Good, bad, and ugly of advertising to baby boomers

The Good:

Boomers are 78 million strong, have over $1 trillion in disposable annual income and control more than 50% of total consumer spending. Pretty good target market by pretty much anyone's definition.

The Bad:

"Nearly 50% of the Baby Boom generation believes there is little truth in advertising and more than 60% wish ads had more real information."

The Ugly:

"Nearly one-quarter of US baby-boomers are insulted by the advertising messages that companies are sending them."

It's not surprising that the over-40 crowd feels a little ignored when it comes to advertising messaging.

"There's a perception among advertisers that if you're over 50, your biggest concern is incontinence – that's not true," said Mike Irwin, president of Focalyst [the company that did the study].

Irwin says this by "putting out overly general messages often based on stereotypes rather than focusing on different segments of a vibrant population." And when boomers don't connect with the messaging they vote with their wallets. More than 65% say they are less likely to purchase the product if an ad offends them.

What's the solution? Simple says Chuck Nyren:

Hire Baby Boomers to be the creative directors, copywriters, art directors, and graphic designers - and guess what - Baby Boomers will respond to intelligent advertising.

This suggestions has the side-benefit of continued work for boomers who increasingly are indicating a desire to work past normal retirement ages.