Archives for posts with tag: greyafro

Return of the Big Cat

March 20, 2018 //
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Spent much more of the last two weekends than I’d care to admit watching Tiger Woods on the comeback trail.

I have become a golf enthusiast over the last 10 years or so and have often wondered how much of what is now modern golf is directly attributable to TW. Undoubtedly prize money and broader interest can be attributed directly to the big cat.

Tiger is 42 and seemingly after some quite drastic surgery is heading back to the top of the game. All of which got me thinking about reinvention and longevity. When I started work I had a very much misguided view of retirement – get to 50 and kick back! Won’t be true for me and there will be many more people who will experience a lot worse in fact retirement will mean relative poverty with income down and costs likely rising/mortgages still to be repaid and high expectations being missed.

So who is actually reading the signs of what is to come? Healthcare looks ever less prepared, gurus abound telling us about the death of just about every traditional media source, automation is apparently going to make us all redundant and the list goes on.

So all of the (un)retirement chat looks like a decent bet even if it isn’t what many people actually want. Surely this leads to a raft of new services and products to address this change? Here is hoping but I’d put more money short term on lots of amazing new tech focused on solving non problems first!

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Categories boomers, marketing, Over 50s Marketing, Silversurfers

Where have they all gone? The mystery of the older marketer

November 20, 2017 //
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Unless you are the boss the odds seem massively against you having a very long career in marketing.

This always struck me as odd – at the stage of your career/life where you can most help you are likely to be tossed aside if you haven’t been already. You have seen things and likely been through ups and downs and in all probability are well placed to call foul on anything that doesn’t make sense.

I don’t want to rant against younger folks getting on – I can just about remember those days. The challenge in your 20s is quite different though and likely always will be. Surely some of these young guns could benefit from the odd old head around to help with the more subtle parts of development? Not to say adding a bit of practical insight to any consumer over the age of 40.

At the heart of this is some fundamentally messed up thinking. My belief is that if you dropped a marketing team from 40 years ago into role today they would likely do a much better job than might be imagined the tools have changed but the basic challenge hasn’t altered much at all. Ultimately the effort needs to support a clear goal and somewhere pretty nearby is the need to make money and generate a great return.

All of this need to maintain a mix of experience levels in the marketing workplace further pushed me to start my journey. Many businesses probably have these thoughts but they don’t act on it. A starting point might be some interim or freelance help or bringing back someone to the workplace after a gap?

As always would welcome your thoughts and views. And if you need help with reaching the mature audience please do get in touch it will be worth your while!

Until next time

Julian

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Categories boomers, marketing, Over 50s Marketing, Silversurfers

The Young Old

November 6, 2017 //
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50 really isn’t old. I keep telling myself that over and over as I get closer and take comfort in the ever lounder noise about this market and the need to take it seriously.  But what is old in reality? 

All the research I have done and been party to tells me you have a notional split between the young old (sort of 50-70) and the old old (70+). Of course really not that simple and age is a poor proxy but a starting point that is easy enough to grasp.

I will look at the “young” old for now and I’ll resist the temptation to give them a tag for as long as possible (but that is surely a massive opportunity for an accurate but not patronising title). Based on the data I have seen this age group is c20million adults in the UK and forecast to grow substantially in the next 30 years as living longer starts to fully kick in.

Lets zone in a bit further on what defines this group:

  • Go on the most holidays annually  
  • Over 9million are still working (and that will rise out of both necessity and desire)
  • Have the most savings c70% of all in the UK (£6.2 trillion according to Saga last year) 
  • More than 75% believe the skills and talents of older people are underused 
  • Tablets are the must use device and close to 90% of over 50s have the internet at home 
  • In 2015 over 50s spent £39bn on travel 
  • 40% book holidays online direct with the travel company 

Bit of number wang but gets the point across hopefully. Within this group are genuine consumers with money to spend and key needs to fulfil.

So What? 
However you split this group up there is a gap they aren’t acknowledged and talked to and the fact that age really isn’t the differentiator attitude/health/wealth being better down differentiators.

If you’d like to target this valuable group and make more more money for your business please get in touch and do follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter. I’d also ask you to share this blog and my mission with anyone you know who might benefit, be looking for  expert help.

#50notout

Julian@greyafro.com

Stats c/o of silvertraveladvisor, my friends at December 19 and various searches on Dr Google

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Categories boomers, marketing, Over 50s Marketing, Silversurfers, Uncategorized

Magic Mirror

October 19, 2017 //
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We all have one – in fact they become ever more powerful the older we get. I still see the 25 year old version of me not the current version when I look in mine.

