Emilio Pardo, AARP’s Chief Brand Officer, led a discussion with about 50 members and guests of the local chapter of MENG - Marketing Executives Network Group - this past week in AARP’s new media center. The topic: Boomers, their size, influence and how marketers can better reach this demographic.
This post World War II demographic of babies born between 1946 and 1964 is comprised of 78 million Americans that control 50 percent of this country’s wealth and 83 percent of household spending. Pardo shared some of AARP’s research and how it's working to better serve the needs of this large community. They have defined the needs of this group in five sectors:
1. Health
2. Financial Well Being
3. Contributing
4. Community
5. Play
AARP’s research also found that Boomers:
· Desire more simplicity and less clutter;
· Want increased relationship with younger generations;
· Want to feel smart;
· Want choice, control and credibility;
· Think of themselves as travelers on a journey;
· Are becoming more entrepreneurial; and,
· Are the fastest-growing sector in the Social Media space.
AARP has historically been one of the largest direct-mail marketers in the country but as more and more boomers get their information online, AARP is changing to keep pace. In fact, three months ago AARP's online connection numbers beat their direct-mail tracking numbers.
When asked about AARP's biggest competitor, Emilio answered: irrelevancy.