel represented in advertising versus how much they actually are represented:
In reality, they're shaping how households run, how brands are chosen, and what modern looks like.
Yet advertising frequently defaults to younger-led stories, leaving many Gen X consumers feeling overlooked and talked down to.
Note: The interactive version may not be suitable for all users and requires mouse/touch interaction.
This three-part check-up reveals how much you're actually noticing (or ignoring) generational stereotypes in the media.
Leithal Thinking
If 20% of the UK doesn't feel seen, what is that costing your brand? Sign up for the report to find out.
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