October 2, 2012
Older Consumers Can Learn New Tricks
Good news Boomers! You won’t be totally ‘losing it’ as you get older.
According to research from Nielsen Neurofocus, a research company that studies how people’s brains respond to advertising, packaging, products, and shopping experiences, some neural decline is inevitable and handling visual or verbal complexity becomes more challenging with aging. On the positive side, older people have broader attention spans and are more emotionally balanced.
Also, refuting the traditional belief that older brains cannot learn and adapt, the neuroscience research suggests that the mature brain retains plasticity, or the ability to change as a result of experience, even at a late stage in life.
"The brain is far more adaptable than we thought," Caroline Winnett, chief marketing officer of Nielsen Neurofocus, told Advertising Age. "So the old paradigm that you get old and your brain and all your neurons die is completely getting shot down by new research."
The seven-year-old company, which clamps EEG-tracking caps on its subject’s heads to gain some of its data, has focused most of its efforts on the key 18-49 buying group but has done enough clamping to offer some insight into Boomer’s brains. AdAge noted that Nielsen data shows that Boomers account for only 25 percent of the U.S. population but 70 percent of the net worth, making them a critical buying segment even in old age.
NeuroFocus’ findings and suggestions, according to a press release, include:
- Mature brains have better control over their emotions and attend more to positive advertising messages. Marketers should emphasize upbeat messages and acknowledge what boomers will gain, not what they’ll lose.
- Although mature brains occasionally struggle with recalling information, they actually have broader attention spans than that of their younger counterparts, allowing them to absorb more nuanced messaging. Marketers can help the boomer brain by creating mnemonic triggers for their brand or product to make them easier to recall.
- Boomer brains process information differently, as they may ignore messages and images that are too cluttered, or scene changes that are too rapid. While the messaging can be complex, the delivery and format should be simple.
- The boomer generation doesn’t want to feel old or be treated as such. Marketers should avoid stereotypes and steer clear of messages that feature older people. Boomers want to be spoken to intelligently and honestly.
Research also found that while having ‘broader’ attention spans, mature brains are more easily distracted than younger craniums. But that can be overcome by keeping the brain active. One recent study found "immediate structural brain changes in the over-55 brain through a very short series of video games designed to improve focus," Mr. Winnett told AdAge.
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Discussion Questions
To what degree should advertising be adjusted for the Boomer generation? What approaches to marketing to aging Boomers have you noticed that seem out of sync with the generation?
Poll
Boomers have the larger wallets. Tune to this audience and do not put them in the ads that portray them as trying to be younger then they are. Some ads show them running down the beach and always smiling. Get real — that is not the way boomers really live. I am proof…boomer Redd; walking down the beach and not smiling.
I would suggest political ads are the most out of touch with Boomers wanting optimism, yet we are told over and over they work, so not sure where the disconnect is.
As I wrote in my special report on the Millennial Generation just like the Millennials, Boomers want new experiences. The best brands are talking about “new beginnings” for Boomers rather than messaging us like our parents were. We aren’t riding off into the sunset — unless it’s on a horse — on Maui. Whether it’s reality or not, we still want to feel we could.
Er … I can’t remember … just give me a minute ….
Actually, the biochemistry of the brain works slightly differently than the article suggests. It isn’t that older brains “struggle” with accessing information, it’s that they tend to process information differently. The shorthand explanation of this is that the brain warehouses tons of data — like references to shorthand — which are no longer useful and so the neural networks in an older, (non-demented) brain responsible for marshaling any given set of facts may be longer since they have more data to sort through, causing those ever popular “senior moments.”
Advertising will be aligned much more closely to brain biochemistry in years to come and not just to attract seniors. There is a mountain of brain science out there today that could, if accessed, help advertisers message more effectively.
So … the direct answer … don’t hurry me, I’m getting there … is that marketing to seniors — and everyone else — really ought to be more science than art.
Although I’m at the tail end of the Boomer range, born in 1960, I can say that the trend toward 1-second sound/video bites in commercial advertising has become annoying. I’d like to digest an image prior to being thrown into the next one. Flashing from one scene to the next in literally less than a second would seem a cause for Millennials’ short attention spans. Am I alone here?
I’ve spent a lot of my time this summer working on assimilating knowledge from dozens of books on this very topic. There are both artful and scientific ways for marketers to do their messaging work more effectively.
The issue is getting the content producers to change the way they work, and to “re-learn” the way human brains really work.
In addition to this new knowledge, keeping current on insight and understanding of your target customer relative to the category you’re working in is still worth its weight in gold.
I’m energized by the opportunities we have to be smarter and more relevant to the shoppers, not just trickier.
There are many sub-segments of the population to which advertising should be adjusted because they respond differently. Knowing this and devising a message that works for different groups but still creates a strong brand image is the challenge. Neuroscience research is adding new dimensions to this imperative creating another level of information to inform decisions for marketing material. Hope those marketing managers all have brains that can assimilate large amounts of diverse information and create effective solutions.
From what I can remember, the ads appear to be age appropriate for the audiences intended.
