Top 10 misconceptions that sabotage marketing to mature audiences – #5

October 28th, 2009 by Robbie Magee

Communicating across generations is always a challenge in advertising. Even when we hit a bull’s eye with copy and imagery, there are subtleties, nuances, and proprieties that are unique to each generation and speak volumes about our intentions—a “litmus test,” so to speak. Where older adults are concerned, taking a “we know best” tone is particularly risky because it conveys an underlying disrespect for their intellect and intuitiveness. This brings us to the next misconception of marketing to mature adults:

#5: Disrespect will go unnoticed.

Through our work with our mature market practice clients, we regularly promote financial services and healthcare products to older adult audiences. Our top criteria are:
Suitability: Is this product appropriate for the prospective buyer?
Balanced messaging: Does it promote educated evaluation and purchase?

These may sound quite simple, but they’re effective because they genuinely respect our older audience’s desire to trust us to help them choose. Key words here are, “desire to trust us to help them.”

I have a proposition here—especially for those who wonder why we hold this trust in such high regard. I encourage you to view the documentary, “An Age for Justice: Elder Abuse in America.” Then click, “take action” to assist the American Society on Aging in their mission to eradicate elder abuse. All the watchdog groups and predatory advertising regulations in the world simply cannot achieve the same outcome as raising awareness and empathy for older adults, who become victims because of their greater need for our help and their desire to trust us to do the right thing.

Thank you in advance for caring. May we all age gracefully and well.

And in case you’ve missed the previous installments of mature market misconceptions, view the following links below:

• #6: Older consumers are more reluctant to open their pocketbooks.
• #7: Older adult audiences share the same aspirations, and respond to the same motivational stimuli, as younger consumers.
• #8: The mature market is one big, homogeneous market.
• #9: Designing your website with older audiences in mind will “wreck it.”
• #10: Older adults are technophobes who don’t understand the Internet.

-Robbie Magee

This entry was posted by Robbie Magee on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 and is filed under MF, Marketing, Mature Market, Senior Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.