The “Baby Boomer” generation of adults born in the years following World War II is widely regarded as the largest generation in terms of population.
And since their generation is so populous, wouldn’t Baby Boomers have the most buying power as consumers as well? Today’s advertisers don’t seem to think so.
Commercials featuring Baby Boomers often depict negative stereotypes — such as one Esurance commercial that implies seniors are technologically inept, even though 28 million people aged 55 and older have a Facebook account, and senior citizens buy twice as much online as younger Americans, according to AARP.org. Most advertisers simply ignore members of this generation altogether, rendering them invisible and unrepresented.
In numerical terms, one recently published Nielsen study discovered that less than 5% of all advertising dollars go toward ads that target the 35 to 64 age group.
And advertisers’ ignorance comes with a hefty price. The Nielsen study found that the Baby Boomer generation will wield an astonishing 70% of disposable income in America by 2017. When an advertisement portrays a boomer in a negative light — or erases them from the picture altogether — it makes seniors less likely to try out the product or service being advertised.
Baby Boomers themselves are noticing their lack of representation. One UK survey of 1,200 boomers found that 39% of Baby Boomers believe people their age aren’t being represented in today’s advertising; a mere 26% said they thought their age group was adequately represented, the Retail Times reports.
The good news is that companies hoping to cater their products or services to this age group have little competition.
And one of the most effective ways to reach out to Baby Boomers could be through car wrap advertising. In a typical day, a car wrap advertisement will be seen by 30,000 to 70,000 people. Seniors spend plenty of time in their cars each day, which is the prime time for being impacted by a car wrap advertisement. These advertisements are non-invasive yet eye-catching, and are an easy way to get a Boomer’s attention.
Tapping into the spending power of the Baby Boomer generation carries countless upsides.
“(Boomers) were born into a post-war culture of affluence and optimism,” the Nielsen study concluded, stating that these adults spend more freely because they didn’t live through the Great Depression. “Boomers make the most money and spend what they make.”