| Boomers are a prime and growing target audience. | | | | How important is product security/integrity? |
| Does your product speak to them? Does your | | | | 72% Very Important |
| product's packaging compel them to buy it? If not, you | | | | 18% Somewhat important |
| are missing a very important market segment. | | | | 2% Not at all important |
| According to Rick Adler, founder of The Senior | | | | 5. Create relevance. |
| Network: "Simply based on population growth trends, if | | | | Use role models or visuals that represent the audience. |
| a product is marketed to the 50-plus audience and | | | | Having a 20 year old touting the latest benefits means |
| maintains its market share, it should increase in sales | | | | nothing. Conversely, having a 50+ year old speaking to |
| by 35 to 50 percent in the next 20 years. Conversely, | | | | her daughter or granddaughter creates relevance. |
| a brand targeted at the zero to 50 age groups will be | | | | 6. Don't use celebrity endorsement. |
| flat in sales." | | | | Do celebrity endorsements influence your purchasing |
| These 10 tips are adapted from DESIGN YOUR | | | | decision? |
| PACKAGING FOR THE ULTIMATE TARGET | | | | 2% Yes 98% No |
| AUDIENCE - BOOMERS | | | | Wow. Think of all the wasted money. |
| 1. Don't associate boomers or over those older than 50 | | | | Do endorsements from a senior organization such as |
| generation with being old. | | | | AARP influence your purchasing decision? |
| Boomers view themselves as younger than they are | | | | 14% No 86% Yes |
| (typically by 20 years). | | | | So the bottom line is don't use celebrities. Think of all |
| Whether you use the word, "boomer," "senior, "over | | | | the money you will save. Do use AARP and similar |
| 50," or "aging," this group doesn't want to be referred | | | | organizations to tout the product. |
| to as old. Avoid using the "over the hill" context. Use | | | | 7. Make it easy to open. |
| words that are not considered negative. Gone are the | | | | Does ease of opening influence your decision? |
| days of over 50 being considered close to the end of | | | | 48% Yes |
| life. You're not old. You are in the prime of your life. | | | | 54% No |
| In surveying my audience I asked what name they | | | | Ease of opening was considered a problem after they |
| preferred to be used as a reference. The 50+ age | | | | tried to open the package. Unfortunately, many of the |
| range prefers to be called: | | | | reasons a package is difficult to open is because of |
| · mature | | | | external influences, tamper evident, theft, counterfeiting |
| · boomer | | | | and product integrity. |
| · older | | | | 8. Keep it simple. |
| · senior | | | | The same features that make packages kid-friendly |
| · golden | | | | should make it easier for many adults to utilize. What |
| 2. Make it easy to use. | | | | they want you to know about the package: |
| Emphasize convenience or ease-of-use. Boomers are | | | | Make it easy to handle |
| busy people--making their lives easier or more | | | | Use color coding to differentiate products in a family |
| simplified is important. They like to spend time on | | | | Need easy opening packages |
| activities like cooking. They just don't want to spend a | | | | 9. Use language that connects |
| lot of time getting things together to do it. | | | | Use language that connects with boomers. In most |
| 3. Make it easy to read. | | | | cases, they are educated, literate and informed. |
| How important is the label's readability? | | | | Communicate with them as such. Hip hop and other "in |
| 70% Very Important | | | | "style messages create a negative image rather than |
| 8% Somewhat important | | | | a positive one. |
| 4% Not at all important | | | | 10. Forget about age |
| "We are not illiterates. Just make sure we can see | | | | Does age matter? How important is the designation |
| what we are buying." | | | | that the product is for those older than 50? |
| They size of type and the readability of packaging | | | | 14% Very Important |
| was the #1 packaging problem issue cited by the over | | | | 16% Somewhat important |
| the 50 crowd. Even with glasses many times the | | | | 60% Not at all important |
| product labels are difficult to read. Make no mistake; | | | | So don't categorize the product is one created for |
| Boomers will be reading it to make an informed | | | | those over 50. |
| decision | | | | However you reach out and connect with boomers |
| 4. Keep the product secure. | | | | through product packaging, it's important to visualize |
| By product security I mean that there is no evidence | | | | this market as vital, active people. Eliminate the old |
| of tampering or indication that the product has been | | | | stereotypes that we grew up with of people over the |
| opened in any way. This is going to be a huge issue in | | | | age of 50. Create significance by using images of |
| the future. With the advent, of 9/11 food security has | | | | people who realize they have the best years of their |
| become paramount. | | | | lives ahead of them. |
