Advertisers, marketers, and business people are all trying to reach into the deep pockets of female Baby Boomers. And, that’s a great idea because Boomer Chicks control a lot of money and make a large percentage of purchasing decisions. The problem is that very few people, writing on the web, understand this group of women.
Marketing Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers are people born between 1946 and 1964. And, according to the article “Online Baby Boomers: A Demographic Profile, 2009”, there are 64.8 million Baby Boomers online. This equals 37% of all people online in the US.
OK, younger people are still not convinced. Try this quote:
"We are amused when (people) ask what effect the Boomers are having on the economy. Folks, in 2010, the economy IS the Boomers! We represent the vast majority of the workforce. There are 75 million of us; we ARE the economy. (That is not bragging; that is just a statistical reality.)”
Furthermore, though women make 80% of all household purchasing decisions, online Boomer women are being ignored. And, when targeting Boomer Chicks, too many articles and ads refer to these women as “seniors.” [Dockus]
Marketing to Boomer Women
It seems like there are two problems that are commonly made when younger people try to reach Boomer women:
Boomer Women Not Seniors
The word “seniors” has a terrible connotation to Baby Boomers, who would probably prefer being called four-letter words. Anyone trying to reach this big demographic of women should never use these phrases:
Well, it’s easy to learn what not to say, but no one really knows what to call Boomer women. In addition, younger Boomers are still in their 40s and have children under 18 living at home. 40-year-olds are not “seniors”; even Baby Boomers, back in the day, who “hoped they died before they got old,” would never have called 40-somethings “seniors,” though they might have called them “mom” or “dad.”
Baby Boomer Marketing Needs Focus Group
Still, the question remains: What should marketers call female Boomers?
Until some enterprising, young “junior” pulls together a flipping focus group, here are some viable options:
Boomers are happy to lipo, pull, tighten, and do just about anything on earth to avoid being asked that dreaded question, "Would you like the senior discount?"
What to Call Boomers
Really, someone in marketing or advertising is going to have to come up with a “universal phrase” for women born between the years of 1946 and 1964. Find a phrase that’s memorable. Find a phrase that’s descriptive, but not offensive.
Part of the problem is that the Boomer cohort is so big, it has splintered into two groups. Cliff Notes for youngsters:
Music is what defined Boomers. However, the above definition is not true for every Boomer. There are older straight, non-hippie chicks who never pushed their way to the front of a concert to stand near Jim Morrison, and there are nerdy, goody-two-shoes women who have never heard of the Ramones. How advertisers will get to the non-rock-and-roll Boomer Chicks will truly be a challenge.
Advertisers and content writers are going to need to come up with some non-derogatory terms for female Boomers. There is just too much money at stake.
Marketing Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers are people born between 1946 and 1964. And, according to the article “Online Baby Boomers: A Demographic Profile, 2009”, there are 64.8 million Baby Boomers online. This equals 37% of all people online in the US.
OK, younger people are still not convinced. Try this quote:
"We are amused when (people) ask what effect the Boomers are having on the economy. Folks, in 2010, the economy IS the Boomers! We represent the vast majority of the workforce. There are 75 million of us; we ARE the economy. (That is not bragging; that is just a statistical reality.)”
Furthermore, though women make 80% of all household purchasing decisions, online Boomer women are being ignored. And, when targeting Boomer Chicks, too many articles and ads refer to these women as “seniors.” [Dockus]
Marketing to Boomer Women
It seems like there are two problems that are commonly made when younger people try to reach Boomer women:
- Content writers don’t understand Boomer women.
- Content writers don’t have a universal, catchy "name" for Boomer women.
Boomer Women Not Seniors
The word “seniors” has a terrible connotation to Baby Boomers, who would probably prefer being called four-letter words. Anyone trying to reach this big demographic of women should never use these phrases:
- Seniors
- Older women
- Silver surfers or silver anything
- Golden girls or anything related to golden years (unless referencing a David Bowie song)
- Older ladies
- The graying population
- Grandma, grandmothers, grandparents, grannies
Well, it’s easy to learn what not to say, but no one really knows what to call Boomer women. In addition, younger Boomers are still in their 40s and have children under 18 living at home. 40-year-olds are not “seniors”; even Baby Boomers, back in the day, who “hoped they died before they got old,” would never have called 40-somethings “seniors,” though they might have called them “mom” or “dad.”
Baby Boomer Marketing Needs Focus Group
Still, the question remains: What should marketers call female Boomers?
Until some enterprising, young “junior” pulls together a flipping focus group, here are some viable options:
- Boomer Women (boring but better than “seniors”)
- Women Over 40
- Women Over 50
- Boomer Chicks (a personal fave, sounds like a grown-up hippie chick / flower child)
- Boomer Babes (a take-off on Rush Limbaugh’s “Info Babes”)
- Boomer Girls (feels more like “Sex in the City")
- Female Boomers (a bit clinical)
- Aging Baby Boomers (this is ok, though Aged Baby Boomers is not)
- Boomer Witches (even if both words start with a “B”, this is better than “seniors” or “mature women”)
Boomers are happy to lipo, pull, tighten, and do just about anything on earth to avoid being asked that dreaded question, "Would you like the senior discount?"
What to Call Boomers
Really, someone in marketing or advertising is going to have to come up with a “universal phrase” for women born between the years of 1946 and 1964. Find a phrase that’s memorable. Find a phrase that’s descriptive, but not offensive.
Part of the problem is that the Boomer cohort is so big, it has splintered into two groups. Cliff Notes for youngsters:
- Older Boomers: Born 1946-1955, more like aging hippies.
- Younger Boomers: Born 1956-1964, more like punk rockers.
Music is what defined Boomers. However, the above definition is not true for every Boomer. There are older straight, non-hippie chicks who never pushed their way to the front of a concert to stand near Jim Morrison, and there are nerdy, goody-two-shoes women who have never heard of the Ramones. How advertisers will get to the non-rock-and-roll Boomer Chicks will truly be a challenge.
Advertisers and content writers are going to need to come up with some non-derogatory terms for female Boomers. There is just too much money at stake.
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