Baby Booming Web 2.0

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By: Mat Clark

My Boss Lady passed these stats along to me that Regina Lewis, AOL’s consumer adviser, gave out on CBS’s The Saturday Early Show. About 78 million baby boomers are living in the United States today, and 65.1 million of them are online. In fact, they account for one third (the largest constituency) of the 195.3 million Internet users in the U.S.

I have to admit, I have been working under the misconception that Web 2.0 is exclusive to my generation.  I have always brushed off the idea of reaching my parents through social media and digital marketing.  That was a major mistake in terms of lost opportunities to target valuable consumers. According to PEW, they’re more likely than GenX’ers to use the web to gather information, nearly as likely to shop online, and they’re avid consumers of digital health information.

Now that I think about it, my pops uses YouTube and my mom loves blogs and forums.  Even my aunt is on Facebook now.  I saw some compelling stats that SEODiva found in June of 2008.

• The Internet is the most important source of information for Baby Boomers when they make a major marketing purchase, such as automobiles or appliances (Zoomerang).
• Adults 50+ spend an average of $7 billion online annually (SeniorNet), and 42% of all travel industry purchases happen online, with adults 50+ accounting for 80% of all luxury travel spending (Pew Internet and American Life Project).
• By 2010, adults 45-years-old and older will out-spend younger adults by $1 trillion annually.
  In 2004, people aged 50 and older spent an average of 48% of their family’s budget on “nonessentials” (Bureau of Labor).
• 50% of baby boomers plan to buy a new home after retirement (Del Webb Survey).

Marketers might be able to entertain and brand build with Gen Y.  But the Baby Boomers can be influenced.   So if you have a client that touches on blood sugar, reverse mortgages, eldercare, cultured entertainment, finances, health, and travel… get on the web 2.0 bandwagon.