The 2024 UK General Election marked an historic defeat for the Conservative Party, largely driven by overwhelming support for progressive left-wing parties amongst the younger generation, with the Tories winning just 8% of the vote amongst 18-24 year-olds compared to 46% of those aged 70+.

Whilst we must be wary of Gen Z vs Boomer clichés, this result is symptomatic of a stark generational divide within the UK, which isn’t only significantly more pronounced than that of other established democracies, but also appears to be growing. This divide poses an interesting challenge for brands looking to achieve cross-generational appeal. What tools can brands use as a great leveller to help overcome these generational tensions?

At Truant, we believe one answer is music.

Whilst music is by no means a cure-all solution to the generational divides that exist in the UK, it does have a unique ability to reach new audiences, transcend differences and bring people together.

And there’s a more scientific explanation for this than us all just enjoying a good time: music facilitates non-verbal emotional expression and shared experiences that we can all relate to and participate in - regardless of age. A 2003 piece of research found that this non-verbal emotional connection is central to our love of music from infancy to old age: “Music is not communicative in the sense of sharing information. Instead it is concerned with sharing feelings and experiences and the regulations of social behaviour.”

So, how can brands use music to overcome generational divides? Below are three potential strategies:

1. Bring generations together through the unifying nature of music

One strategy that brands may adopt is to use the broad appeal of a specific musical genre, artist or song to bring different generations together.

Music shows such as The Voice, X Factor and Eurovision are prime examples of this, acting as popular television choices around which the whole family can gather. This year, 53.5% of 15-25 year old TV viewers watched the Eurovision final live - 4 times higher than the average youth audience for that time slot. But as well as capturing the elusive youth market, Eurovision remains popular across all age groups, with its balanced audience profile making it a prime example of music overcoming generational differences and bringing people together.

For a similar reason, brands are increasingly using jazz to connect with both older and younger audiences. Jazz has traditional appeal for older listeners and has seen a revival among younger people, with 40% of Spotify’s jazz audience under 30. Dr. Martens leveraged this trend with a pop-up event featuring Ezra Collective, a modern South London jazz group, which allowed the brand to stay connected to its heritage audience while engaging with youth culture, helping them appeal to a broad, cross-generational audience.

2. Reach new generations with unexpected music choices

Generational divides can largely be put down to a difference in values. And given values sit at the heart of our brand decisions (albeit mostly unconsciously), this can make it easy for brands to be pigeon-holed amongst certain generations. Whilst it’s wise for a brand to understand their customer base and adjust their brand positioning and marketing strategy accordingly, what happens when a brand wants to reach beyond its typical audience and transcend the generational divides that it may have consciously or unconsciously become entrenched in?

An unlikely answer to this question comes in the form of D Double E.

Grime - a genre rooted in UK street culture - signals young, urban and diverse. So when IKEA decided to partner with one of the figureheads of the genre, D Double E, for its 2019 Christmas ad it’s safe to say it raised a few eyebrows.  But the unexpected nature of this collaboration enabled the brand to break conventional Christmas clichés, to make the brand culturally relevant, and, most of all, to challenge IKEA’s perception as a mainstream brand for white middle-class families and reach a more diverse, cross-generational customer base.

3. Use nostalgic music choices for cross-generational appeal

It seems illogical - impossible even - to suggest that ‘nostalgia’ could be used as a tool to unite generations. Afterall, aren’t all generations nostalgic for different eras?

Recent research suggests not. According to a GWI report, 40% of Gen Z are nostalgic for the 1990s, despite having never lived through it. This yearning for an era one has never experienced has recently been coined as ‘anemoia’. And for Gen Z - who have faced disruptions in education and a difficult job market coupled with a loneliness epidemic and a childhood seemingly lost to social media lived through - the 1990s represents an era that is less complicated and less marred by social anxieties.

And Spotify data suggests this is particularly true when it comes to music: 90s music, it turns out, has become an unlikely leveller across generations. Whilst 90s music ranks, perhaps unsurprisingly, as the top genre amongst millennials and Gen X, it is also the second most popular genre amongst Gen Z (GWI, Gen Z in 2023).

Waitrose’s use of iconic 90s pop band S Club and Lidl’s new ad featuring Martine McCutcheon are both examples of brands jumping on this trend in order to appeal to audiences young and old. Whilst the nostalgia the collaborations evoke amongst millennials will foster a sense of warmth towards the brands, the 90s throwback speaks to Gen Z’s romanticisation of a simpler, carefree era free of the pressures and complications of technology and social media.

As the above strategies and examples have hopefully demonstrated, music undoubtedly offers brands a powerful way in which to bridge generational divides. Whether through the shared appeal of genres like jazz, unexpected collaborations, or tapping into 90s nostalgia, music has the ability to connect audiences across age groups. By strategically using music to evoke emotion, foster shared experiences, and transcend cultural boundaries, brands can create campaigns that resonate with both older and younger consumers, helping to overcome generational tensions and broaden their appeal.