Okay, Boomer
Creating Stronger Ties With Your Baby Boomer Audience
It often seems like the ever-provocative Millennials get so much attention, other generations are overlooked. Take the formerly celebrated Baby Boomers. This segment — currently those ages 55–73 — is massive (73 million people). Research shows that they have significant spending power and, with decades of work behind them, they figure they can justify a few indulgences. But Boomers are more than just established adults with big bank accounts; they’re also sophisticated consumers — more sophisticated than many marketers think.
As Different as They Are Similar
As with any demographic, lumping Baby Boomers into a single, monolithic mass would be a mistake. You need to dig into the data to break out their various segments based on factors such as buying habits, socioeconomic status, and world view. Flynn took that to heart when we designed and developed an award-winning website in the reverse mortgage space. Looking at competitors’ websites, we found a sea of sameness. So, we developed a different approach based on data and insight: consumer personas.
We created several illustrated characters, each representing a different state of a Boomer’s life and their familiarity with financial tools. Breaking this one demographic into more relatable, personalized segments proved wildly successful.
There Are No Magic Words
To create compelling messaging for mature markets, you need to write in a direct and clear manner.
- Be literal
- Be concise
- Be honest
- Avoid slang
One clear difference between older and younger audiences is attention span. Once you have their attention, Boomers and other older adults will stay with you and consume your entire message. When communicating with older adults, speaking in “sound bites” or acronyms will actually undermine your message’s effectiveness. Take the time to lay out an articulate and compelling story, and they’ll appreciate it.
Only as Old as They Feel
To communicate effectively with any marketing demo, tapping into their psychology can definitely help. Generally speaking, when we’re young (tweens and teens), we associate ourselves and aspire to be with those slightly older than us. As we mature, that flips, and we begin to think of ourselves as up to ten years younger than our true age. For that reason, when marketing to older adults, make sure to find the right balance. Avoid clichés and unrealistic imagery (we’ve all seen stock images of 90-year old water skiers) or, conversely, those depicting frail or isolated, out-of-touch individuals.
And whatever you do, do not refer to them as “elderly” or even “senior.” Whatever the dictionary definitions of those terms may be, much of this audience doesn’t think of themselves that way.
Smartphone Friendly
While we think of Millennials as being high mobile phone users, Baby Boomers actually use their smartphones nearly as often — more than five hours a day. Facebook is clearly their hangout, helping them stay connected with family and friends. While Boomers may see social ads as annoying, they’re still fertile ground for marketers wishing to amp up awareness and take advantage of Boomers’ incredible brand loyalty. Facebook videos are highly effective, but keep in mind that 80% are viewed with sound off; be sure to include captions. And Boomers appreciate slower-paced, concise video content that explains concepts in detail.
You Still Can’t Ignore Father Time
While Boomers enjoy many advantages relative to younger audiences, they are aware, and mindful, of the realities of aging. So, accessibility is key when designing for this generation. For instance, with most of them wearing multifocal eyeglasses or contact lenses, it’s important to consider legibility, contrast, and ample sizing of visual elements.
And when it comes to creating audio elements, you should remember that our hearing acuity also changes as we age. In some cases, background music or sound effects can interfere with the effectiveness of the main talk track. In this case, less really is more.
Making Messaging That Resonates
This generation is less concerned with “fear of missing out” (FOMO) than with receiving logical, practical information that clearly communicates benefits. Through creative and message testing in direct response marketing channels, we’ve seen a dramatic difference in reactions to “emotional” vs. pragmatic marketing.
Commercials that rely solely on an alarming or emotional hook certainly grab attention, but we’ve found that they don’t drive action. By contrast, highly logical, information-heavy spots fail to grab and maintain sufficient attention. However, there is a sweet spot with creative that offers a brief emotional pull, followed by a methodical release of easy-to-understand content, free from jargon. Ultimately, Boomers appreciate learning benefits without a lot of embellishment, and learning how those benefits line up relative to cost.
Connect and Win
Whether it’s Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, or any other demographic, the goal is always to connect with actual people, not a group they’ve been assigned due to their birthdate. Boomers are people with hopes, dreams, and concerns. So, you’ll find that empathy drives success. Sincerely connect with them on an emotional level and show that you can help them, and they’ll be loyal customers for years to come.
