• by Erik Sass , December 14, 2006

Often derided for their sense of entitlement, America's 78 million baby boomers feel neglected by TV advertisers. Some 45% of those surveyed say marketers are not encouraging positive feelings about products and brand affiliation in their demo, versus younger counterparts.

That's according to a new two-part study conducted in March and August by GfK Brand & Communications, which surveyed four mixed gender-groups ages 42-60 as part of focus groups and online. It also surveyed consumers ages 21-40 as a non-boomer control group. Boomers--those born between 1946 and 1964--contribute $2.3 trillion in annual household expenditures.

The finding is especially significant because a majority of boomers surveyed--58%--say TV is their primary source of information about new products and services.

It's also telling because boomers seem to be breaking with long-established trends correlating age and brand loyalty, according to Allan Dib, vice president of GfK. "Unlike previous generations, these individuals have more marketing savvy and disposable income," he says, "but are less likely to show strong loyalty to particular brands."

If it's true that boomers are more mercurial in matters of brand loyalty than earlier generations, advertisers may need to rejigger campaigns to include elements that appeal to them.

Boomers surveyed by GfK placed a high premium on humor, with 91% praising funny advertising, and actors who look like them. Fifty-one percent said they identify more with people in their age group. Tanya Giles, senior vice president, research and planning for TV Land, says boomers are reaching the height of financial success. "Savvy marketers would do very well to court these consumers."