Ideas to ponder

In a recent article in the UK’s Sunday Times, Mary Ann Sieghart raised a couple of interesting 50+ issues.

She quoted Bob Worcester, of MORI (market research company) "The over-55s have four times the political clout of the under-25s: there are twice as many of them and they are twice as likely to vote."

Most of the 50+ debate is about consumer numbers, power and attitudes. The idea of 50+ political pressure is fascinating. It does not take much imagination to construct a scenario where the politically conscious 50+ employ their political clout to mould the world to their liking whilst the politically alienated young look on in bewilderment. Increase retirement pensions - decrease student grants!! I wonder if the marketers in the political parties (I am sure that is not what they call themselves) have got their heads around that issue?

The other idea she proposed was that ‘the 50+ have more in common with people younger than with the generation above, both in their tastes and their values’. This set me to wonder if any research/thinking has been done about the different levels of understanding (or whatever you want to call it) between different age groups. For instance does a 25 year old have more or less understanding of their 15 year old brothers’ generation than they did 10 years ago? Is 'generational understanding' increasing, decreasing or constant. Whatever the answer it is an important issue for marketing.