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Marketers Would Do Well To Target Boomer Men

by Aaron Baar , July 7, 2009

While trying to manage the recession, marketers -- particularly those with health and wellness, technology or financial products -- may want to look at targeting male Baby Boomers.

"Even though men may amount to a minimum of purchases for a product or service, they should not be forgotten," says Steve French, executive vice president and managing partner at the Natural Marketing Institute, which recently conducted a survey of more than 3,000 adults about the economy. "If you're never targeting them, you're never going to get the purchase."

According to the NMI survey, 40% of men over the age of 50 said they are not feeling increased stress because of the economy, compared with 30% of women in the same age group. In addition, Baby Boomer men are taking on more family shopping roles and are more likely to buy brand-name products. The survey found that about one-third of Baby Boomer males are the main household grocery shopper, up from 20% ten years ago. While in the store, about half (46%) of these men are willing to purchase brand names over store brands, compared with about 26% of women.

"They are more connected to a national brand, than with the wider selections that women may be aware of," French tells Marketing Daily. "Men may also associate a house brand back to the days when it was an inferior product."

Perhaps not surprisingly, one of the main categories where male Baby Boomers are shopping is health and wellness products. According to the survey, 61% of Boomer males would like to live past 100 (compared with 53% of Boomer women) and 32% of Boomer men agreed with the statement: "Taking prescription drugs is the primary way to promote healthy aging." (Only 23% of Boomer women felt the same way.)

Another opportunity may come in the financial sector. According to the survey, 70% of Boomer men are making self-directed financial decisions, compared with 46% of women. Boomer men are also more likely to spend money and make impulse purchases than Boomer women, according to NMI.

"Men sometimes bury their heads in the sand a little bit," French says. "Women are more pragmatic."

baby boomers, research, retail

4 comments about "Marketers Would Do Well To Target Boomer Men ".

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Chuck Nyren from Advertising to Baby Boomers, July 7, 2009 at 9:01 p.m.
Brent Green talks about this in depth:
http://tinyurl.com/mxh3wn
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Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, July 8, 2009 at 8:49 a.m.

Is the high divorce rate one of the causes of men being a major food market shopper in the family? (Rare few people I know/knew have been married over 25 years. Many divorce with more than that quarter of a century behind them.) Define family, please.

Andrea Learned from Learned On, LLC, July 8, 2009 at 9:26 a.m.

Just as with the "women's market" the idea here is to re-think a bit and get to know the men who are in your target market (all men everywhere, like women, are not the same in how they buy). Gender is surely an element of this particular Boomer/health equation, but I wonder if it needs to be the top priority? Most people, male or female, who are mid-40s to 60s these days and interested in health/wellness can be reached using similar approaches (lots of consumer education and not "marketing" on packaging/sites). The details of tactics/tone etc may then be developed in more gender-focused ways where appropriate. Brands that focus too much on men or women out of the gate may lose sight of a more important point: that everyone in their market can be passionate about growing old healthfully. That's where you find and launch customer evangelists.

Brent Green from Brent Green & Associates, Inc., July 8, 2009 at 10 a.m.

This study and our analyses point to underdeveloped opportunities awaiting those who blend generational and gender nuances. Boomer men relate to brands built around masculine heroic archetypes. They have historically and they still do. In their youth, those brands included Shelby Ford Mustang and later BMW. Today, innovative marketers are implementing strategies that tap into a Boomer male consciousness without necessarily diminishing the value of their female customers. Take a look at www.breitling.com to see what I mean. Not only do we believe marketers have additional opportunities to reach Boomer men through more finely tuned creative strategies, the NMI research clearly underscores that, in general, Boomer men are less intimidated by current economic conditions and are ready to spend now. By the way, NMI is making our full analyses and conclusions available as a white paper.