How Do You Market ‘Retirement’ Without It Sounding Old?

If there’s one thing no one likes hearing it’s that they’re getting old. So for retirement brands it can prove a marketing challenge for making it not sound like it’s a place for old people.
The concept of ‘retirement’ has changed over the years, however the communications around marketing the concept are lagging, said experts in the field.
“When you’re selling retirement, you’re not selling retirement anymore, because retirement’s changed,” said Rebecca Wilson, CEO and publisher of over 60s site, Starts at 60. “Joe Hockey made sure of that.”
There’s a shift happening in the retirement industry at the moment, with retirement villages moving towards fun, resort-style living villages. Sandra Hook, former NewsLifeMedia CEO and current chair of Baby Boomers website WYZA, said: “I think the developers are very much moving into that space, it’s just a matter of whether the communications around it are lagging a little.”
It’s about really knowing your customers, who they are and what they’re looking for. And unfortunately, many retirement brands don’t actually know who their customers are, said Wilson.
This stance was echoed by Hook yesterday who said brands don’t know how to market to Baby Boomers.
“It’s a generation who have been marketed to for all of their life. This is not an unsophisticated generation,” she said.
“Suddenly when they try and target a mature audience, brands don’t always get it right.”
Starts at 60’s Wilson exemplified one specific wrong-doing in retirement marketing communications. Wilson said if a company is looking for a single woman in her 50s or 60s, don’t market to them with images of a woman in white pants, walking down a beach, holding hands with a guy, “which is what they’re selling at the moment”.
And a quick Google Image search of ‘retirement’ pulls up many pictures of couples donning white together on a beach. These four images are from the first page of a Google Image search.
However, there are some companies who are looking for very specific customers, with Wilson explaining how some are looking for over 75s with a health issue, for example – very specific, which means very specific marketing communications.
WYZA’s Hook believes terminology hinders communications, using words such as ‘senior’, ‘elderly’ and ‘old’.
“This is a group of people who just say ‘don’t call me old. I’m not old, I don’t feel old’,” she said, referencing the industry’s current debate to call ‘retirement villages’ ‘lifestyle villages’ instead.
“I think over the next couple of years we’ll probably see some of the language changing around that because for some reason, for a long time, people have connected the word ‘retirement’ with ‘retiring’ from life, and in many ways it couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said.
“The new trends towards retirement living really are pretty much parallel with resort living.”
Referencing Starts at 60, Wilson said, “our environment is a young voice and so we tend to want to work with the players who have young vibrant, energetic voices as businesses.”
Citing some of Starts at 60’s competitors, Wilson said many advertise funeral packages on the site.
“Nobody wants to check out and go and die!” she exclaimed. “We see players in the over 50s market promoting funerals and we say ‘you do that’.
“We don’t want to want to be about death at 60. Over 60s still have around 30 years left to live.”
Please login with linkedin to comment
Advertising Standards Bureau copywrighting Macquarie Radio Group Omnicom Media Group travel happy ultimate traveller video competitionLatest News

WA Marketing Association Launches Under The Brand “We Are WAMA”
The WA Marketing Association will champion WA’s local marketing community.

diptyque And Like Fire Launch ‘A Scent In Song’ Campaign for New Perfume, Orphéon
Admittedly, B&T's trying a bit of cool namedropping in this headline, but not before Googling who they were first.

Enriching Customer Engagement Through AI And Analytics
Does your customer engagement need a bit of a pep & a spring clean? Read on with this Chux-esque read.

Verizon Fios Teases Gamers With ‘Unbreakable’ Gaming Controller Via McCann New York
Top news today if you're always smashing your gaming controller. Or, there's deep breathing exercises & scented candles.

YoPRO Recruits Ash Barty And Host Of Sporting Talent For Olympic Campaign Via Emotive
The gun has fired on the first of the Olympics ads! Expect a bit of national patriotism mixed in with some yogurt here.

Nike Settles Lil Nas X ‘Satan Shoes’ Lawsuit
Satan now reportedly doing rather nicely out of his Nike & Little Lucifer endorsements and trip to Georgia theme song.

Thursday TV Wrap: AFL Punts Seven To An Easy Win
The couch was the place to be for footy fans last night. B&T has no idea what calligraphy or découpage fans were up to.

Hackers Attempt To Sell The Data Of 500M LinkedIn Users
Hackers offering steak knives plus Kerri-Anne Kennerley's memoirs in desperate attempt to shift stolen LinkedIn data.

WARC Study: Highly Awarded Creative Ideas Are Significantly More Effective
Study finds winning industry awards isn't just great for an impressive email signature, they can actually sell shit too.

