Marketing to Seniors

“For a long time ignored by the professionals of the marketing, the consumers of 50 and more are now very courted by the brands. Clientele of choices but difficult to attract, two American professors remind that the nostalgia works particularly well with this target.

this new study carried out by the State university of Washington (United States), by two professors of marketing David Sprott and Darrel Muehling, indicates that the employment of the nostalgia in the communication turns out to be an effective means to touch the consumers, and expect that this advertising concept is growing with the ageing of the baby boomers.

At first, these two academics noticed that communication agencies used more and more frequently the nostalgia to call back the consumers ” how much things were better in the past.

According to them, considering the ageing of the population, this ” marketing tool ” could become in the years to come, particularly powerful in trade wars for market shares.

Emmanuelle Béart was chosen by H&M to be the model for a glamorous lingerie campaign.

The 61 years old Diane Keaton has jsut signed a contract with L’Oréal to become the spokeswoman of the brand in North America.

Age Re-Perfect: Jane Fonda, 68 years old, becomes the ambassadress of this new anti-ageing product of Oréal.

With these three examples (extract from articles on SeniorActu.com) we can notice that today the big brands have understood that it is important to target seniors with products who are made for them and alos for younger people, but they also realized the importance to represent the reality by using models who have the same age than their consumers.

Hello everybody today I am going to make some comments on the previous article I posted.

With this article we can see that it’s very diferent for a company to target a comonplace consumer that the seniors. Indeed, as we can see the are more than one people who are involved in the purchasing process. They influence the seniors on what they have to choose, to try or to buy, and the companies have to be aware of that.  In fact, we can  understand that  sometimes it can be very difficult for the seniors to buy something by  themself because of health problems, for example, that make them not able to walk to do shopping. Then people who work in marketing also have to make difference between people in the same age group. Indeed, as we can notice all the seniors are really not the same, and they don’t have the same way of living. I think that they have to think about and creat different segment for the senior group to use the best way to target them, and to make products or advertising campaign which are relevant.

Then, I also think that in the futur and, even from now on, the seniorswill not or are not the same than before. When I see my father or my grand father, who alsmost made the second world war, I notice that they are not the same people. Now seniors have learnt how to live with the new technologies, to help them living better and older. So I think that even if it becomes very important to make offers and products for this kind of consumers, because they are more and more important, we also have to understand how they react to use the best way to communicate with them and with people who are important for them and who help them to buy.

Finally, I also think that if the vendorsor the salesperson were more implicated, or were very specialized in managing with this kind of consumers it will be very efficient. Indded, people who want to attract seniors have to develop some new concepts based on studies, to bring to seniors the products they need, using the best way to distribut these products or to communicate on it. They have to creat concepts where seniors could buy products or services by themself without the help of their relatives, or younger friends.  They have to make seniors confident about the fact that they can buy something on their own but they have to use the appropriate communication, distribution.

“Before we explore the marketing opportunities the extended senior customer represents, let’s take a look at some or the principal third parties that may make up the essential relationship

• Family members. Sons and daughters, and even grandchildren, may be involved in assisting with or making purchasing decisions on behalf of a senior. This is more likely to be true for older seniors and for larger purchasing decisions, such as furnishings, appliances and living accommodations.

There may be a concern that mom or dad is spending the children’s potential inheritance. Whatever the motivation, the involvement of family in a senior’s purchasing practices cannot be overlooked when marketing programs are being designed

• Neighbors and friends. While not having family ties, others may be concerned with the welfare of a senior friend or neighbor. This can lead to their involvement in the selection of particular products and services. Very often these concerned parties know more about seniors and their needs than do family
    

• Other caregivers. When there is not family available, or if a senior needs more support, hired companions or even home health aides may be involved
• Professionals. Also providing various forms of support to seniors are professionals such as doctors, lawyers, financial advisors, trust officers and sometimes clergy. Less personally involved than family, perhaps, but none the less interested in the senior’s welfare, these professionals often get to know and participate in purchasing decisions for their clients, patients and parishioners   

Given the existence the extended senior customer phenomenon, how can it best be put to use in the marketing of goods and services? Let’s look at this in segments: first, for advertising, promotion and publicity, and second for sales.

• However, the more beneficial approach to a larger audience might be in the form of a message to third parties within a more general theme to a targeted senior audience.

By inviting other parties into the picture, the vendor is helping create an extended senior customer, meaning others may be involved in decision-making about design, suppliers, materials, financing and a host of other choices

Sorry I don’t know why it doesn’t work, so if you really want to see the slide show you just have to click on the link below!!! have fun!!

 http://www.slide.com/r/gDY-Q8TPuD_bYrkrZDh8qgFsFQEllbuI?previous_view=mscd_embedded_url&view=original

          This commercial is about the brand called Hallmark. This company is specialised in selling cards for a lot of occasions like thanksgiving, hollydays, or the birhtdays .

          The company chose to use for this commercial two old men who seem to be old friends. We can first say that they made this choice to underline the fact that their products and the quality they provide to costumers are very good and recognized for a long time now. Then we can also say that they use this kind of actors to make people know that they target this kind of customers. Indeed, as we can notice, nowadays young people prefer using internet, with face book, hotmail, or their mobile phones to send a message to their friends. It’s more common for this part of the population to use the new technologies to communicate. But on the other hand, the majorty of old people prefer using the old methods and tools, and that’s why this company produce campaign aimed at them. Indeed, as we can see in the commercial the colors seem to be old, as if we were in the past, it’s not too colorful and bright but peaceful and quiet. they didn’t want to attack and disturb people who are used to buying their products.Who are in majority seniors. they chose a communication which is in adequation with their brand and their image. this communication is really made around the image of the company, to promote it and at the same time to promote its activity and its products. But as we can notice we never see the product and the brand execting at the end. They use the suspens and the humour to make us expecting and wondering what kind of product it is about.