🎯 Smartphones are everywhere, whether it’s in your four-year-old relative’s hand or your elderly grandmother’s, which means that marketers are spoiled for choice. The total number of social media users in Egypt reached 51.6 mn in 2025, roughly 43% of the population, according to a recent study. Egypt is also one of the largest countries in the Middle East and North Africa in terms of digital presence, with approximately 98.2 mn active internet users as of 2026. This makes selecting the right target audience for promotional advertising one of the most important considerations.

Marketing 101: Targeted marketing tailors promotional messages or content to specific audiences classified by gender, geographic location, or age group, and each of these categories — particularly age groups — differs in certain characteristics. This includes their ability to engage with technology, their interests, their preferred communication styles, and the social media platforms they use most frequently. Identifying the right audience for your product and targeting them correctly is critically important.

Understanding the consumer helps brands develop an interactive relationship with their customer base by communicating in a language that they understand and find engaging. Diversifying campaigns to market to different segments can also reach more people more effectively. The trick is to choose your fighter and locate their corner of the interwebs. Who’s online?

Gen Alpha (2013–2024)

This generation has never known a world without the internet or social media. While they may not be fully responsible for purchasing decisions, they influence market trends and purchasing behavior toward certain products or services thanks to their early exposure to technology, Areeb’s chief marketing officer Khaled Farouk (LinkedIn) told EnterpriseAM.

Where to find them: Gen Alpha is drawn to apps with quick, engaging visual content like YouTube and TikTok. In 2019, US users aged 14+ represented about half of the popular short-form video platform’s daily users. This generation is also interested in engaging gaming platforms like Fortnite and Roblox, the latter of which had approximately 61 mn active users aged 13 and older by the end of 1Q 2025.

Gen Alpha’s value proposition: This segment is ideal for brand owners wanting to build relationships, says Farouk, who advises targeting them early on to capitalize on their significant purchasing power in the future.

Gen Z (1997–2012)

Gen Z’s interest in social media is no secret — 81% of them use social platforms for at least one hour daily, while 61% reported rates exceeding three hours, according to research by Opeepl involving young people aged 15–27.

Where to find them: Gen Z internet users are typically concentrated on quick visual content platforms, with 78% using YouTube, 76% Instagram, and 69% TikTok. Of TikTok’s 2 bn users, approximately half are between 10 and 29 years old.

Gen Z’s value proposition: This segment is characterized by a constant desire to learn, making entertaining and useful content marketing a gateway to reaching them. Some 67% of Gen Z prefer ads that are interactive and creative rather than repetitive and traditional, according to Amazon. Interactive marketing techniques such as live streaming, video, short clips or Reels, as well as audio marketing and social communication, are recommended.

Millennials (1981–1996)

Millennials don’t differ much from Gen Z in terms of app usage, but are jacks of all trades when it comes to platforms. Social media users from this generation spend two to three hours daily browsing various apps.

Where to find them: Meta’s flagship apps, Facebook and now Instagram, are the most popular among Millennials. 87% of Millennials use Facebook, followed by Instagram at 71%, Snapchat at 52%, and X (formerly Twitter) in fourth place at 42%, according to Target Internet.

Gen X (1965–1980)

This segment represents a significant portion of the online consumer base. Between 2015 and 2019, total social media shoppers from Gen X increased by approximately 32%, according to Target Internet, making this demographic essential for digital marketing.

Where to find them: In a Statista survey conducted in the US, 76% of Gen X respondents reported using Facebook as their primary platform, followed by Instagram at 47%, Pinterest at 40%, LinkedIn at 40%, and X at just 39%.

Baby Boomers (1946–1964)

Unlike Gen Z, who suffer from declining attention spans, older generations — particularly Baby Boomers — tend to be more capable of focusing and paying attention to small details. They also show greater interest in traditional marketing tools like television ads. This difference should guide marketers in presenting content that suits not only their target generation’s interests but also their characteristics and the type of content that captures their attention, as the Amazon report indicates.

Where to find them: Baby Boomers use Facebook heavily, with approximately 85% of UK residents over 65 using the platform, according to Statista. WhatsApp is also popular among this age group at 28%, according to Target Internet.

The digital reality: While older consumers notably gravitate toward platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, and Gen Z and younger generations prefer visual content on Instagram and TikTok, the vast majority of people across all age groups are attracted to social media platforms — albeit with varying degrees of engagement, as Farouk confirms.

A look inside

Major challenges: Market analysis and understanding different contexts are among the most important tools for implementing marketing strategies — particularly targeted marketing for specific generations, according to Farouk. He added that analyzing data to identify the customer base interested in the brand before expanding to target other segments is a crucial step that helps companies avoid fragmentation. It’s also important to understand that marketing strategies don’t offer a one-size-fits-all template — each segment has its own unique characteristics.

Patience pays off: When targeting a new segment, brands must understand their market proposition and whether they have sufficient capabilities and resources to market to a new demographic, according to Farouk. A company can work on multiple fronts, provided it develops a strong strategy and allocates its resources effectively without waste or scattering efforts.

Content matters: Content represents the biggest challenge for Roulla Soussou, chief marketing officer at Baky Hospitality, who told EnterpriseAM that good content is the most important element a brand needs to clearly reach its target audience. Farouk agrees, emphasizing the importance of a “good hook” — the attractive first three seconds, which he describes as a “visual shock” that draws consumers to continue watching the video or Reel. Regardless of whether content is visual or written, the attraction factor must be considered to capture consumer attention.

The role of AI: Artificial intelligence tools may facilitate market research or data analysis needed for marketing to specific segments, but the local market is still moving toward this stage, according to Farouk, who affirms that the human element in marketing remains extremely important for attracting customers and creating brand awareness.

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