“OK boomer,” is a phrase that became a meme. It’s meant to be cutting, dismissive. It’s meant to end whatever generational argument a Millennial or Z might be having with a 57-to-75-year-old. It’s a little like the snide, “What…ever!” It essentially ends the discussion. For marketers, “OK boomer,” should mean, “Yes, okay, let’s definitely continue to target this demo!” Why? Because Boomers have bucks.
Baby Boomers Spend
Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, have the second highest amount of disposable income. They aren’t afraid to spend it. Many are retired, many have paid off homes, and have fewer expenses. They can enjoy the extra cash they have. According to Nielsen, Boomers spend $230 billion each year for consumer-packaged-goods, and $7 billion of that is spent online. Boomers also spend 30% more on their vehicles than younger demos.
“Get off my lawn!”
Baby Boomers aren’t couch-potatoes watching Pat and Vanna. They don’t have doctor’s appointments every day. They aren’t yelling at teenagers, “Get off my lawn.” Estimates say the Baby Boomer demo is at 73 million. Most are active, do their best to stay fit, and spend time with friends and family.
Boomers are everywhere
AARP tells us that despite the market strength of Baby Boomers, only 5-to-10% of ad dollars are spent to target them. Boomers are actually easier to reach — they can be targeted in more ways than most other cohorts. Marketers can utilize more traditional media: television, radio, print, billboards, and direct mail certainly works. They aren’t Luddites either. Boomers spend an average of 27 hours a week online. More than 90% of the demo shop for products and services online. Nearly 70% are on YouTube and Facebook.
Targeting the Boomer
Here are some suggestions for targeting Baby Boomers.
Don’t use slang, don’t abbreviate. Boomers are not as out-of-touch as some think, but these days, slang expressions have a shelf life of about five minutes. When boomers text grandchildren, they usually spell things out. So should you.
Boomers are mobile. It might surprise you to learn that nearly 70% of Boomers own a smartphone. In fact, 40% of the Silent Generation (76-to-94) own one. It’s just another reason your website must be mobile friendly.
Hashtags are a flip of a coin. About half of Baby Boomers say they’ve never used a hashtag, which means half have.
Old is a four-letter word. Avoid the word when targeting Boomers. They don’t consider themselves “old,” and are living considerably longer than previous generations. Be wary of copy that is, in any way, condescending about age.
In order to target a specific demographic, it’s good to have a general understanding of the time frame in which that generation grew up. Keep in mind that sometimes, you can engage one demo in order to target another. We often aim at parents when the target is a child, tween, or teen. You might be able to target Baby Boomers by targeting their children.
Targeting a demo with $2.6 trillion in buying power doesn’t seem to have a downside.