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Fast Company

Why you need intergenerational marketing

When Barbie turned 65 last year with a major motion picture to celebrate, she dominated the news cycle for weeks. What a lot of people missed amongst the hoopla about an historic icon was her impact as an influencer. She's one of the original influencers, and definitely the original granfluencer. Granfluencers—influencers who are typically over the age of 60—are shaking up social media platforms with inspiring content. Their effect is undeniable, particularly among younger people. They bring wisdom, experience, and charisma in a wide range of topic areas, and they are playing a pivotal role in broadening the horizons of the creator economy. They deserve a central spot in your creator strategy because they increasingly form the bedrock of intergenerational family life. They're leading activities for more active families that are doing more, and doing more together in more ways. Here's how to ensure your marketing includes this too-often-forgotten demographic: STOP PUTTING AN AGE LIMIT ON INFLUENCE Granfluencers are a genuine force and marketing power move. They can broaden your reach and future-proof your brand. Start by understanding that they aren't home baking or watching daytime TV. They're out and about. And they're active on social media, where they are both befriending and coaching people of all ages—most notably, Gen Zers. SHOW YOU'RE A BRAND FOR LIFE When you break free from youth-only marketing, you can tell a deeper story—one that spans decades. By using granfluencers, you can highlight how your offering fits into life's biggest chapters: parenthood, retirement, reinvention, and beyond. Lean into themes like tradition, legacy, shared values, and joy that resonate across generations and you'll make your brand matter to entire families. BE A HELPER, NOT A HAWKER Tailor content and services toward helping granfluencers lead fulfilling lives and make an impact—not owning and using products. You will gain share with them, and they will help you with their families. LOOK BEYOND ADS Create all kinds of content about doing things, experiencing things, and affecting change. While you emphasize legacy, show the generations doing things together. Skip the prototypical holiday dinner pictures in favor of video that shows generations playing and touring together. Granfluencers are real and relatable, and their connection with younger family members is palpable, so let people see and feel it. GIVE FAMILIES A PLATFORM FOR TOGETHERNESS By actively fostering opportunities for shared experiences, your brand can become the very stage upon which family togetherness unfolds. Think beyond merely showcasing intergenerational interactions. Instead, provide the tools, inspiration, or even the venues that empower families—often led by enthusiastic granfluencers—to connect more deeply. For example, in travel, build the itineraries that balance activities (where to go, where to stay, what to do in active and down time) for the generations, and share them from a social media hub. Add in events like a family invitational golf tournament where teams of four, mixing all ages and levels, can 'compete.' The new family dynamic is intergenerational and the opportunity is vast. Marketing together is the key to tapping it.