Sara Scurfield, AIMS volunteer and Online Program Manager at Advantex Marketing had the chance to interview David Cravit, Senior Vice President, Marketing, The 50Plus Group, and a speaker in the upcoming AIMS event “Marketing to YOUR Customer”. To hear more of David’s insights, come out to the Diesel Playhouse on February 27th to hear him speak on the challenges and opportunities of marketing to 50+ Canadians.
SS: What is the biggest challenge in marketing to the 50+ generation online?
DC: The biggest challenge is finding people in your organization who really believe in the phenomenon. Too many companies still believe that “old people” don’t go online, or don’t know what to do when they get online. Consequently, their online marketing strategies are either half-hearted or non-existent. A subtext of condescension pervades their efforts. Here are three typical signs:
- The “There, there dear” syndrome.
This treats the audience as borderline senile, requiring very simplistic messages with minimal content.
- The “Look – see – we do care about you” syndrome
This presupposes that the audience needs to be and wants to be identified as 50+ and that the company can score some immediate cheap points by demonstrating how much they are interested in that market. Messages are pervaded by age-identifying headlines.
- The “This’ll wow you” syndrome
This presupposes that it’s just a media play – extend the campaign to 50+-oriented web sites and you’re covered. But having done so, you can run the same stuff as you’re running against other age groups, particularly stuff that your tech wizards have decreed to be cool.
All three approaches betray a lack of understanding of what the 50+ are looking for and how they respond. In particular, they are marked by a lack of meaningful content. Content – and particularly, helpful content – is absolutely key to reaching this market. Attempts to substitute form for content are almost always doomed to failure.
SS: What motivates this specific niche to go online? How can marketers use this information to improve their business?
The 50+ audience goes online for information – information they can use. They know how to search for it, and they are prepared to have their credit cards ready.
The key to using online communication to improve your business is to understand the offline life of the 50+ -- who they are, how they behave, and above all the profound changes they are now exerting upon the very process of aging itself. Once you understand that, you realize that their online experience is very utilitarian – they are not in love with the technology for its own sake, they see it as a means to an end. It saves them time, it saves them money, it helps them meet their needs more effectively.
This need for information – particularly, for useful information – is what drives most of their online behavior. The 50+ audience is looking to live longer and live better. Their primary concerns are health (which encompasses wellness, anti-aging and beauty), money and travel. They are looking for information they can apply in their daily lives, and products and services that will meet their needs particularly in these key areas. They can be a very interested and attention audience – higher click rates, longer time spent with the information, more responsiveness – if the message is concrete and perceived to be useful.
But that means, in turns, that you have to have something to say. That may seem like an overly simplistic observation, but it is amazing how many companies still believe they can overcome lack of content with fancy execution.
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