Marketing to a Mature Audience

Marketing to a UK population that’s getting older (but not fitter)

Went to very interesting Chartered Institute of Marketing event in Cambridge where the subject was marketing to a mature audience. The presentation started with a discussion on what age does youth end and old age begin? A very challenging quandary but the average answers were available!

When does youth end?

Responses from those aged 15 to 24	28
Responses from those aged over 80	42
The average age youth ends	35

but crucially when does old age begin

When does old age begin?

Responses from those aged 15 to 24	54
Responses from those aged over 80	67
The average age that old age begins	58

Age as a Segmentation characteristic

With such wide variances how can one and should one use age as a segmentation characteristic? From a sales and marketing perspective we appear to focus on youthfulness,

A great example of this is featured in the following article http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1202399/The-faces-Twiggy-59-How-airbrushing-Olay-ad-hides-truth-skin-shes-in.html

A great example of the power of photoshop, just what would happen to the brand, to sales if a natural stance was projected?

So how can a brand relate to an older audience? The following advert from Coca Cola makes me smile even if it does portray some strereotypes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j9KWEGmq9Y

The challenge appears to be that with an ageing population and a shift from a youth culture to an aged culture as marketers we need to start revisiting or reconsidering how we market to what is an ageing audience. All of this is occurring whilst we are going through a technical revolution and with more marcoms activities occurring than a full time marketing professional can keep up with.

As marketers we have so many on line activities to use Twitter, Facebook, Linked in, SMS, Foursquare, E mail, Websites etc all of which make our lives so much easier that sometimes we forget that 43% of the population without internet access don’t want it! So as our population ages it has never been as important to practice safe and efficient Online and Offline marketing.