Marketing and Promotional Messages - Research Paper Example

? Marketing research and promotional messages Introduction The world experienced baby boom in 1946-1965, thus, people, who were born during this period, are called baby boomers. A great number of people were born between 1946 and 1965. For example, in Australia the peak can be traced in 1961, when there were 3 births per woman. This period is characterized by many significant changes in different fields, thus baby boomers had to go through these changes. The period is also distinguished by technological development and globalization, thus baby boomers received many new opportunities such as travelling to other countries, wide use of financial products, new educational opportunities and many others. They also had to go through a great number of crises such as oil crisis in 1970, financial crises of 1980s and 2008. All these changes imposed a strong effect on consumer markets. For instance, digital commerce became available with the new technological achievements and many new consumer services appeared. The given paper will investigate the consumer behavior of baby boomers in order to create correct marketing communication message. The needs, perceptions and attitudes of this age group will be analyzed. Customer needs Baby boomers want to live longer, thus they first of all take care about their health. Many of them try to prevent possible diseases and find new ways of treatment. Old people like to travel to different countries, see new places as they have much free time and good financial opportunities. Moreover, it is determined that baby boomers are not going to stop their study, many of them continue education. Baby boomers need to have opportunities to continue active life. Almost all of baby boomers are grandparents, thus they also want to be able to meet the needs of their grandchildren and share their interests. Perceptions People who were born between 1946 and 1965 want to destroy the stereotypes about their age, they simply do not tolerate these stereotypes. Their main purpose is to prove that the age of 60-70 is not the age of passive way of life. Baby boomers prefer to buy things from the companies, which do not propose something modern and stylish. On the contrary, they prefer products, which are first of all valuable and useful for them and their families. They want t obtain not prestigious but high-quality products and services. Attitudes Baby boomer’s attitudes differ from the attitudes of young generation. Some of them prefer to live in houses at the suburbs and have a large yard to meet their relatives and communicate with them. In contrast to the new generation, the representatives of which are afraid of becoming old, they like their age as retirement provide them with much free time. Many of baby boomers prefer to spend vacations with their relatives, many would like to have special public places to communicate with each other. They use internet to communicate but are not against reading newspapers. It was revealed that baby boomers like using new technologies, but only in case, if they are not too technically complicated. Baby boomers are focused mainly on wellness, on good and comfortable life with many opportunities. Creating marketing communication message Now it was revealed that companies really lost much not paying attention to the needs and attitudes of baby boomers. According to the article “Don't Ignore the Baby Boomer Consumer”, the advertising world has spent over two decades focusing money and attention on young adults ages 18 to 49. Many advertisers are confused on how to target today’s aging Baby Boomer consumer - those born between 1946 and 1964 who are not yet all seniors but are no longer young adults” (Don't Ignore the Baby Boomer Consumer). Many enterprises have already realized that they made a serious mistake ignoring baby boomers, thus they are going to correct these mistakes (Green, 2006). First of all advertisers should understand that the main purpose of baby boomers is to live longer and, as we know after studying their perceptions, they hate everything that remind them about their age. Thus, the advertisements should not contain any hints about the age, but should rather be focused on the new opportunities provided for the people of this particular age. They should see that they are offered new ways to have an active life. For example, it is necessary to show in the advertisement that the advertised services are for the people of all age, not showing only the picture and scenes with young people. For example, old and young people can take part in the same activities in the shown advertising. Secondly, it is important to offer products and services that would help baby boomers connect and communicate with their relatives. They are eager to build new relationships as this testifies that they continue to live full-fledged life. Baby boomers like to communicate with their friends, thus advertising should show them opportunities to do that. This is a very good approach that is effective for any kind of business. For example “Welcome to our restaurant! Invite your family and have a discount!”. Finally, the advertising should contain the message that explains the usefulness of these or those goods or services. As it was mentioned above, baby boomers prefer to buy goods and services, which are useful for them and their families, thus the ads should focus on the effectiveness. Research showed that baby boomers are usually rich, thus have a strong purchasing power, but they will not buy products, which are just fashionable, but not useful for them and their relatives (Willett, 2011). Conclusion Research shows that baby boomers are large group, moreover, their purchasing power is strong. By the age of 50 people usually have many financial abilities as they are predominantly wealthy. Moreover, baby boomers had very good educational opportunities, which allowed them to have good incomes. Now many of them do not want to retire completely and want to live longer. Thus, it is really essential for marketers to take into account the needs and preferences of this particular group in order to avoid consumer dissatisfaction. Many companies have already realized this and started targeting older population. References Don't Ignore the Baby Boomer Consumer. (n.d.). Brand Smarts. Retrieved July 22, 2013 from http://info.barcelonacreative.com/blog/bid/268921/Don-t-Ignore-the-Baby-Boomer-Consumer; Green, Brent (2006). Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers: Perceptions, Principles, Practices, and Predictions. Ithaca, NY: Paramount Market Publishing, Inc.; Willett, David (2011). The Pinch: How the Baby Boomers Took Their Children's Future - and Why They Should Give It Back. Atlantic Books. Read More