I think (and try to act too often) like I’m 30 and every research group I have ever been in with close to/retired folk has them picturing themselves as -20 years and not wanting to hang out with “old” people.  This actually becomes more acute with affluence in my experience.

So given this undoubted truth why do we continue to see so many wrinkly hands and people looking sorry for themselves in promotional activity for over 50s? I’d say because those developing and commissioning the marketing are closer to half that of the real consumers. CMO average age has only recently crept into the 50s and everyone else in marketing seem to move into other areas as they head into their 40s.

Given it is planning time for many businesses I’d urge you to think about this opportunity for 2018.  Those that wake up and start to address this market will be winning big – even more so if there is any form of downturn as final salary recipients are the closest you can have to be recession proof.

If you’d like help in scoping your opportunity/planning/executing activity please get in touch julian@greyafro.com

#50notout

Until next time

Julian

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Categories boomers, marketing, Over 50s Marketing

The case for the Over 50s Market

September 14, 2017 //
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I am not the first person to become passionate about this group and certainly won’t be the last!

People are not all the same

I hear more than I’ll ever need to about whatever really constitutes Millenials without really being any the wiser on who they really are. The only thing that strikes me is that the age band is inheriting a mess from those who have gone before and perhaps a bit more time sorting that out would be the best possible use of time.

What I don’t hear enough about is the over 50s and what I do hear contains words I really don’t see anyone relate to – Silver Surfer, Boomers & Old.  The more established concepts pre-retired/retired & empty nesters and the elderly also don’t really cut it but are a little more helpful.

Reinvention

I’m most passionate about the 50-70 age group and everything within in it. The need to reinvent yourself close to 50 has never been clearer and the unifying aspect is that this cohort don’t see themselves as old and in pretty much every example I can think of are consuming life in the fast lane (check the stats on Boozing Boomers if you want some clarity).

My expertise is greatest in this area and I’m focused on this group and believe the travel, leisure and finance sectors could benefit most. My personal experience has been of them broadly hating you (FS) loving you (Travel) and somewhere in between (Leisure). Population growth shows this is where the growth is/will be in the next 10 years in particular.

How to Reach them…

The role of the full mix of marketing is ever stronger for all of these categories – paper still works remarkably well but contrary to some increasingly discredited wisdom they aren’t all technophobes and in many ways the novelty of digital having grown up without it is still just about unique and in my experience they are the group most likely to persist with Facebook as it wrestles with privacy.

If any of the above sparks anything then I’d love to talk and as always very keen to hear your thoughts.

Until next time

#50notout

Julian

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Categories Uncategorized

Greyafro – A new beginning

July 10, 2017 //
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An odd title from a slightly eccentric man, you may think. Hopefully, if you read on, it will make a bit more sense.

I’m now entering the experienced Marketing professional stage as I head towards 50. That can only mean one thing – time to start my own business!

A bit about me (or more about this greyafro)

I have been lucky enough to work in Marketing for over 25 years and have seen some remarkable changes in that time. The Institute of Direct Marketing Diploma course I completed nearly 20 years ago was full of brave new world thinking, 1to1 communications and a world where personalisation would revolutionise the way things are done – much of that has come to pass thanks to advances in technology, the acceptance of CRM and Mr Google.

The role of analytics has continued to grow, and the evolution in most other areas of Marketing is equally startling. It is almost accepted that Artificial Intelligence is going to revolutionise everything. The only question is, when is this going to happen?

The idea

I have successfully worked on various product areas spanning Food, Finance and Travel and enjoyed them all in different ways.  There has, however, been one common theme that has baffled me across this period –  the way many businesses seem to ignore/badly misjudge “older” age groups.

Untapped potential

I’m keen to do something about this and inspired to work with businesses who feel the same – if 40 is the new 30, then I have a bit more gas in the tank, and I think my target audience does as well.  I’m very well placed to provide marketing expertise on this subject. Being a collaborative type of person thought I’d throw it open and see what kind of help and possibly referrals I can achieve, hence this blog to get the ball rolling.

How I can help

So I’m starting to work up my ideas and developing some basic packages to help small/medium-sized businesses with their 50+ marketing. You all probably know someone in this category or are part of such a venture – the type of paradox where you know you are missing something but cannot quite put your finger on it.

End of the beginning

I will continue the drumbeat of blog posts as I evolve the business. In the meantime, I’d be grateful for any feedback & thoughts on the above.

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Categories Uncategorized