Names and a Half-dozen Changes..., by G. Richard Ambrosius

Now, two years later, articles and conference topics on the typical boomer proliferate. Well the typical boomer is much like the typical snowflake What do we call them? Are they like other older people? Should we diversity in senior housing? Assisted living? Medicare and HMO`s? What does this mature market want? How do we tweak our ads to get the attention of these new older folk? As the market potential becomes more and more obvious, a plethora of consultants, authors and seminars will begin pontificating on how to capture this elusive, aging boomer beast.

As in the past, too many seek four easy steps or six simple typologies that can be used to segment boomer needs. Well, this complex market defies simple, structured solutions; yet is easy to understand if you can dismiss the concepts learned to in the youth dominated markets of the past.

The self absorbed, techno-toyed boomer will mature like preceding generations…only in a different context. An associate in New York recently told me about a meeting of corporate executives who spent the better part of an hour discussing what to call these mature consumers? An hour? Until now it was ok to call customers, customers. I can only imaging the discussion. "What about senior, mature adult or MUPPIE (mature upwardly mobile professional)? Sure, let`s call the old ones seniors and the others juniors! Let`s do some research and see what people prefer to be called."

Well, I can only speak for me; but I prefer either Dick or Mr. Ambrosius, thank you very much. I am not complaining. As a consultant, my business is helping others succeed in the maturing marketplace. If there is any secret, it is training sales and marketing personnel on how the maturing consumer thinks. How they process sales messages differently than when they were young.

If you believe those who portend that boomers will be teenager or hippies for life, you will regret that decision. Still, too many age 20 and 30 something creative types have gone to one seminar or workshop on the demographics and returned to pump out high quality, creative ads and brochures that present age as seen through the eyes of the young. Why not ask a man to explain what it feels like to give birth; it is about as meaningful. This is not a criticism of creative talent; I am merely pointing out that a majority of ads targeting middle age and older adults are screened out by the mature mind.

Since we seem to be a list driven culture, I offer one. Not steps to success in older markets, but steps toward understanding the older consumer. I offer these half-a-dozen changes that begin influencing consumer behavior in midlife and become more pronounced as we age. These changes are founded in the research and writings of mature consumer behavior specialist, David B. Wolfe and reinforced by my own 22 years experience learning from, working with/for and marketing to older adults:

1. To gain the mature consumer`s attention marketers must learn to rely less on reason and more on intuition cued by emotional visuals, copy and concepts. The first clue is to identify and use images that promote strong, positive emotional responses such as intergenerational photos, nostalgic images, Rockwell style photos that tell a story. The one step sales call is dead. In a mature, experienced market, relationship building must precede presentation of company and product because relationships are emotionally based (gut feelings) rather than rationally deduced. Both visuals and copy should communicate an interest in the whole person, not just a side that may need a particular product or service. Avoid depictions of mature consumers in flat, single dimension contexts, such as using or talking about the product without reference to a larger context of the person`s life experience. Market to people not segments.

2. The importance of making a good first impression (which is always emotionally based) will grow because experienced older adults form fist impressions more quickly and resist reversing them. Just ask yourself, do you become less and less tolerant of bad service with each birthday? I have asked that question to thousands at seminars and the answer is a resounding yes. Not because they become less tolerant; but because we know what we want. Age makes us more sensitive to images that can stimulate negative first impressions; especially if the image conflicts with a positive self image or threatens our personal autonomy.

3. While an emotional appeal is more likely to generate interest and be remembered longer, the consumer will then want more information than when they were younger. Older adults read warranties, guarantees, even insurance policies; but only after they have decided they are worth reading. To manage the sales process, the marketer must present an emotional appeal when most advantageous, then shift to hard or objective information. But remember the consumer drives the process. Give them no more than they need or want. Brain science has proven that increasing the emotions increases adrenaline flow, which increases long term memory.

4. The mind`s processing speed for objective information slows with age. Therefore, deliver objective information (e.g., product benefits and features, technical information, etc.) at a slow to moderate pace. Avoid jump cuts and incomplete sentences in narrative copy or radio and television spots. If the consumer is interested, the length of the copy will not be a barrier. . .a negatively perceived headline or visual could be. However, due to a lifetime of experiences, the processing speed for subjective information increases. That knowledge alone will increase your direct mail response rate when you discover how to lead with emotion and follow with the facts.

5. Maturing consumers become more resistant to absolute propositions and directive ad copy. The new generation of mature adults, especially boomers, grew up with television ads, exaggerated claims and hyperbole. They have heard it all. They want fact filled information; but prefer to draw their own conclusions. Information on company and products should be presented in a qualified, even deferential manner. When you use directive language, urgency strategies or exclusionary terms, you threaten the consumer`s autonomy and the mind begins experientially screening out you message.

6. The maturing consumers more quickly grasp metaphorical meanings, nuances and subtleties using subjective information processing. Unlike the objective presentations that worked with younger consumers, marketers need to take advantage of greater sensitivity to subtlety by expanding the content of the message and thus its perceived attractiveness. By using less specific language to describe products or services, the consumer can use their own creative processes to define the product in the context of their reality and life experience. This can be accomplished using nonverbal symbols such as the flag, babies, sunset, playful children, pets, hugs, smiles, holding hands, doves etc. Likewise, the mature consumer is more receptive to narrative-styled presentations of information. Copywriters should make greater use of story-telling techniques to get information across.

Since so few companies have targeted the mature consumer, absolute evidence on what works best in this changing consumer market is limited. Some companies have explored the mature market using traditional methods only to conclude there was little potential because consumers failed to respond. They blamed neither the messenger nor the message. It seems they blamed the intended recipient. Others have invested thousands of dollars to teach sensitivity to their personnel without ever developing an empathetic understanding of the mature consumer and their decision-making processes.

As businesses continue to tract the boomer/elder beast, there will no doubt have varying degrees of success. This article does not call into question the approaches that have worked so well in previous decades, as they were very appropriate to the market as it existed. But yesterday ended last night and new approaches must be tested and improved before we can advance the state-of-the-art. The new millennium begins next year. The maturity market of the future is now.

The business leaders who are willing to truly get outside the box as they explore new approaches to communicating their offers will dominate markets for the next 20 years. They are the visionaries who seek long term success over short-term security while demonstrating a genuine concern for both consumers and fellow team members.

Richard (Dick) Ambrosius is founder, president of Phoenix Associates. For the past 23 years, he has been an outspoken advocate of positive aging by specializing in a developmental approach to marketing, planning and problem solving.

Copyright Richard Ambrosius. All Rights Reserved.