A considerable amount of research has been devoted to learn how marketers can segment audiences to deliver more consumer-centric messages. Dividing your audience into groups based on similar characteristics, such as lifestyle, by income and education levels, gender and by purchasing habits. Among the myriad ways to segment an audience is according to its generation.

Generational marketing, as it’s called, is considered by some marketers to be a more effective way to segment an audience. The theory is that generational marketing is built on evidence that suggests that the common experiences shared by each generation shape a specific sensibility that affects its members.

Although there is some overlap, each of the six generational groups living today has a unique set of identifiers. That is, each generation’s view of the world is formed by the events that take place as they grow up. For example, major events, such as war create commonalities. Those shared experiences contribute to each generation’s core values and lifestyles, and consequently, to its purchasing habits. Understanding this can help you tailor your messages to better market your products or services.

So what are the six generations and what are each group’s major characteristics?

The GI Generation (born between 1901 and 1924), have been identified by researchers as the only generation that still enjoys receiving traditional mail so they will be responsive to mailed materials. They like things in a neat package and products like packaged, all-inclusive vacation deals are appealing to them. Researchers warn that marketers shouldn’t write off this group because they are still very active travelers and consumers.

Marketers often overlook The Silent Generation (born between 1925 and 1944), yet they have the most disposable income of any active generation. This generation looks for a sense of soft adventure—they like activities that have a feeling of adventure but are free of any real danger. This group is on the lookout for something they haven’t experienced yet and they want to live life to its fullest. This group saved its money and views retirement and leisure time as the reward for their hard work.

Baby Boomers (born between 1945 and 1964), nicknamed the “Me” generation because they are the first group of Americans who put their own wants and needs ahead of the greater good, values self-fulfillment and self-improvement. The most populous and influential generation in America shares a sense of entitlementIt’s important to make this group feel special. As a whole they resent authority and grave interaction.

Frequently regarded as cynical by marketers, Generation X (born between 1965 and 1979), are in many ways the polar opposite of their baby boomer parents. They don’t require any special treatment but do expect their expectations to be met.

Generation Y (born between 1980 and 2000) are extremely brand loyal, if you connect with them in the right way. Sometimes called the Millennials, this group is style conscious, tech savvy and prematurely affluent and receptive to “retro” messages.

Forecasters predict that members of Generation 9/11 (born between 2001 and the present) will be a group of conformists as a result of being coddled and protected in the aftermath of 9/11. If this is true, marketers will need to appeal to this generation in a way that makes them feel as though they fit in and are part of the crowd.

If you’re interested in learning more, you may want to read Rocking the Ages: The Yannkelovich Report on Generational Marketing by J. Walker Smith and Ann Cluman, HarperBusiness, New York, 1997, and American Generations: Who the are. How they live. What they think. by Susan Mitchell, Ithaca, New Strategists Pulbications, 2000.