It wasn’t too long ago that “Millennials” was used as a somewhat derogatory term, the type of thing that happens when a new generation floods into the workplace with perceived different ideals than the more seasoned veterans of another generation.

One definition has Millennials is people born between 1981 and 1996, meaning the older Millennials (myself included) are now upward of 40. The youngest of us are nearing 30, settling into adult life just fine.

I take a step back when I realize Millennials are now mid-career and those newfangled kids, Generation Z, are the newbies on the block.

Wow, how times change fast.

Generational distinction has been going on for a long time now, and, as the Baby Boomers age, it is Generation X (people born between 1965 and 1980) that are now in the prime of life, as well as earning potential.

Visual Capitalist estimates that Generation X has five times as much wealth as Millennials. In the next seven years, the entirety of Generation X will reach the 50 and older category.

According to AARP, with the influx of the entirety of Generation X aging older than 50, the 50-and-up market will be worth $8.3 trillion in economic activity. Visual Capitalist estimates people older than 55 hold about 70% of the wealth in the United States, an astonishing statistic.

Those numbers are interesting to me, as the 50-and-up crowd is one that our industry has long been in tune with.

News Media Alliance says the median age of a daily newspaper reader is nearly 58, and 39% of people 55 or older read a printed newspaper.

Not only that, but someone who is 55 years old now has had computers as a central part of their life for at least the last 20 to 25 years. With digital marketing being our fastest-growing form of advertising, we possess the playbook to help connect our clients to the 50-and-better crowd.

There are certain well-defined marketing lanes in our culture. You know of three of them:

∫ That which veers toward the young, with models with perfect skin adding desire to some must-have product.

∫ That which shows a young family, perhaps rambling down the road, in an attempt to convince us that their product is indispensable to everyday life.

∫ That which shows our elders out there enjoying life to the fullest extent, showing that their product is the key to vitality and happiness.

While those groups will likely always be cornerstones of marketing, perhaps we are undervaluing an age group to which we should be paying a lot of attention.

If you own a business in one of our communities, chances are you would benefit from more customers older than 50, some who have quite deep pockets.

As fellow members of the local community, I would ask you to consider us to help guide you in reaching that important demographic.

We offer it all — print, magazine, online, and all sorts of digital-targeted marketing. We can do anything a big-city agency can do, with the local service and understanding of what your business means to the community.

Generation X (and the Baby Boomers) have a lot of power right now. And we know them, reach them, and value our relationship with them.

One definition, from Indeed, said this about Generation X: They appreciate informality, are technologically adept, flexible, and highly educated.

That sounds like a desirable group to market to!

Alpena native Jeremy Speer is the publisher of The Courier in Findlay, Ohio, the Sandusky (Ohio) Register, The Advertiser-Tribune in Tiffin, Ohio, the Norwalk (Ohio) Reflector, and Review Times in Fostoria, Ohio. He can be reached at jeremyspeer@thecourier.com.