Bronwyn White, CEO, New Young Consulting presented 'From Blue Rinse to Blue Skies – How to Market to Seniors Effectively'

1. RESEARCH, TRENDS &
MYTHBUSTING 2019
SENIORS, BOOMERS, +55’S ETC.…

2. THE MOST PREDICTABLE MARKETING OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE EVER HAD
“We should have seen the flood coming: the aging of (baby) boomers was perhaps the most
predictable large historical event of the last century”. Joseph Coughlan. MIT Agelab
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3. Why should we
care about baby
boomers?
• Lots of them!
• They are about to retire
• More time than anyone
else
• More money than anyone
else
3Source: https://blog.id.com.au/2012/population/demographic-trends/who-are-the-baby-boomers/

4. HOUSEHOLD
WEALTH
The bar chart
represents wealth of
households in
Australia, by age
bracket. As you can
see, the mass of
Australian wealth sits
with the +55’s
market.
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74 $1,040,550
$1,239,700
$944,900
$573,300
$268,800
AGE
Millennials / GenY
Older
Boomers
Gen X
Younger
Boomers
Builders
(Boomers)
$$$

5. The have the $$$
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In the US, +50 demographic controls
55% of all consumer spending and 80%
of wealth
By 2020, spending will reach $15
trillion – and set to grow from there
Source: Euromonitor

6. TRADITIONALLY SEEN AS A
PROBLEM NOT OPPORTUNITY
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jan/22/elderly-hurry-up-die-japanese
https://www.fastcompany.com/3068543/our-aging-population-can-be-an-economic-powerhouse-if-we-let-it
• Governments telling us
it is a problem
• But, for marketers, it is
an opportunity:
• Innovation

7. Traditionally seen as a problem not
opportunity
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Less than 10% of marketing dollars are aimed at the 50+.
Advertisers spend 500% more on millennials
Many ad agency creatives and account managers bring their
preconceived lenses of what a senior represents – incongruent with
who they are
Seniors don’t think they are senior. Current advertising risks alienating
and repelling them
We live with outdated and preconceived ideas…we as an industry
haven’t moved on, but they have!

8. 8
• In 1900, life expectancy for much of the industrialised world was
under 50.
• Today, living well into one's 70s, 80s and beyond can be expected.
• Made the shift from acquiring more material possessions to a desire
to purchase enjoyable, satisfying and memorable experiences
• Concerned with not longer life but quality of life.
Key differences to past senior generations
“They are not stopping spending, like previous
generations did, not even spending reluctantly, just
spending differently for different reasons”
Dan.s.Kennedy.

9. MILLENNIALS TEND TO BE FULL OF DEBT
BOOMERS ARE FULL OF MONEY
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Millennials
• Accom spend on most recent trip $675 (Tripadvisor)
• Seek out affordable accommodation
• Seek out basic fares
• Posting up a storm on social media accounts with pics
from fabulous and luxurious travels
Boomers
• Accom spend on most recent trip $1,540 (Tripadvisor)
• Seek out quality 3-4 star hotels
• Seek out their favourite airlines and pay extra for
flexibility
• Not price driven, but seek good value
Your secret sauce is in the statistics that all other travel marketers seem to be ignoring.
Millennials Spend Less Than Half On Accommodation Than Baby Boomers,
Seeking
likes
Seeking
travel
memories
and stories
Photo by Amos Bar-Zeev on Unsplash
https://tripadvisor.mediaroom.com/press-releases?item=126198 https://www.cheapoair.com/miles-away/baby-boomer-travel-trends/

10. 10
AS A GLOBAL ECONOMY THIS
SECTOR IS THE 3RD LARGEST,
BEHIND USA AND CHINA.

11. Interesting
life history
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Fun and adventurous. Active learning in
travel
Travelling before the Internet,
Tripadvisor, Instagram – they just had to
go there to find out what was there
Popping all sorts of pills before you were
☺
They didn’t call it the swinging 60’s for
nothing. Sexual freedom driven by The
Pill

12. So what are
they good for?
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13. FINDINGS
Be prepared to
challenge and shift
your thinking as we
smash commonly held
seniors travel myths
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14. MYTH #1
SCARED / OUT OF TOUCH WITH
TECHNOLOGY
• This used to be true of the silent generations
• When computers first arrived in workplaces, baby boomers
had to learn to use them
• Very comfortable using and spending on technology
• Increasing mobile usage
• Overwhelmingly see technology as having a positive impact
on their lives, always connected and willing to spend online.
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15. MYTH #2
THEY DON’T USE THE INTERNET
MUCH FOR RESEARCH
• The most sophisticated and heaviest online travel
researchers I have seen
• Spending hundreds of hours researching travel
because they have the time
• Digitally engaged, 20% cent of them will spend
more than 20 hours a week online."
Implications
• Massive implications for customer journey
marketing
• User experience
• Content marketing
• Same, same content won’t cut it. New news,
interesting content. 15

16. MYTH #3
THEY DON’T BOOK OR PAY
ONLINE
• They are more online than ever before
• They have the time to research heavily
• Becoming more confident and in control of their
online expenditure
• Virtually no barriers to paying for large travel
purchases online via credit card or PayPal
• Favour ‘reputable’ brands
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17.
MORE SECURITY
SAVVY THAN
YOUNGER
GENERATIONS
“Sometimes I'll google
the latest tourist scams
in that city so I'm aware
of what is going on. As
scams change all the
time I just want to be
up to date on that kind
of stuff. I'll also google
the price for taxi so I
don't get ripped of”
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https://www.businessinsider.com.au/theres-one-crucial-area-where-baby-boomers-are-way-more-tech-savvy-than-millennials-2016-

18. MYTH #4 USE IMAGES OF
SENIORS IN MARKETING TO THEM
• Seniors don’t think they are senior
• Don’t call them senior
• They don’t want to travel with seniors
• They don’t want to see pictures of old people in
advertising
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19. DON’T USE THIS TYPE OF IMAGERY
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Actual quotes
from the
research when
respondents were
asked to
comment.
Although it may be true, travellers
don’t want to be reminded that they
are travelling like this!

20. Ad account executive brief is:
Create fb ad for adventure walking company for seniors market
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Yeah, my
grandpa loves
walking, I know
the perfect pic
I look like this But my attitude is this...

21. MYTH #5
SOCIAL MEDIA
• Access your seniors on social media, Facebook
and YouTube – NOT Instagram
• YouTube – the fastest growing user group for
YouTube is seniors.
• Watch your entire ad, because they are really
interested in it, and they have the time and the
attention span to do so
• .
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22. YOUTUBE
This is the percentage of every American age
demographic using YouTube, as of January 2018

23. THANK-YOU
BRONWYN WHITE | CEO | NEW YOUNG
CONSULTING
BRONWYN@NEWYOUNGCONSULTING.COM
MOBILE 0408 225 766
NEWYOUNGCONSULTING.COM
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