From brandchannel.com | The Senior Market: Turning silver into gold | Paul Roberts.
Agencies that apply a “just add water” approach to boomer marketing are wasting their time. Segmenting this target market requires a unique approach; rather than defining them by age or income, marketers should segment them into a combination of physical, social and psychological factors. Secondly, ads that rely on the monolithic cultural stereotypes of the ‘60s generation (peace, love and happiness, with rock ‘n’ roll playing in the background) won’t necessarily win you favor.
You need a marketing program that resonates with who these customers are now, not then.
They respond best to straight talk and reject over-promotion or spin, so avoid too much hype. It’s also smart to stay away from absolutism. By the time consumers reach this age group, their experience has taught them to see things in shades of grey rather than black-and-white, which makes conditional copy messages and narratives more appealing then a hard-sell approach.
According to a new study by Sweeney Research, only 23 percent of 45 to 54 year olds said advertising was in tune with their needs or entertaining to watch. Points of contention included images of smiling retirees strolling around retirement villages, young people used in ads, over-55s depicted as “old,” and ads that are perceived as speaking down to the elderly. An overwhelming majority (84%) of respondents (aged 45-54) said they were more likely to take notice of ads that showed situations they had experienced in real life. Ninety-nine percent said they appreciated ads that were humorous and light-hearted.
