Businesses and organizations are discovering the mature consumer

For decades, baby boomers were the center of the marketing universe. The sophisticated advertising industry that bloomed after World War II was in part a reaction to this demographic group. And as an industry developed, it set in place assumptions. For example, it was assumed that the only age group that mattered was the 18-35 demographic since they had money to spend and were developing brand loyalties that would last a lifetime. Those standard beliefs held marketers’ gaze on the Boomer bubble for years, but as Boomers aged out of the assumed target market, marketers were slow to follow.

Until Now…

Boomers now are the most desirable consumers. Their spending is increasing at a much higher rate than younger consumers.

The Boomer Project via USA Today reports “As Baby Boomers are aging and accumulating wealth, their spending is growing at a pace that’s leaving younger generations far behind. Spending by the 116 million U.S. consumers age 50 and older was $2.9 trillion last year — up 45% in the past 10 years. Meanwhile, the 182 million people younger than 50 spent $3.3 trillion last year — up just 6% during the same decade.”

These Are the Same People, But They Are Not Unchanged

Even though these are the same people people who watched TV, listened to the radio, read magazines and bought, bought, bought for all those years, they are not the same. As we age, we change. Our brains literally process things differently when we move from the spring to the fall and winter of life. We become more comprehensive in our thinking. We are not as open to purely logical appeals. We also become more slow to accept an emotional appeal without solid backing.

And this requires more than just large print. Usability is a factor in all marketing communications. But is pales in comparison to understanding how the mature consumer processes your offer or message.

Reaching Mature Markets Successfully Requires New Tools

Reaching the 50+ consumer, member, constituent, citizen, or donor is different, so we’ve developed different tools.

Reach50+ is a toolkit for understanding the mature audience for your brand and opening channels to serve them. These are strategic programs, built on the principles for successfully connecting with the boomer audience as it is today.

Marketers seeking to reach these customers for the first time or lift their average customer value are well aware of the consumer buying power boomers and seniors wield. To better position your business or organization to benefit from the Boomer and economic age wave, we invite you to learn more about Reach50+ and our products for engaging boomers and seniors online.