Don't Ignore Customers 50 and Over

Most advertising (and most market research) targets consumers aged 18 to 49. However, marketers who ignore customers over 50 are likely missing out on significant profits. For years, targeting ages 18-49 was a good way to target the Baby Boom. But nowadays, Baby Boomers are aged 41-59. And they’re a segment you don’t want to ignore. Currently, Baby Boomers control more than 50% of the discretionary income and 75% of the financial wealth in the U.S. Most Baby Boomers intend to keep working (and keep spending) when they reach retirement age.

So why does most marketing still focus on people in their twenties and thirties? One reason for this could be the fact that most of the people who work at ad agencies are in this age range. Also, many marketers seem to expect a kind of “halo effect” – that youth-targeted marketing will also appeal to youth-obsessed Baby Boomers. This might work when a 35-year-old is exposed to advertising targeting people in their twenties, but it doesn’t work for people in their forties and fifties. Boomers are more likely to respond to advertising that shows people their age... just don’t call them “old!”

Of course, the Baby Boom is not one monolithic segment. Boomers in their late fifties have different attitudes and needs than those in their early forties. To learn more about your target market beyond just those aged 18 to 49, give us a call at Bureau West (1-818-752-7210). We’ve partnered with Howard Willens and Leslie Harris, experts in the field, to provide you with research to help you effectively market to Baby Boomers.

Sources: “Pitchman for the Gray Revolution,” Fortune, June 28, 2005; maturemarketing.com; Bureau West research

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