SupplySide West podcast: Targeting the Gen X demographic

Considerations for companies looking to reach the 40-something healthy living cohort

Heather Granato, VP, Partnerships & Sustainability

October 5, 2018

Gen X may be the “sandwich generation” in more ways than one. Not only is this generation of 65 million people bookended by 75 million Boomers and 79 million Millennials, but they’re also the ones taking care of both aging parents and high-demand children. In the lead-in to SupplySide West, Heather Granato, vice president of content, spoke with Aljolynn Sperber, managing director at Marketing Maven PR (marketingmaven.com), about the opportunities for marketers to reach this health-conscious demographic. Also discussed—effective communication techniques to overcome the age group’s natural skepticism and address their desire for transparency.

Key points of this podcast include:

• The advantages to marketers of honing in on a smaller demo, with specific health interests

• Behavioral drivers to understand when developing messaging for Gen Xers, including their brand loyalty and interest in discounting

• Best practices when selecting communication channels and strategies to optimize reach

Links and Resources:

About the Author

Heather Granato

VP, Partnerships & Sustainability, Informa Markets, Food EMEA division

Heather Granato is a 30-year veteran of the natural products industry, currently serving as vice president, partnerships & sustainability, in the Food EMEA division of Informa Markets. She is based in London, and leads efforts related to industry partnerships and broader sustainability initiatives for the Vitafoods and Food ingredients brands. She has been a presenter at events including SupplySide, Vitafoods, Food ingredients, Natural Products Expo, the Natural Gourmet Show and the Folio: Show. Her publishing experience includes Natural Products Insider, Food Product Design, Vitafoods Insights, Country Living's Healthy Living, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Delicious Magazine and WomenOf.com. Granato serves as the founding president of Women In Nutraceuticals, a global non-profit founded in 2022 focused on empowering women in the nutraceutical industry; she is also on the board of directors for the Organic & Natural Health Association. From 2016 to 2022, she was a vice president on the national governing board of Kappa Alpha Theta women’s fraternity. Granato was named to the FOLIO: 100 list of top media professionals in 2018, and was selected as a 2015 Top Woman in Media by FOLIO:. She received the 2014 Visionary Award and the 2018 Journalistic Excellence Award from the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); and was honored with the CEO Merit Award for Content from Virgo in 2014. Granato graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond, Virginia, in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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