• by Jim Gilmartin , Columnist, August 3, 2015

The media is currently promoting Millennials as targets to pursue. It’s very clear the numbers are impressive but numbers don’t buy anything. It would be short-sighted of marketers to ignore Baby Boomers in favor of Millennials. 

In 1946, Baby Boomers began their tremendous influence on the world. No one could have predicted how this generation would reshape America. From 1946 until 1964, 78 million Baby Boomers were born and nothing has been the same ever since. Their current chronological age span is 51 to 69.

According to the U.S. Census, 50-plus households control 45% of all discretionary income, totaling more than $200 billion. And, people over 50 comprise approximately 70.2 million (one-third) of the adult population. In the next 15 years, that number is estimated to increase to 115 million. Aging Baby Boomers are determined not to be ignored by America, or, at the very least, to maintain their buying-power recognition. 

For ad pros, the 18-to-49 age group has been the Holy Grail since the 1950s. Today, television networks work to attract that coveted demographic with shows such as "Survivor" and "The Bachelor,” to name a few. Moreover, companies are willing to pay big bucks to advertise products during station breaks and between programs to a young audience.
The Baby Boomer generation makes up about one-third of the U.S. population but it controls three-fourths of the wealth. It wields $2 trillion in annual buying power. Nevertheless, frustration is mounting because the $275 billion ad industry still gears only 5 to 10% of ads toward 50-plus customers. 

So How Do You Connect

Marketing communications should be easy to read and understand and be experiential in nature. They should reflect and understanding of and empathy for the values and motivators of this demo and your company should be positioned as a gateway to desired meaningful experiences of the target. 

• Autonomy and selfsufficiency (independence/participation)

• Social connectedness (relationships/friendships)

• Altruism (opportunity to share wisdom and ability to do for others: family, community and country)

• Personal growth (gain knowledge)

• Revitalization (need to rejuvenate)

are all values and motivators for these markets. The more ads and sales approaches that reflect the product or service is in harmony with these values and motivators, the higher the success rate. 

Aging-related changes like poor vision need also be considered. For example, as we age, we need more light to see, pastel colors become distorted and blend to dark, etc. Large font serif type, vivid colors, etc., are recommended. 

We See What We Want To See 

There is also evidence that communications that take a "less is more approach" to this demo are more effective. Presenting your company or product in a manner that is more suggestive than descriptive allows the target demo to subjectively interpret the message based upon his/her needs, values and motivators. Most marketing and sales center on customers’ objective identities (demographic and psychographic) and research show that a product’s message succeeds when it connects with a customer’s subjective identity (allows for individual interpretation). Brilliant messages and sales presentations not connecting with the subjective mind are usually unproductive.

Stories Work Well

Finally, another good communication tactic is the greater use of story-telling techniques. Stories are generally quicker to arouse emotions than straightforward propositions about a product's features. Think Hallmark cards; they surpass most in using stories to present their products. 

Today’s customer universe is age-weighted toward midlife values. Resistance to emotionally neutral information (mainly processed in the left hemisphere of the brain) increases in midlife. Receptivity to emotionally enriched information – such as stories – increases in midlife.  Storytelling has become an important part of market strategy.  Whoever tells the best story and tells it best will most likely win.