Car marketers are alienating one of the most affluent demographics with campaigns that fail to appeal to over-55s. In a survey of 2000 over-55s, most agreed they were influenced by brands when buying a car. But only 15% said they were swayed by ads. The majority considered car companies' direct mail to be aimed at a younger market and irrelevant to them.
This is part of Jo Rigby’s (OMD, group research director) response in today’s Marketing.
Asking people of any age if they are influenced by advertising is difficult. Who wants to be seen as a soft touch? So it’s not surprising that only 15% agree that they are swayed by ads. It’s important to move away from the belief that advertising aimed at the over-55s must feature people aged over 55 to avoid alienating the audience.
This simple example illustrates an issue that continually raises its head when the question of advertising and older age groups is raised. Some observations:
- What the hell does “being swayed” mean?
- Do we have any idea the extent to which we have been “swayed” by an advertisement. Over course if it is a direct response ad and it resulted in me doing something then I know I have been “swayed”. But for the majority of advertising this doesn’t apply, perhaps with the exception of interactive.
- What would have been really interesting is if the research company had asked the same question over a range of ages and reported how “swayablility” varied with age. Even then I am not sure I would know what to do with the analysis.
- Does the willingness to admit being “swayed” decrease with age (ie the level of “swayiness” might be constant but as people age they are less willing to admit it)
I guess the bottom line is that the impact of advertising on the individual is a highly complex issue and deserves more than a simplistic single question response.
Dick Stroud: www.20plus30.com
No comments:
Post a Comment