A boomer woman tells it like it is: did the marketers listen?
By Stephen Reily - Founder, Vibrant Nation
A few weeks ago I attended the Symphony
The summit’s “Multi-Generational Consumer Panel” featured representatives of 3 generations, including 2 speakers on Boomer issues: the public-speaking duo of Georganne Bender and Rich Kizer, who brought insights from their own lives to the topic of marketing to Boomers. Kizer and Bender also write the practical and engaging blog, “Retail Adventures in the Real World”. We need more people over 50 sharing insights about the shopping experience from their own experience.
At the SIG Summit, Georganne Bender started by raising a complaint familiar to our ears at VibrantNation.com: “I don’t see people who look like me in ads.” I don’t know if the brand marketers there paid attention, but Bender went on to state what we hear too often from women who feel ignored by mainstream marketers.
“I’m 55 but I’m not old. And I look at your advertising.”
Bender also captured a fundamental marketing flaw I see across almost all consumer categories: marketers seem to think that women want to see women 30 years younger than they are in ads targeting themselves.
The only ads that feature women like her are actually targeting 80-year olds. “I see that ‘I’ve fallen and I can’t get up’ ad,” Georganne said. “And the women in those ads? None of them is older than 52!” And she reminded us that individuals in the
And the ads that do target Georganne Bender and other vibrant 55-year old women like her? “Stop using airbrushed or 25-year old models to try to make me think I look like that.” I’ve written about this issue as a hot button for Boomer women before. Among the brands that get it right, Georganne singled out Olay Regenerist as a brand that understands her and gives her the information she needs to make smart decisions about what to buy.
But Georganne presented as a team, and it was good to hear from her speaking partner and fellow Boomer, Rich Kizer, that men feel equally ignored when they shop. Kizer is as aggravated with service as female Boomers, and (like them) seeks a level of recognition that stores and salespeople aren’t giving him.
He encouraged retailers to learn from the hospitality industry, which trains young employees to serve customers of all generations better than the average department store.
Finally, one of the most surprising Boomer-marketing insights came from a Millennial blogger who was also a panelist: Sasha Halima, author of Little Pink Blog. Explaining how she turns to her Boomer mother for direction about what clothes to buy, what food to buy, and how to cook it, even this PR and trends expert said, “If you want to market to me, market to my mom.”
It would be surprising enough if mainstream marketers started talking to women like Georganne Bender directly. Just imagine if they started targeting them as a direct channel to their desirable daughters, too!
Thank you to Stephen Reily for allowing us to post this article. Vibrant Nation is a must read for Baby Boomer women. Check it out: Click to visit Vibrant Nation!
