A US company, Boisseau Partners, that specialises in 50+ marketing has done some research into ‘how old boomers feel’ and the importance to marketers of this virtual, rather than absolute age.
The punch line of the research is that ‘ If you're between 50 and 57, chances are this holiday season you're either being ignored by marketers, or they are sending messages that are 14 years off the mark’.
As we know, most marketers target by age, not by mind-set. Grouping baby boomers with people in their 70s and 80s is daft as they do not share the attitudes, values and self-perceptions. So far so good.
Boisseau Partners believe that the 54 years old say they feel 12 years younger (42 years old).
Apparently this ‘boomer gap’ grows larger among affluent Boomers. These boomers, who are 53, ‘feel’ 39, or 14 years younger. How anybody ‘feels 39’ beats me!
The conclusion from their research is that even if marketers try to reach this audience, they are likely using imagery, models, music and icons to appeal to someone who is 53, not 39.
I am not sure I buy these arguments. If you ask me how old I feel today, as I have a terrible cold, bad back and pain in my shoulder I would probably say around 90. Two weeks ago, as I came back to breakfast after an hour’s walk in surf on the Florida coast I would say I felt 20ish. If, as the research suggests, the copy and iconography of advertising should be aimed at perceived age then I think it is a far too simplistic conclusion.
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