Boomers Marketing

	BOOMERS ARE FINISHED BUYING MOST HOUSEHOLD GOODS They did their nesting decades ago and already have all the furniture and appliances they need.
	THEY’RE STILL THE PRIME CONSUMERS In household goods as in most other categories, the baby boomers maintain economic dominance. As their kids do (eventually!) leave home, the 50+ tend to renovate or downsize houses and invest in condos and timeshares. This means new furniture and new household appliances.

	YOUNG, HIP AND COOL SPELLS SUCCESS Focusing on youth keeps the brand image vital. Brands need to look cool and appeal to the young to succeed.
	“YOUTH APPEAL” STARTED IN THE 60’S TO APPEAL TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE TURNING 50 NOW Back in the 60’s, youth appeal meant appealing to the biggest demographic group. Now marketers are stuck in a pattern that’s lost its justification. Is your objective selling more product or having “cool” ads?

	TO GET ATTENTION, ADS NEED TO BE FUN, EXCITING AND SEXY Nobody pays any attention to any ad or TV commercial unless it’s fun, fast and trendy. Who wants to see boring, middle aged people?
	TO WORK, ADS NEED TO BE RELEVANT No question that fun, exciting and sexy beats dull, boring and seen-it-before. But what’s fun, exciting, et cetera is in the eye, and the age, of the beholder. To generate sales, advertising needs to be fresh, original and relevant to the target group.

	IF WE APPEAL TO CUSTOMERS 50+, WE’LL ALIENATE THE YOUNG Older customers are boring, sedentary and out of step. If young people think our product appeals to them, they’ll reject our brand.
	THERE ISN’T A SHRED OF EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THIS Marketers created this “either/or” split by focusing exclusively on demographics and making massive assumptions about motivations and needs. This is an outdated concept that started in the ‘60’s with the “generation gap” - ironically created by the boomers, who are now the victims of it. The young and trendy tend to be oblivious to the 50+, much less whether a product appeals to them.

	OLDER PEOPLE DON’T “GET” NEW TECHNOLOGY Marketing to mature customers is fine for some businesses, but our products are new and cutting edge. Older people won’t try new things, particularly technology. They just don’t get it.
	TELL THAT TO THE 50% OF THE 50+ WHO ARE ONLINE Not only are half of people 50 to 54 online, mature customers are the fastest growing segment on the internet. They also buy online - currently $7 billion annually in North America. And how many of those Blackberry/Palm Pilot owners around the boardroom table are under 50?

	OUR MARKETING SPILLS OVER TO THE BOOMERS ANYWAY We don’t need to focus any marketing on the 50+; what we’re doing now will reach them anyway.
	IGNORING THEM MAY COST YOU THEIR BUSINESS Boomers are like any other target group - just bigger. They respond better, and more profitably, to marketing directed to their specific needs and values. If your marketing isn’t relevant to them, they’ll take their business elsewhere. And research shows the 50+ group accounts for only 10% of advertising targets. So if you’re not talking to them in their language, you’re leaving the door wide open for your competitors.