Club Marketing for Multiple Generations [Episode 21]

You want a younger membership yet you need to retain your existing legacy members, as well. But each demographic has different needs and interests. What’s more, each demographic values things like luxury, status, and relaxation differently.

While some of your older members may go to the club to get away from work, your younger members may want a place to hunker down and treat the club as a second home or office.

If you find that hard to believe, then you’ll want to check out this episode of Crushing Club Marketing. Our guest, Amy Lynch, CEO of Generational Edge, is a generational expert and breaks down all you need to know about marketing to different generations.

“Turn off that lousy music!” Who didn't hear that as a kid? The reality is that for as long as there have been parents and kids, there have been generational differences. The idea of older people criticizing the “next generation” has been around long before Pete Townshend of The Who penned the lyrics to the song, “My Generation.”

Think about it. The Baby Boomers were called, “worthless long-haired hippies” by their parents. The Gen X’ers were “slackers” and the “Millennials” are the “Snowflakes.” Your biggest challenge as a membership director or general manager is creating an environment that welcomes different generations as new members and engages them as existing members.

“Sometimes, clubs really are caught in the middle of having to maintain things that still work for their older members and at the same time, on a parallel track, deliver those experiences that appeal to younger groups," Amy says. "So yeah, it’s hard. But marketing to both those mindsets, it’s pretty critical right now in the club space.”

This Episode at a Glance

2:20 – Why younger generations get a bad rap
4:00 – What makes Millennials different
8:28 – How to attract young members while keeping legacy members engaged
10:50 – How to tailor your offerings and/or messaging to appeal to each generation's "luxury"
24:40 – The era of transparency, why the younger generation pushes for truth
29:30 – How your "exclusive" online presence may be hurting younger membership
31:25 – How to ensure older members still get the same great experience
33:40 – Cues and common phrases that differ across generations
38:50 – How to get in touch with our guest Amy Lynch