Communicating with the cohort : exploring generation X Asia's attitudes towards advertising

Abstract

Rapidly changing demography, coupled with unprecedented economic growth, make Southeast Asia a particularly important target market. Representing almost a quarter of all Asian consumers, 20-to-30 year-olds are attracting considerable attention from both MNCs and regional marketers. What makes this segment particularly interesting is their real and perceived values and orientations towards marketing. Labeled ‘Generation X’ in North America and elsewhere, popular belief is that 20-to-30 year-olds are generally cynical, pessimistic and ‘anti-advertising’. This stereotype has to some degree found its way into Asia. This study sets out to investigate the validity of the Generation X proposition in Asia, and to shed some light on Asian Xers and their attitudes towards advertising.