How generational differences are reshaping marketing strategy
The B2B buying committee isn’t what it used to be. For the first time, Gen Z has surpassed Boomers in the workforce, and buying decisions now involve multiple generations with fundamentally different expectations. Data Axle’s groundbreaking research surveyed over 450 B2B buyers to uncover how generational differences impact everything from content preferences to communication cadence.
In this webinar, Natalie Cunningham, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Data Axle, shares exclusive research findings on cross-generational buying behavior. Jay Schwedelson, founder of Guru Media Hub, translates these insights into tactical playbooks for subject lines, CTAs, and content formats that actually work.
Every generation ranked email as their top channel for business communication. But here’s what most marketers miss: Boomers want to hear from you roughly once a month, while Gen Z is comfortable with multiple emails per week. Same channel, completely different tolerance for frequency.
“Gen Z is far more tolerant of frequent lightweight touchpoints, especially across a mix of digital spaces. They move fluidly between professional and social channels, their TikTok, their LinkedIn, their personal email, their work email, and they engage most when outreach feels responsive, personalized and interactive.” — Natalie Cunningham (19:42)
Key actions:
There’s an assumption that younger buyers prefer automated, self-service experiences. The data says otherwise. Gen Z values direct access and responsiveness. They expect digital efficiency but want to know there are real people on the other side.
“For all their digital native behavior, they do not want automation to replace relationships. They value direct access. They care about responsiveness. They wanna know there are real humans on the other side of every engagement. For Gen Z, technology is the doorway, but it’s not the destination.” — Natalie Cunningham (13:10)
Millennials reward companies who enable them to build internal cases and look smart to their peers. They engage through depth, not hype. Educational content, practical guides, and evidence-based approaches win with this generation.
“We are deeply allergic to fluff. We want expertise, education. We can see your BS a mile away and we want to know how things actually work. This is the generation that rewards companies who enable them. If you help them build a strong internal case, make them look smart, help them reduce internal risk, you win.” — Natalie Cunningham (13:55)
There’s a common assumption that Boomers are the primary financial decision-makers. The data shows Gen X often sits in the approval seat, especially at enterprise companies. They don’t want to be impressed or dazzled. They want evidence, clarity, and proof.
“Very often it’s someone like Jay, it’s a Gen X. It might even be a millennial. You’ll need to look at the data for your own specific buyers. But we often see Gen X in these approval seats and they are not the loudest one in the room. They’ve lived through every marketing trend. Their tolerance for your noise is razor thin. They want you to show your work, prove it to me.” — Natalie Cunningham (15:17)
Younger buyers get blamed for pushing transparency in the sales process. But Gen X and Boomers actually valued transparent pricing more than any other generation. Everyone is tired of jumping through hoops just to find out what something costs.
“I think there’s an assumption that that’s coming from more younger buyers being involved in the process. And the reality of our data was, yes, everyone cares. The younger generations do. Millennials do, Gen Z does. But Gen X and Boomers actually valued transparent pricing in the sales process. The most shocking I think a little bit.” — Natalie Cunningham (17:42)
Start by enriching your database with demographic and personal attribute data to understand the whole human behind the job title. If that’s not immediately feasible, use what you have today to test different approaches. Try skimmable content versus data-heavy case studies and see what resonates. You can also make educated assumptions based on job function and company size—finance roles at enterprise companies tend to skew older, while social media and digital roles skew younger. It’s not perfect, but it gives you a starting point for segmentation.
Cadence was the biggest difference across generations in the research. Boomers prefer emails about once a month—less frequent but more substantive. Gen Z is comfortable with multiple touchpoints per week across different channels. Millennials and Gen X fall somewhere in between. Test different frequencies for different segments. For Boomers, send fewer, more curated emails packed with case studies and evidence. For Gen Z, you can increase frequency as long as the content stays relevant and personalized.