Political advertising is the dominant money maker for the next four weeks. These ads are definitely targeted at certain age groups. Examples are medicare and social security for the senior population and jobs for those in the workforce age groups.
My 84 year-old mother who is legally blind loves her iPad. Old dogs can learn new tricks. We Boomers, likewise, plan on embracing new technologies and new consumer products. Don’t write us off as Viagra-popping, creaky AARP members worried only about our retirements; view us as the economic force that we are, ready to spend as much money as we always have.
This aging Boomer cranium found each of these “findings” common sense — “emphasize upbeat messages and acknowledge what boomers will gain, not what they’ll lose”…who’d have guessed? While I suppose it’s comforting to confirm what we already knew, I’m still something of a kid in that I like to learn new things. Speaking of which — and echoing Cathy’s comments — my 78-year old dad has also fallen head-over-heels in love with his iPad as well…I guess the Apple generation is larger than we’d thought.
Successful marketing needs to be target marketed with its message depending on the audience. This has been the mantra for great PR and ad campaigns for years and should not change (or come as a surprise) for any marketer.
All I need to do is watch my 79 year old father actively engaged with current on and offline advertising to see the truth in the article. This is a huge opportunity to continue to capture the mindshare and wallet of the aging boomers.
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Boomers have the larger wallets. Tune to this audience and do not put them in the ads that portray them as trying to be younger then they are. Some ads show them running down the beach and always smiling. Get real — that is not the way boomers really live. I am proof…boomer Redd; walking down the beach and not smiling.
I would suggest political ads are the most out of touch with Boomers wanting optimism, yet we are told over and over they work, so not sure where the disconnect is.
As I wrote in my special report on the Millennial Generation just like the Millennials, Boomers want new experiences. The best brands are talking about “new beginnings” for Boomers rather than messaging us like our parents were. We aren’t riding off into the sunset — unless it’s on a horse — on Maui. Whether it’s reality or not, we still want to feel we could.
Er … I can’t remember … just give me a minute ….
Actually, the biochemistry of the brain works slightly differently than the article suggests. It isn’t that older brains “struggle” with accessing information, it’s that they tend to process information differently. The shorthand explanation of this is that the brain warehouses tons of data — like references to shorthand — which are no longer useful and so the neural networks in an older, (non-demented) brain responsible for marshaling any given set of facts may be longer since they have more data to sort through, causing those ever popular “senior moments.”
Advertising will be aligned much more closely to brain biochemistry in years to come and not just to attract seniors. There is a mountain of brain science out there today that could, if accessed, help advertisers message more effectively.
So … the direct answer … don’t hurry me, I’m getting there … is that marketing to seniors — and everyone else — really ought to be more science than art.
Although I’m at the tail end of the Boomer range, born in 1960, I can say that the trend toward 1-second sound/video bites in commercial advertising has become annoying. I’d like to digest an image prior to being thrown into the next one. Flashing from one scene to the next in literally less than a second would seem a cause for Millennials’ short attention spans. Am I alone here?
I’ve spent a lot of my time this summer working on assimilating knowledge from dozens of books on this very topic. There are both artful and scientific ways for marketers to do their messaging work more effectively.
The issue is getting the content producers to change the way they work, and to “re-learn” the way human brains really work.
In addition to this new knowledge, keeping current on insight and understanding of your target customer relative to the category you’re working in is still worth its weight in gold.
I’m energized by the opportunities we have to be smarter and more relevant to the shoppers, not just trickier.
There are many sub-segments of the population to which advertising should be adjusted because they respond differently. Knowing this and devising a message that works for different groups but still creates a strong brand image is the challenge. Neuroscience research is adding new dimensions to this imperative creating another level of information to inform decisions for marketing material. Hope those marketing managers all have brains that can assimilate large amounts of diverse information and create effective solutions.
From what I can remember, the ads appear to be age appropriate for the audiences intended.
Political advertising is the dominant money maker for the next four weeks. These ads are definitely targeted at certain age groups. Examples are medicare and social security for the senior population and jobs for those in the workforce age groups.
My 84 year-old mother who is legally blind loves her iPad. Old dogs can learn new tricks. We Boomers, likewise, plan on embracing new technologies and new consumer products. Don’t write us off as Viagra-popping, creaky AARP members worried only about our retirements; view us as the economic force that we are, ready to spend as much money as we always have.
This aging Boomer cranium found each of these “findings” common sense — “emphasize upbeat messages and acknowledge what boomers will gain, not what they’ll lose”…who’d have guessed? While I suppose it’s comforting to confirm what we already knew, I’m still something of a kid in that I like to learn new things. Speaking of which — and echoing Cathy’s comments — my 78-year old dad has also fallen head-over-heels in love with his iPad as well…I guess the Apple generation is larger than we’d thought.
Successful marketing needs to be target marketed with its message depending on the audience. This has been the mantra for great PR and ad campaigns for years and should not change (or come as a surprise) for any marketer.
All I need to do is watch my 79 year old father actively engaged with current on and offline advertising to see the truth in the article. This is a huge opportunity to continue to capture the mindshare and wallet of the aging boomers.