, /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Media, the largest U.S. media agency according to Ad Age Data Center 2023, today released its latest study, " ," which indicates that society's definition of middle age is experiencing its own midlife renaissance.
Contrary to the conventional middle age definitions as being people between 40 and 60 – or what would currently primarily constitute Gen X, the study finds that people's perception of where this life stage starts and ends – and their identification with it – varies depending upon their age. Conducted by the WHY Group, Horizon Media's intelligence center of excellence, report includes the following key findings: "There is a clear disparity between where middle-age as a life stage now begins and ends, and it is driven by mindset and experience. So, casting a marketing net based on a conventional demographic or generational age range no longer works, unless you're okay leaving almost in expanded spending power on the table," said , SVP of Horizon's WHY Group.
"Younger respondents tend to think middle-age starts and ends earlier, while older ones say it starts and ends later. As a result, brands have a significant opportunity to deliver strategies that capture attention and foster loyalty based on this substantially expanded perception of midlife and how and where people identify themselves within it." In addition, the study finds that 64% of younger people who feel middle-aged tend to be parents and have lower incomes and fewer assets; t.