4 ms·

Because that age group in the past 100ish years is the group that generally has the most disposable income, simple as that. However, that's probably not so tru

Because that age group in the past 100ish years is the group that generally has the most disposable income, simple as that. However, that's probably not so true of the millennial's due to the poor economy for the past 7 years, high price of college education, and rather poor wages (and thus, less disposable income).

rdl 11y ago
It's more than 18-30 year olds don't have fixed preferences yet. Most 18-30 year olds are discovering "their favorite" beer, brand of car, toothpaste, etc. Most 60 year olds, even though they have more disposable income, have more established brand preference. Hence, it makes more sense to market to the younger people, even if the older people actually spend more. The genius thing is to have a ladder of products and bring people in at the bottom -- say, a cheap Yaris or Echo to start, and then they move "naturally" upmarket as those cars themselves move upmarket (remember when the Corolla was a low end car? Now there are several models below it, if you include Scion, for new buyers). People also tend to move upmarket within the same brand, say up to a Camry, Avalon, Highlander, or even a Lexus. (Obviously this varies by product/market, but generally for most consumer purchases it is valid.)
- analog31 11y ago
  I'm a baby boomer, and a few years ago had to buy a new car. I was shopping for one of those entry level cars, and the marketing was millennial-oriented to the point of being comical. I literally ordered the cheapest model in the line, with zero options. As I signed the check, I asked the salesman: So, the marketing for these cars is all hip hop and millennial, but who is actually buying these things? His answer: "Middle aged cheapskates like you."
  - MCRed 11y ago
    This is a real problem for Toyota. They created the entire Scion brand to attract young people because the average age of a Toyota owner is getting pretty high. And what's happened? A lot of the Scions are being bought by cheapskate "oldsters" (like me) who know it's made by Toyota and want the low end. (Alas, I didn't buy a Scion this time around but I sure looked at them a lot.)
    - Retra 11y ago
      The only message I ever really got from Scion marketing is "CHEAP."
      - MCRed 11y ago
        I don't know what are you are, but when I was 18-26 that message was very appealing to me!
    - analog31 11y ago
      Amusingly, a Scion is what I got. The year that I bought it, Toyota was selling the Yaris in Canada but not in the US. From what I could tell, the Corolla, Yaris, and Scion, were all cut from the same cloth. I did look at other makes too, but the Scion was priced to move. A minor selling point was that Scion's options were all dealer-installed, meaning I could have a stripped down model without waiting for one, or having to haggle. I think that I may have bought the cheapest new car on the market at the time. My only gripe is that it's noisy when driving at highway speeds, something that I don't do very often.
  - rdl 11y ago
    Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ should be exempted from all of this, of course (Similar to the Corvette vs. all Chevys, or the Viper and Dodge). If I were in the market for a petrol car right now, those would be on the shortlist. I'd pay a slight premium for the Subaru due to brand identity, but they're the same car.
    - MCRed 11y ago
      I love "Badge Engineering". Means if you're in the market for a reliable used car, you can buy a Pontiac Vibe for cheap and get a Toyota Matrix in quality. (since it's the same car)
      - rdl 11y ago
        I'd be ok paying a $500 premium for Subaru > Scion. If it were a situation like the "Saabaru", I'd happily take the $5k savings for the cheaper one. I bought a Lincoln LS loaded for $21500 when they were discontinuing it in UAE, and got basically an S-Type ($50k or so in UAE at the time). Brands have some value. Especially if it influences where you get your post-sale support. It's just not an infinite value.
- mason240 11y ago
  I'm in the upmarket track with Trek bikes right now. I bought my first entry bike for $450. So far I've gotten several thousand miles out of it and it's gone so well that I'll probably just stick with them for the rest of my life.
  - megablast 11y ago
    Or just never buy new, bikes or cars. Never have, probably never will.

rdl 11y ago

It's more than 18-30 year olds don't have fixed preferences yet. Most 18-30 year olds are discovering "their favorite" beer, brand of car, toothpaste, etc. Most 60 year olds, even though they have more disposable income, have more established brand preference. Hence, it makes more sense to market to the younger people, even if the older people actually spend more. The genius thing is to have a ladder of products and bring people in at the bottom -- say, a cheap Yaris or Echo to start, and then they move "naturally" upmarket as those cars themselves move upmarket (remember when the Corolla was a low end car? Now there are several models below it, if you include Scion, for new buyers). People also tend to move upmarket within the same brand, say up to a Camry, Avalon, Highlander, or even a Lexus. (Obviously this varies by product/market, but generally for most consumer purchases it is valid.)

analog31 11y ago
I'm a baby boomer, and a few years ago had to buy a new car. I was shopping for one of those entry level cars, and the marketing was millennial-oriented to the point of being comical. I literally ordered the cheapest model in the line, with zero options. As I signed the check, I asked the salesman: So, the marketing for these cars is all hip hop and millennial, but who is actually buying these things? His answer: "Middle aged cheapskates like you."
- MCRed 11y ago
  This is a real problem for Toyota. They created the entire Scion brand to attract young people because the average age of a Toyota owner is getting pretty high. And what's happened? A lot of the Scions are being bought by cheapskate "oldsters" (like me) who know it's made by Toyota and want the low end. (Alas, I didn't buy a Scion this time around but I sure looked at them a lot.)
  - Retra 11y ago
    The only message I ever really got from Scion marketing is "CHEAP."
    - MCRed 11y ago
      I don't know what are you are, but when I was 18-26 that message was very appealing to me!
  - analog31 11y ago
    Amusingly, a Scion is what I got. The year that I bought it, Toyota was selling the Yaris in Canada but not in the US. From what I could tell, the Corolla, Yaris, and Scion, were all cut from the same cloth. I did look at other makes too, but the Scion was priced to move. A minor selling point was that Scion's options were all dealer-installed, meaning I could have a stripped down model without waiting for one, or having to haggle. I think that I may have bought the cheapest new car on the market at the time. My only gripe is that it's noisy when driving at highway speeds, something that I don't do very often.
- rdl 11y ago
  Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ should be exempted from all of this, of course (Similar to the Corvette vs. all Chevys, or the Viper and Dodge). If I were in the market for a petrol car right now, those would be on the shortlist. I'd pay a slight premium for the Subaru due to brand identity, but they're the same car.
  - MCRed 11y ago
    I love "Badge Engineering". Means if you're in the market for a reliable used car, you can buy a Pontiac Vibe for cheap and get a Toyota Matrix in quality. (since it's the same car)
    - rdl 11y ago
      I'd be ok paying a $500 premium for Subaru > Scion. If it were a situation like the "Saabaru", I'd happily take the $5k savings for the cheaper one. I bought a Lincoln LS loaded for $21500 when they were discontinuing it in UAE, and got basically an S-Type ($50k or so in UAE at the time). Brands have some value. Especially if it influences where you get your post-sale support. It's just not an infinite value.
mason240 11y ago
I'm in the upmarket track with Trek bikes right now. I bought my first entry bike for $450. So far I've gotten several thousand miles out of it and it's gone so well that I'll probably just stick with them for the rest of my life.
- megablast 11y ago
  Or just never buy new, bikes or cars. Never have, probably never will.