The Lost Branding Generation: How Marketeers Are Communicating To Baby Boomers All Wrong

This report focuses on how too often, individuals of a certain age are lumped into a misrepresentative category, such as “The over 55s.” In this piece, we explore the subsequent wedge of disengagement that exists with consumers of this age, particularly the baby boomer segment of this bracket, and how by misunderstanding and lazily miscategorising these customers, businesses are failing to maximise their growth potential.

Boomers, seniors, “the over 55s.” Here at Opportunus, we feel they are possibly the least understood and most poorly represented group of people when it comes to targeting by businesses and our Insight Lab data vindicates this hypothesis. The generations that are composed of people over the age of 55 are frequently misrepresented and lumped into a periphery that marketers often dub “the over 55s.” The fallacy of this is that this classification is so painfully vague and covers a few generations that all act as consumers very differently. This is totally nonsensical for businesses as they are failing to extract the maximum value from the largest generational repository of capital, baby boomers. Furthermore, these generations can also be reached at interesting and powerful purchase decision-making stages. Thus it is important for consumer businesses to reevaluate the way they reach certain groups of people as far too many are failing to maximise potential in this realm.

 Far too frequently, we see adverts catering to the over-55s as frankly, rather depressing. Two grey-haired people staring into the sunset… It all feels rather subtly macabre. Our data reaffirms this, indicating that most people in this age bracket do not feel represented by the advertising that they are exposed to. This is concerning, not just because businesses are failing to capitalise on this important socioeconomic group, but because boomers are feeling left behind by many consumer brands and frankly being exposed to disengaging and often irritating marketing material. Marketeers too frequently treat such consumers as old and almost exclusively bombard them with later-life financial planning adverts, however, our data suggests that most are open-minded and aspirational. Can you honestly say that most marketing aimed at those over the age of 55 reflects this? 

So, if you want to take control of your business’ targeting or want to learn more about how the incredibly vague “Over 55s” category is failing businesses around the world, download our latest report here!