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2) You've got it all wrong. We don't tell them, they tell us. That's how it's always worked.
The ads I see on TV are increasingly for seniors (always smiling): medi-alerts, electronic stairs, sunporches, and prescription drugs (with lists of reactions that are so long as to be both scary and almost laughable).
The fashion industry will never give seniors what we think we need, that would be too depressing to portray. Marketers seek to keep us in denial in a youth culture with clothing and shoes, etc.
The following is the intro paragraph in NEG's link:
With more than 100 million Americans now over the age of 50, technology companies are eager to find new ways to cater to Baby Boomer consumers. From a mobile app that offers medical tips to wearable devices, special correspondent Megan Hughes reports on how startupsare designing products to appeal to older Americans’ desires for longevity and wellness.
It would be interesting to know what age group these designers are.
I picture a room of 20-somethings saying, "This is cool! The old people need this!"
Maybe if they hired designers and idea people that were 50+, they might get a clue.
It would be interesting to know what age group these designers are.
I picture a room of 20-somethings saying, "This is cool! The old people need this!"
Maybe if they hired designers and idea people that were 50+, they might get a clue.
Data from Focus groups is fleeting.
True but since millions of start up dollars and the rewards for success being in the hundreds of millions for them personally I suspect they are tuned in to the needs of their target audience which may be very similar to their parents and grandparents. Venture capitalist know the legitimate from the fanciful other wise they won't venture very long,
Technology zeros in on us...we're a real commodity now.
"More than 100 million Americans are now over the age of 50. Oxford Economics estimates their consumer spending accounts for $7.1 trillion in economic activity a year.
If that were the gross domestic product for a country, it would be the third largest economy in the world, just after the U.S. and China."
Of course it's not just tech, it's financial products, retirement communities, kinds of vehicles, medical procedures, etc etc.
They're going to miss us when we're gone!
Boy, has this changed over the years. I must have been @45 when I really noticed the lack of older actors on television (@15 years ago). I took a college class on something (I have no clue what it was) where the focus was to figure out the age group to whom tv shows catered. At that time most shows and commercials focused on anyone who was not over 50 and there weren't many aged actors in any show. The reasoning was that seniors didn't spend enough money. So, advertising dollars focused on selling to younger people. For the last maybe five years, many commercials show age-related pharmaceutical or medical ads. But Kathy Bates last t.v. show (Harry's Law) about her running a law firm was canceled despite the number of people who watched it. That threw me for a loop and she's not that old (born in 1948) for a show in 2011. Here's the proof: TV ratings: 'Harry's Law' starts well for NBC but CBS tops Monday - Zap2it | News & Features
Yes, I know everyone can read but here's the age-range focus for the time slots from the link: 18-49 leader:
At age 67 (born 1947) I am in the vanguard of the boomers. I can see where the younger folks (even those in the 45 age range) haven't a clue what real boomers want - and what they don't want. A lot of us who buy smartphones are amused by them for awhile, then put them aside. Or, we continue to use them, but for limited purposes. I have never seen anyone in my age range who is "glued" to their phone the way the kids are. Older boomers are not quick to use new "apps".
As I see it, two things are happening here, with older boomers (60s): first, if they have discretionary funds, they are more likely to hang onto them. In my case, having $$$thousands in cash available for emergencies, is far more important than wandering around looking for something to 'blow' it on. Older folks get tighter and more conservative as they age. Not all, but a large percentage.
Secondly, I'm personally feeling a 'turning away' from tech, and a 'turning toward' the more natural world. The person who spoke of looking at birds and flowers was right on the money. In my case, the "birds" are the poultry that we raise for ourselves and for profit. I'm finding in my older years that nature holds treasures that money can't buy. And no...I don't want to look at it on a smartphone. I want to see the real thing - with my own eyes!
"Green burial" is the next big business aimed at boomers. Popping up all over the place these days. I bet there will be new tech aimed at "life look-backs" of the deceased at memorial services.
Have you seen any of the futuristic and not to far down the road use of holographs to create virtual reality environments? Would be great for assisted living, shut ins, even nursing home seniors to create a virtual world outside of the norm. Although it would be normal then. Imagine Alzheimer patients being able to see loved ones and themselves as they use to be as digitized video is translated to a holograph environment for them.
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but here's the age-range focus for the time slots from the link:
