Treat Them With Respect: How To Entice Mature Consumers With Communications That Are Age-Appropriate

joannef@second50years.com (Joanne Fritz, Ph.D.) — Sun, 8 Jan 2006 00:56:13 GMT

by Joanne Fritz, Ph.D.
Sunday, January 08, 2006

The leading edge of the Baby Boomers turns 60 this year (2006) so it is clear that the "mature" market is a force that any business needs to take seriously. Older consumers are not won over easily, nor are they a market just for adult diapers and sensible shoes. They are looking for fashion, style, travel, luxury cars, home improvement products, and vacation homes.

The new mature market does not want to be talked down to, treated as children, or reminded of their age. Most do not consider themselves "old." What should a marketer do? Pay attention...that's what.

Here are some simple tips to apply to your communications to make sure you are enticing the older consumer, not turning him or her away:

Don't use words such as "senior citizen" or "golden agers." Images of mature people should be positive but realistic... show people with wrinkles but have them doing something active.
Include images of single women since many of your audience will be widowed or divorced women.
Avoid both drab colors and overly youthful ones. Select elegant shades for background color or paper such as a light blue, gray, or violet.
Make sure that the color does not interfere with reading the copy. Vary the hues of backgrounds and type so there is enough contrast to read.
Pairs of complementary colors, those that appear opposite of one another on a color wheel make pleasing visuals.
Use dark type on a light or white background. Do not use reverse type where the type is light on a dark background.
Designers love white type on black because it is dramatic... don't use it if there is a lot of type, not on a web page... not in print.
Keep designs crisp and interesting but avoid overly "busy" ones. Use a font size of at least 12 pt and an easy to read typeface such as Courier or Times Roman.
Write in short paragraphs, and break up the copy with subheads and call outs (such as a quote).
Don't assume that all mature people are alike. With an age range from 50 to 90 there will be some stark differences. Segment your communications so you can personalize to specific age groups.
Stick to the facts about your product or service and provide plenty of them. As people mature, they make more independent judgments and base their decisions on information rather than peer pressure.

About the Author

Joanne Fritz, Ph.D. is editor/publisher of Second50Years Marketing. Visit her website at www.second50years.com.

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