Advertisers who solely focus on reaching younger consumers (18-34 or 18-49) could be overlooking a group with tremendous buying power - the 78 million Baby Boomers.

Boomers represent a third of adults (33%) including 43% of those with household incomes of $150,000+, 53% with $150,000+ in security investments and 54% of top management positions according to GfK MRI. This key target (87% of whom read Magazines) is an affluent group, adopt technology with enthusiasm and show a willingness to try new brands and products.

Did you know that Boomers:

• Spend 38.5% of CPG dollars. Yet it's estimated that less than 5% of advertising dollars are currently targeted towards adults 35-64 years old (Nielsen)
  
  
• Dominate 1,023 out of 1,083 consumer packaged goods categories (Nielsen)
  
  
• Are more likely to have broadband Internet access at home (Nielsen)
  
  
• Comprise 1/3 of all online users, social media users and Twitter users (Nielsen)
  
  
• Read, on average, 11 Magazines each month (GfK MRI), which is on par with the general population
  
  
• Say that magazines are the medium they trust and turn to most for ideas, compared to TV and the Internet (GfK MRI)
  
  

Boomers' Media Attitudes (Index)
	TV	Internet	Magazines
The One I Trust the Most	101	89	109
A Good Source of Learning	103	104	113
Keeps Me Up-to-Date with the Latest Styles and Trends	98	89	105
Gives Me Good Ideas	100	98	108
Source: GfK MRI Survey of the American Consumer. Spring 2010

 

So, make suare your advertisers aren't overlooking two potential gold minds: Boomers, the largest single group of consumers, should be as desirable as Millennials and Gen-Xers, and, Magazines, the medium they rely on.

If you have questions about any of the research in this SalesEdge, please contact Wayne Eadie, SVP Research, at weedie@magazine.org.

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(c) Dec. 21, 2011 by SalesEdge; Referred by Terry Ausenbaugh, H & A Media Group.