ADVERTISING TO THE OLDER CONSUMER BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT

In many parts of both the more developed nations and the less developed nations the average age of the populations is increasing. Some researchers argue that research on mature consumer's buying behavior and attitude is scarce. Other researchers discuss the development, importance and impact of marketing to senior citizens with particular emphasis on demographic change. The purpose of this paper is to examine exactly what types of advertising elements are most impactful with older consumers. The objective of this study is twofold. First, we will attempt to identify which executional alternatives are most effective (as measured by recall and persuasion) for older consumers. Second, we will quantify the effectiveness of these executional alternatives such that future advertising executives will have a guideline that they can use to more accurately predict how consumers in these age cohorts may react to an advertisement that does or does not contain the given element.