Baby Boomers a tricky group for advertisers
Baby Boomers – born 1946 to 1964 – is a tricky category for advertisers. Only 12% of them globally feel ‘positive’ about advertising. They have the lowest average levels of ad receptivity in a cross-generation comparison, according to a trend report from advertising research firm WARC Media.
Only 4.5% of them have “downgraded” to an advertising funded subscription video on demand (SVOD) tier on services like Netflix and Disney+ compared to more than a quarter (28.4%) of Gen Z respondents in a survey.
“Rising advertising loads on TV have frustrated older audiences, but they appear more positive about newer social and video platforms, with TikTok ranked as their preferred option. This may be a result of having joined the app more recently and not experiencing it in its earlier, ad-lighter days”, the report says.
According to the report, Baby Boomers do not spend ever-greater amounts of time on social platforms. Instead, older generations are switching from offline versions of content media to their online extensions – be it connected TV or online press. :
“Boomers are embracing digital content. While brands obsess over Gen Z, the affluent Baby Boomer generation is undergoing a media revolution. This requires advertisers to revisit long-held assumptions, and ensure digital media plans are tailored to older consumers’ increasingly unique habits, says Alex Brownsell, Head of Content, WARC Media,
In 2024, over-55s globally will spend more than half (54.4%) of their media time online. While Baby Boomers are spending a little more time on social platforms, it remains a small part of their overall media habits.
By next year, 55-64s in the US are forecast to spend 93 daily average minutes with social media, up 43.1% on the 65 minutes of consumption recorded among 45-54s in 2015.
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