You can be too good at 50+ marketing.

Whenever there is a discussion of 50+ marketing and the companies who have ‘got it’ you can be sure that Harley Davidson will be on the list of quotes. It seems they have been so good at appealing to the older male (woman make up only 9% of the customer base) that they now worry about being too associated with being an ‘old guys bike’.

Not only does this association affect their ability to sell to younger bikers but also to their 50ish traditional customers. In fact the median age of a Harley owner is 46.

Conclusion for marketers. If you are too successful at associating your product with the 50+ consumer, or making a lot of noise about doing so, you risk it being positioned alongside products for the 'older person'. I am sure there is a more elegant way of making that point but I think it conveys the message. For more on this subject have a look at this article.