One More Time. Boomers Reign Supreme!

For want of sounding like a broken record, for more than a year I have been one of the few voices out there in blogdom decrying the marketing value of our "aging" Baby Boomer population segment.

Maybe you will start listening to what I have to say now that the revered research firm AC Nielsen published a report today underscoring all that I have been preaching. Here are a few excerpts:

Conventional wisdom is they spend little, resist technology and slow to adapt to new products. All of this needs to re-assessed. Boomers are an affluent group who adopt technology with enthusiasm (how many parents and grandparents do you know that send emails and or upload photos on Facebook) and have shown a willingness to try new brands.
Only 5% of of CPG ad dollars are spend against a group that spends 38.5% of CPG dollars.
"Boomers should be as desirable for marketers as Millennials and Gen-X'ers for years to come," said Nielsen's SVP Pat McDonough. 'Nough said.

OK, you want facts, here they are. Boomers...

Dominate 1,023 of 1,o83 CPG categories
Watch the most video: 9:34 hours per day
Comprisse 1/3 of all TV viewers, online users, social media users and Twitter users.
Time shift (DVR) TV more than 18-24's
Are more significantly more likely to own a DVD player
More likely to have broadband Internet access at home
8 of their top 10 websites are the same as adults 18-34.

So what are the obvious implications? Business isn't exactly coming your way "over the transom" right now, so swallow your marketing pride and start a conversation with those "old, tired and bored" retired consumers. Your success might depend on it, because it you aren't, bet your competitors are.

As Nielsen and other research firms have been documenting, you do not even need a dedicated communication approach for Boomers. Do your Social Media thing and make sure you're talking to them with honesty and valid propositions.

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