Commentary

The Largest Target Market You've Never Thought About: How Brands Can Connect With Caregivers

by Andy Cohen , January 27, 2011

There are 43 million Americans who care for elderly loved ones, according to a recent study from the National Alliance for Caregiving, AARP, and MetLife. These family caregivers, many of whom are "sandwich generation" moms busy juggling their own working and family lives, are responsible for making decisions about products and services for elderly family members. Compare this with 2 million brides and 4 million new mothers, and you can see that caregivers are a huge, and growing, market.

Research across the Caring.com community found that 80% of family caregivers discuss treatment options with their loved ones' doctors, while 79% order or pick up prescriptions and 75% purchase personal care or grocery items for their loved ones. Furthermore, 71% of caregivers manage finances for their ailing relatives. This is a "twofer" audience, since these women are also consumers of products and services for their own care. As a brand marketer, how do you connect with this massive, influential, and unique audience?

The prototypical family caregiver, according to Caring.com research, is a "Boomer" woman in her 50s who's caring for her parents. She juggles a job and the needs of her own family, often putting kids through college. She's under a lot of pressure and, according to 59% of respondents in a recent Caring.com survey, her caregiving commitments constitute the greatest stress in her life.

Before creating a campaign targeted to the caregiver demographic, brands first need to understand this group on an individual level. Caregivers may not self-identify, but they're highly connected to a larger community of other people in the same position, often using social networks to share insights, stories, and concerns with one another. Caregivers want to connect with others, and they want compassion and understanding; your first step in creating campaigns that will resonate with this demographic is to try to understand their day-to-day experience.

It's important to tailor your marketing messages, product information, and promotional offers to caregivers' unique role as decision makers and purchasers for others. Here are four tips advertisers can use to ensure that their campaigns targeting caregivers hit the mark:

Associate your brand with a connection place. Caregivers appreciate connecting with one another for support and advice, so your brand should create, sponsor, or advertise on an online community or caregiver-focused website, where caregivers share and exchange insights.

Simplify your message. Caregivers' time is limited, so they'll be more likely to respond to concise messages that clearly communicate your offer or service. That said, it's okay to use "storytelling" in your campaigns, as caregivers appreciate hearing about the real-life experiences of other people in their shoes. One in-home care company changed the creative in a banner ad from a bulleted list of the service's benefits to the story of a visit to a grandmother's house -- and conversion increased by 400%.

Empower the caregiver. Boomers are natural authority questioners, and they take their role as advocates for their loved ones' medical or financial issues seriously. Your campaigns targeting caregivers should provide information and invite interaction. Allow caregivers to ask questions about your products or services online. If you want to impact the buying habits of caregivers, treat them as your brand advocates, engaging them with your message on a personal level and making it easy to share.

Choose function over fashion. Leave the flashy content, such as video, HTML 5, and flash, to your other campaigns. Caregivers want clear information to make critical purchase decisions; they aren't looking to be entertained by your ads. If you do use rich media, make it functional -- for example, provide online checklists, buying guides, or other interactive tools caregivers can use to narrow down the product field based on the unique needs of their loved ones. And don't forget about the simple things such as making offers and info sheets printable and portable so caregivers take your messages and share them with loved ones.

The 43 million Americans who care for elderly loved ones are making important purchase decisions every day. Is your brand reaching this massive purchasing force with relevant messages, promotions, and product positioning? If not, you're leaving millions in potential revenue on the table -- and missing out on connecting not just with the current caregiver demographic but with a massive generation of future older people -- the Boomers -- who themselves will need your products one day soon.

baby boomers

7 comments about "The Largest Target Market You've Never Thought About: How Brands Can Connect With Caregivers ".

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Chuck Nyren from Advertising to Baby Boomers, January 27, 2011 at 1:21 p.m.
Laurel Kennedy wrote a book and has a white paper about this: http://bit.ly/h1a5Ho
It is a very important demo - and they are being ignored. So - kudos to Andy's piece.
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Lynn Schweikart from Gen-Sights, January 27, 2011 at 1:23 p.m.

Excellent article, Andy. Getting businesses that have traditionally targeted the senior market to look at Boomers as influencers, if not outright decision makers, is a challenge we confront on a daily basis. Helping them understand why and how to engage the Boomer caregiver is a great place to start.

Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, January 27, 2011 at 2:56 p.m.

Caretakers are the most stretched of all demos, especially their purchasing dollar. Because there are more people with this responsibility doesn't mean they have more money to spend on themselves or their families; actually less money per person with more purchasers. A brand will have to prove that the extra costs are valuable because they are more economical and so much easier with proven examples.

Lori Bitter from The Business of Aging, January 27, 2011 at 5:39 p.m.

Great contribution, Andy. Companies who can help consumers navigate the caregiving lifestage will be the heroes for the generation. The transition to this lifestage can be very abrupt and the need to find information, products and services can feel overwhelming. This creates opportunity for businesses. And we have seen over and over that these caregivers are more receptive to messages about products or services for their own care because of the issues they experience with their loved ones. Thank you, Andy!

Lori Bitter from The Business of Aging, January 27, 2011 at 5:41 p.m.

Nancy Padberg from Navigate Boomer Media, January 28, 2011 at 1:31 a.m.

Thank you Andy, I can relate personally and professionally to your article. Professionally from years of working at The Los Angeles Times and with clients on the ad agency side like PETCO, Whole Foods Market, Crystal Cruises and now seeing the best results with my own online media network across 124 boomer sites - brands that tell stories, connect emotionally, create empathy and ultimately empowering the consumer wins the hearts and minds of the boomer consumer and caregiver. The brands that harness these elements will increase their share of market and bottom line. Cheers to you. Nancy

Karen Klein, February 1, 2011 at 4:45 p.m.

Andy, Great article with keen insights and practical tips. It is critical to continue to segment the market and not assume all boomer caregivers are alike. As we continue to help boomers navigate aging issues, we need to remember which messages will resonate best (and be read in full) by each target. Thanks for sharing!