Marketing lessons about talking to the baby boomer audience. Where are they? What are they doing? What do they think? How can you tell them about your products and services?

1. CHRIS BRADSHAW
@chrisbradshaw
@boomboxnetwork
214.566.8162
Baby Boomers:
The sweet-spot
demographic
in the middle of all
the action

2. BOOMER DEMOGRAPHICS
• Baby boomers: the generation born
between 1946 -1964 (ages 51 and 69)
• Nearly 80 million boomers
• $3 Trillion yearly consumer spend
• By 2015, people aged 50 and older will
represent 45% of the U.S. population
• By 2017 , 50 percent of the U.S.
population will be 50+. . (Nielsen)
“Those born during that 19-year period – from 1945 to 1964 –
were part of the largest, most prosperous, best-educated and,
some might say, most indulged and indulgent generation that
the world has ever seen”
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

3. BOOMER PSYCHOGRAPHICS
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

4. BOOMER PSYCHOGRAPHICS
Ø Don’t want to be 32 any more
Ø Health conscious: Food, exercise,
surgeries, supplements
Ø Active: account for 31% of the
workforce
Ø Not retiring any time soon
Ø Inheriting! $15 Trillion
Ø Dating: largest growing demographics in
online dating
Ø Traveling: are 80% of leisure travelers
Today’s boomer are NOT their parent’s type of middle-aged “old” people:
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

5. BOOMER as CONSUMERS
Boomers spend $3 Trillion every year. They have the most amount of discretionary
income of any generation.
Within the next 5 years, baby boomers are projected to hold 70% of US disposable
income and buy 49% of total consumer-packaged goods.
33% of boomers shop online and spend $7 Billion (2013) + internet is major source of
research for comparison shopping
FUN FACTS:
¤ Americans buy an average of 13 cars in their
lifetime, 7 of those after the age of 50.
¤ More than half of boomers support their adult
children financially.
¤ Women over 50 spend $21 Billion on clothes
annually.
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

6. BOOMER vs MILLENIALS
“Millenials with weak job market, working for low wages
and mired in student loan debts,. have less to spend than other
demographic groups..
Given the above, it is hard to make (let alone sustain) the claim
that a lack of technology use and online engagement is a good.
reason to ignore people 50+” National Venture Capital Association
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

7. BOOMER & TECHNOLOGY
It’s a myth that older people don’t use technology, they aren’t online, they aren’t
mobile and social. The data suggest otherwise... To paraphrase Vint Cerf (70 years
old), Google evangelist and recognized “father of the Internet”:
“We aren’t scared of technology. We invented it!”
Computers & Gadgets:
Take a look around the Apple store next time you’re there.
ALSO 33 percent of all tablets are owned by people 50+ (AARP)
Mobile:
81% of baby boomers own a mobile phone – Actually it’s the fastest
growing demographic in mobile frontier. (Nielsen)
Online:
78%of people 50+ are online.
Over 65% use broadband at home. (Forrester).
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

8. 70% of Boomers
are on Facebook
BOOMERS are CONNECTED V.1
“The Boomers have always embraced science and technology and are
using today’s internet-linked products to enrich their lives by staying
connected, socializing, shopping and entertaining themselves. While
they are slower to adopt the new technologies, once they are
mainstream, Boomers buy in.” (Nielsen 2012)
Some fun numbers: (FastCompany, Nov 2013)
è The fastest growing demographic
Twitter is the 55-64 age bracket: 79%
since 2012
è The 45–54 year age bracket is the
fastest growing demographic on both
Facebook and Google+
è For Facebook, this group has jumped
46%.
è For Google+, 56%.
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

9. BOOMERS are CONNECTED V.2
Boomers are the Sandwich Generation.
They are influencing the purchasing decisions of
their peers, parents, children and grandchildren.
And their influence is as powerful offline as online.

10. BOOMER BEAUTY SURVEY
Find the Boomer Beauty Report here:
http://boomboxnetwork.com/2012/12/baby-boomer-women-beauty-a-study/

11. BOOMER BEAUTY SURVEY
Q. When it comes to
the majority of
advertising by beauty
and grooming
brands, how do you
feel about their
advertisements?"
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

12. BOOMER BEAUTY SURVEY
Q. Tell us about your
preferred sources to
learn about beauty
products:
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

13. BOOMER OPPORTUNITIES
In Washington, addressing the needs of
100 million people
is called an unaffordable cost.
For entrepreneurs, addressing the needs of
100 million people
is called an opportunity.
Jody Holtzman, AARP
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

14. BOOMER OPPORTUNITIES
Boomer consumers spend close to 50 percent of all CPG dollars
and are set to control 70% of disposable income,
yet less than 5 percent of advertising is geared towards them.
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

15. BOOMER OPPORTUNITIES
"Baby Boomers were born
to be wild
and their retirement
promises
to be even wilder” (Reuters)
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

16. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama
The brand’s marketing team

17. BOOMERS & TRANSPARENCY
VS
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

18. BOOMER & BLOGGER OUTREACH CASE STUDY
Situation:!
The Alzheimer’s Prevention Initiative was looking to test the impact
of social media on accelerating the number of new
registrations to the Alzheimer’s Prevention Registry.
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

19. #ENDALZNOW CASE STUDY
Activation
campaign
6 weeks, 11 bloggers and new
registrations increased by 3,000+
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

20. #ENDALZNOW CASE STUDY
Keyword rich, powerful content tells the story & precise Call-to-Action
drives sign-ups.
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

21. #ENDALZNOW CASE STUDY
All content was supported by social shares across various channels.
#babyboomers | @BoomboxNetwork | @DFWama

22. THANK YOU!
CHRIS BRADSHAW
Co-Founder
Boombox Network LLC
Chris@boomboxnetwork.com
@chrisbradshaw
@boomboxnetwork
T: 214.566.8162
And boomers
everywhere also
thank you in advance.