Selling Us Old Folks Short!

Swiffer Superstars, Lee and Morty

Do you know the "Swiffer" commercial that features a couple in their 90s, Lee and Morty, who get a Swiffer delivered to their door? He's a little clueless but she's delighted.  She's able to get their place really clean with very little work.  She thought it was clean before but she says "I was living in a fools paradise!"

I love that commercial.  And, it caused me to buy a Swiffer.  Morty and Lee are happy, good natured, in love and still cleaning their own apartment (all like me and Dave.)

However, the Swiffer ad is one of very few that cater to older folks.  The current AARP Newsletter has an article about advertising in America.  As always, advertising is being directed to the 18 to 34 demographic.  A Nielsen study revealed that "less than 5 percent of advertising dollars target adults ages 35 - 64"  And most marketers see age 49 as the cut off.

I don't use this word often but that kind of thinking is stupid!  Here are some reasons why:

• The 50-plus market (that most advertisers ignore) is enormous.  For instance, by 2017 boomers will control 70 per cent of the country's disposable income.
• Advertisers don't like us because we are not technologically savvy but 28 million of us over 55 already subscribe to Facebook  and boomers buy twice as much online as younger adults. 
• We folks over 50 buy nearly five times as many new cars (which require insurance by the way) than the 18-34 demographic.  
• Boomers and Silents (my generation) account for 80 percent of America's luxury travel spending.

And speaking of luxury travel, tomorrow morning Dave and I are heading for Fort Lauderdale, Florida where we'll board a ship and sail to Aruba, Costa Rice, The Panama Canal, and other ports.  I can assure you that this ship will be full of fun loving, champagne drinking, massage getting, souvenir buying oldies like us.

I'll  send you a blog during our four days at the Panama Canal, the eighth wonder of the world, if I can just figure out how!


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