STUDY:  Advertisers Ignore Vital Group

Are you ignoring the biggest demographic group in America? A recent survey shows that most advertisers are turning a blind eye to the baby boom generation – a group that’s 78 million strong. Baby boomers represent over 2.3 trillion dollars per year in consumer spending, yet advertisers focus primarily on the 18 to 34 demographic.
Advertisers’ lack of interest in the group has not gone unnoticed. According to a recent study conducted by GfK Research, 45% of boomers – about 35 million people – say they feel ignored by advertisers. The study also found that 77% of baby boomers feel that TV provides useful new product information; and 47% claim TV often influences a purchase decision.

The latter figures, which point to the group’s high regard for television advertising, coupled with the size of the population, should serve as a wakeup call to those advertisers who long-ago abandoned the boomer generation. Add this to the fact that today’s baby boomers are far more likely to look for better or improved brands compared to previous generations, and it’s easy to see why this group is so valuable to advertisers.

So what are today’s baby boomers looking for in a TV commercial? An overwhelming majority, 91%, say humor in advertising is very appealing; and 75% say they pay more attention to commercials that portray situations to which they can relate – and commercials featuring talents in the boomer age group.

What does this mean to you? If your brand is trying to reach the largest, most affluent generation in the history of the world, TV must be considered. And, now more than ever, a highly targeted, carefully crafted message and presentation will pack the hardest punch when trying to reach this perennially important group of buyers.