If you are looking to sell to this demographic group, make the following 2008 resolutions:

1. Focus. Resolve that in 2008, your marketing will stop trying to be all things to all people.  Try instead to say the right things to the right people. Leave the tweens behind. Don’t worry if your ad won’t go viral on YouTube. Boomers are roughly 80 million strong, spending nearly $3 trillion each year. About 13% of Americans are part of the Silent Generation or are older.  Americans ages 50 and older controlled 67% of the country’s wealth in 2001, or $28 trillion.  The opportunity is enormous.
2. Know who you’re talking to. A 50-year-old male can be a first-time parent or a second-time grandparent.  He could be the “senior” staffer or just starting out as an entrepreneur.  On this year’s campaign trail, 46-year-old Barack Obama has children ages 9 and 6.  Meanwhile, 65-year-old Fred Thompson travels with his 3 ½-year-old and 7-month-old.  In 2008, take time to understand how life stages are much more important than physical ages.
3. Resolve to trust. In the 1960s, many boomers followed the mantra “Don’t trust anyone over 30.”  In 2008, marketers should trust those over 50.  Don’t dumb down your advertising or patronize. This is the most highly educated group of Americans in history. They can be trusted.
4. Walk the walk. This year, make your marketing real. Don’t expect that by adding the word “Woodstock” to an ad you can connect with the mature consumer. Be authentic. Marketing should address real needs with real answers.
5. Show a little respect. Enough with photos showing an 80-something woman in a flowered bathing cap and polka-dotted sunglasses. (Unless you’re selling bathing caps and sunglasses …)
6. Learn that it’s about the experience. Newsman Walter Cronkite (a reference for your Silent Generation buyers) ended his reports by saying, “And that’s the way it is.”  Remember, 50+ consumers are more interested in experiences than possessions. Show them the way it is (or will be); make it experiential and you’ll earn the sale.
7. Say “please” and “thank you.”  Your customers will hear the personal touch and reward you with their loyalty.
8. Resolve to reflect diversity. National Institute on Aging projections tell us that that, in 2003, America's 65+ population was 83% white. However, by 2030, the older population will be more diverse; 11% will be Hispanic, 10% will be black and 5% will be Asian.  And, with boomers, diversity is far more than skin deep. The economics and experiences of this enormous group, spanning 18 years, have varied widely. Reflect this increasing diversity in your marketing.
9. Give “Power to the People.” Embrace social media and user-generated content … the 50+ consumer already has.
10. Turn on, tune in, drop out. Tim Leary’s famous saying could be a checklist for effective mature marketing. Does it “turn on” and engage your target? Is it based on research and true understanding of the target?  (Adding a photo of a white-haired model doesn’t mean you’ve tuned in to boomers.) 

In 2007, too much advertising communicated the mindset that boomers and their elders are old, stuck in their ways or just plain cranky. In 2008, resolve to drop out of the past and let your marketing grow up.

Todd Harff is a respected speaker, author and strategist focused on marketing to boomers and beyond.  As president of Creating Results, Harff leads a team skilled in creating comprehensive marketing programs that motivate the 40+ affluent consumer. Harff is a co-founder of a new, global organization dedicated to this segment, the International Mature Marketing Network.  For other marketing tips, including these 2008 resolutions in pictures, please visit www.creatingresults.com. Or contact Harff by e-mail or at 703-494-7888. [Return to top]