Some people scoff at the idea of getting old. Not because they don’t believe it happens, but because everyone has a different opinion of what “old” is. In fact, according to a 2009 Pew Research survey, the typical boomer believes old age doesn't begin until 72. Yet when non-baby boomers look at those who have passed 50, they have a hard time understanding why boomers aren’t ready to be called senior.
And this is one of the biggest mistakes that marketers can make – thinking of baby boomers as “old.” If you want to attract this market, don’t label them as old or senior. It’s like calling them obsolete.
Baby Boomers Have Younger Mindset
"We've grown up with youth, health and fitness," comments Inese Alvarez, director of the Akron-based Retired & Senior Volunteer Program, in the June 20, 2011, Seattle Times article, “Senior centers find it tough to draw in first round of baby boomers.” In fact the name senior center is one of the terms which throws many baby boomers off and has some senior centers scrambling to change their names to community centers.
“It’s a difficult concept to wrap your arms around,” notes Rick Harris, a just-turned sixty-year-old Los Angeles resident who still plays baseball and bowls weekly. “Many people my age not only don’t act like the old fogies that people think we should be, but we don’t look like them either.” It is precisely for this reason that even though many baby boomers have officially stepped into the world of Medicare and Social Security, they still think of themselves as young.
Baby Boomers Strive to Stay Young
In the January 2006 Baltimore Sun article, “Baby boomers united by a desire to stay young,” writer Susan Reimer notes that there is approximately 20 years (1946 to 1964) between the oldest and youngest of the baby boomers. So, as Reimer writes, some of them grew up with Mickey Mouse and some grew up with Star Wars.
But even through there are differences, baby boomers agree on one thing: they refuse to get old. Unlike their parents who seemed so much older when they were 60, baby boomers think they are in better physical shape than their age might suggest. And while many of their parents were retired at this point in their lives, lots of baby boomers are just starting over in a new career or a different job.
As Reimer puts it, “We think we are healthier and better looking than our age might suggest. Typically, we see ourselves as 15 years younger than we are. The Botox and the Viagra help, and we're not ashamed to use them.”
Don’t Overlook Baby Boomers in Marketing
For some reason there seems to be a major disconnect between marketing professionals and anyone over a certain age, when in fact this just may be the age group that those marketing executives should be courting.
In a November 15, 2010 USA TODAY article, “Big-spending Baby Boomers bend the rules of marketing,” baby boomers are aging and accumulating wealth; therefore, their spending is growing faster than the 18-to-34-year-old market that marketers so often covet. In fact, spending by the 50+ crowd has grown by 45 percent in the past 10 years, while the under-50 crowd has increased its spending by only 6 percent.
That means marketing teams need to eliminate their bias and consider these facts (from the Missouri Small Business and Technology Development Centers) in order to attract more interest from the 50+ consumer demographic:
- Many boomers plan on working into their retirement years
- Boomers are concerned about health and fitness
- Customer service is a key factor for baby boomers
- Baby boomers want convenience, speed and quality at a reasonable price
- Boomers embrace technology
Whatever product or service you offer if you aim to attract those over 50, be sure to appeal to their active side and their desire to “stay young, act young, think young and feel young.” Do that, and you’ll have a customer for life.
Deborah S. Hildebrand - Deborah S. Hildebrand is a freelance writer & HR consultant with 20+ years in human resources & a Bachelor's degree in Business.
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