Top tips

After 15 years producing specialised and targeted campaigns aimed at people over 50, Evergreen has compiled it’s top tips for campaign effectiveness advertising to people over 50.

Design for the eyes

Consider the physiological process of ageing and design for the eyes. Go for colour contrast because as people age, the way light is processed within the eye changes. Colour and text of a similar hues or density compete.

Increase your service level

Offer ways to increase your service level, such as product summaries, home delivery and real people answering the phone. These powerful tactics tap into older people’s appreciation of the experience or journey with the product or service.

Remove or minimise risk

Remove or minimise risk, with credible guarantees and believable references to the company’s reputation. This is especially useful during financially uncertain times.

Always include a PR strategy

Always include a PR strategy within your campaign, as word of mouth is like a campaign accelerant. Older Australians have strong self-opinions but rely heavily on intuition and 3rd party endorsement from sources they personally respect; their favourite journalists, healthcare professionals, religious and community leaders.

Don’t use labels

Don’t use labels like ‘Baby Boomers, old or elderly’ in direct- to-consumer advertising. Boomers in particular do not like to be grouped as they admire and pride themselves on individuality.

Invest in your own photography

If you are going to rent photos from libraries like ‘istockphoto’, consider that nearly all other companies where you may be exhibiting may have also sourced from that library. At one recent expo I saw 5 companies with the same man in a wheelchair, but sadly for 5 different products. If you must rent, go to the last search pages first. Better still, invest in your own photography. If you are doing photography, use real models that look great for their age but are not 15 years younger. Models that are obviously 15 years younger are not aspirational; they look that way because they are 15 years younger. Authenticity has the more attraction with older audiences. Use a photographer skilled at working with older models to really capture the right feeling for the shot.

Choose your research method wisely

Work out the real motive to adopt, change or modify behaviour; don’t always believe focus groups. Use the ‘club test’. If your customer was to be with a group of friends explaining why they bought your product, what would they say to justify their decision. When testing concepts with older people choose your research method wisely, as being out of their comfort zone will not get you the insights you need.

Be open-minded to using all media

Be open-minded to using all media, but use independent media research tools and audits such as Morgan. Be careful with unaudited publisher’s claims, especially some of the obscure senior titles. Use techniques such as ‘cost per thousand’ (CPM) to at least make comparisons, but balance that analysis with environmental factors and your knowledge of the prospects.

Using a digital strategy

A digital strategy should be a starting a point for most campaigns but it is imperative that you really understand how your 50+ prospect engages with digital, both the technology and the channel. With regards to websites, there are specific design, navigation and architecture criteria that your site should meet in order to be considered ‘ageless’. Marketers must avoid self- referencing. For example, our media team includes a digital media strategy for nearly every client BUT not without careful consideration of other media options, their environmental and synergistic effects. One size does not fit all.

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