Don’t Market to Seniors!! What???
Let me explain…
Today’s senior is not the senior of yesterday. They aren’t picking up knitting needles, and heading for the nearest rocking chair when they turn 65. Today’s senior tends to flow almost seamlessly into their elder years by bringing their pastimes and interests with them, not exchanging them for more “senior appropriate” ones. They are continuing to enjoy things like scuba diving, playing sports, travelling, kayaking, mountain climbing, you name it!
Today’s seniors are not stereotypical. They don’t want to be put in boxes or herded in packs. They are very much individuals, thank you very much! And they are not giving up those things that they enjoy, regardless of what age they are!
The growing senior demographic is a marketers dream. Seniors spend more on health and personal care products than any other age group. Entire cosmetic lines of products and pharmaceutical remedies are being created just for this group of consumers.
Researchers say seniors spend more in the grocery store, they travel more and stay longer, they purchase more vehicles after they turn 50 than before, and they are buying quality.
They are also living longer and healthier, needing products and resources over a longer period of time.
So why shouldn’t you market to seniors?
The reason is that today’s senior doesn’t see him or herself as a senior.
Researchers are finding that there’s a real age and a perceived age. What this means is someone might be 65 years of age, but will say they feel like they are just 50. As a result, they respond better to messaging that is aimed at someone who is 50, than someone who is 65.
So, if you want a senior to listen to your marketing message, calibrate it to appeal to someone who is 50 and you will more likely hit your mark. That is the real message behind “Don’t sell to seniors!”
Seniors are living longer and are in better health than past seniors, leading to longer life expectancy. The actual physical age of a senior person is often eclipsed by a lifestyle more typical of someone much younger. In short, seniors do not want to be made to feel like seniors.
Today’s senior doesn’t respond well to marketing messages that talk about aging. They will, however, respond to messaging about improved lifestyle. Marketers who are conscious of this will adjust accordingly. They will understand that seniors will be far more attracted to a message that says calcium supplements will strengthen their bones so that they can play golf and dance the Argentine tango than they will to one that talks about the potential of broken bones caused by osteoporosis.
Seniors of today want to hear messaging expressed in terms of the positive. They don’t want to have their age and the possibility of declining health thrown in their face.
One of the things we’ve learned at Senior Living is that talking about lifestyle instead of age gets a totally different response. Talking about age tends to cause people to reflect on the images they carry in their minds of seniors, which are often stereotypically negative. But talking about lifestyle evokes images that transcend all ages. Is age really relevant in a group of people who enjoy kayaking, or who go biking every Saturday morning with the local cycle club?
Are you interested in the rapidly growing senior consumer market? If so, can you see beyond the senior stereotype? What kind of imagery does your advertising promote? Does your advertising remind senior customers about how old they are, or do you emphasize how your products or services can transform their life?
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