Poet Amanda Gorman, 23, Stars In Powerful US Vogue Cover
Poet Amanda Gorman stuns in latest Vogue cover and not a brown cardigan or matching corduroy as far as the eye can see.

Val Morgan: Easter Brings Biggest Cinema Audiences Since Pandemic Began
Easter certainly proved 'bums on seats' for the nation's cinemas; ironically, less so for the nation's churches.

Ryan Reynolds’ Satan Returns In Hellishly Fun Work For Mint Mobile
Once again Satan proves he's got the best heavy metal bands, the best virgin sacrifices and now the funniest ads, too.

Dentsu Italy Releases ‘The Women’s Body Issue’ White Paper Into Gender Equality In Adland
Dentsu Italy taking a lead on gender equality in adland. Which, let's face it, doesn't exactly sound like the Italians.

Publicis-Owned Epsilon Announces Support For Unified ID 2.0
Sure this headline doesn't make a great deal of sense, so let the cookie in the lead image be your guide.

KWP! Launches Brand Identity For Adelaide’s Winter Festival, Illuminate
The brand identity and website created by customer experience agency, KWP!, in collaboration with South Australia’s new annual winter event, Illuminate Adelaide, went live on Thursday as part of the launch of the event’s program highlights. The work is the result of months of close collaboration with Illuminate Adelaide Co-Founders and Creative Directors Rachael Azzopardi […]

Hype DC Celebrates Sneaker Culture In New Campaign
Is there a greater supporter of sneaker culture than adland? Aside from rap musicians & illegal ecstasy distribution.

Women Leading Tech: MiQ’s Annie Marendaz On The Importance Of Listening To Women In The Workplace
Annie Marendaz talks the importance of listening to women in the workplace. No mention of a staff singalong, however.

DoubleVerify Snares Doug Campbell As New Chief Strategy Officer
Doug Campbell joins the DoubleVerify team. Confirms plans to bring his stand-up desk & 'Big Dawg' nickname with him.

How Marketers Can Get Tricky Digital Transformation Projects Off The Ground
Are your digital transformation projects still stuck on Post-It notes in the boardroom? Clear the wall instantly here.

Pinterest Launches Creator Code To Keep Content Positive, Safe And Inspiring
Pinterest unveils a creator code to keep content "positive, safe & inspiring". We have no plans to introduce it on B&T.

Yorkshire Tea Appoints Zeno Group Australia
When it comes to dunking our Scotch fingers here at B&T, Yorkshire Tea is only surpassed by Gordon's Gin.

Tourism Australia Launches First International Campaign In Over 12 months
Kiwis targeted in new Tourism Australia campaign. And mercifully no sign of the pavlova, Russell Crowe or Crowded House.

Yes! It’s Finally Happening: Cannes In Cairns Is A Go
Joined advertising or marketing for the rosé-fuelled boat parties? Maybe it's the Texan BBQs? We've got you covered.

Are Media And Bonzai Introduce Dynamic Carousel Advertising Format With Launch Partners Combined Franchise Services
Are Media has partnered with creative management platform, Bonzai, and real estate giant Combined Franchise Services to launch a first to market advertising format which empowers advertisers to create engaging and effective campaigns that showcase multiple products in one ad unit.

Spoof Bunnings Ad So Good People Thought It Was A Real Bunnings Ad
A trip to Bunnings is always a sensorial feast of smells - one part sausage, one part paint thinner & one part manure.

Optus Launches Program Allowing Customers To Pause Notifications Across All Devices
Optus has introduced an australia-first innovation ‘optus pause’, giving customers the ability to pause notifications and connectivity distractions. Whether it’s study time, bed time, dinner time or personal time, Optus Pause means users can temporarily pause connectivity on all, or some, of their Optus home and Optus mobile devices simultaneously. Optus Pause is free and […]

‘Byron Baes’ Is Coming To Netflix As Look Into The Lives Of Aussie Influencers
A trip to Byron just became quadruply more expensive as Netflix unveils plans to set up camp to explore its cliches.

Logitech Strategic Workshop Spotlights Expert Digital Direction From Webprofits
Webprofits was recently invited to join Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) sales and marketing teams at their annual Logitech ANZ S+M Conference. The conference was an opportunity for the digital marketing experts at Webprofits to share the approach they have taken driving growth for Logitech in Australia. “Having Webprofits take our team through a custom […]

Pizza Hut Hong Kong And Restaurant Yung Kee Release Elaborately Named Goose Pizza, Via Ogilvy
Pizza Hut has worked with Hong Kong restaurant Yung Kee to launch the ‘Pizza Hut x Yung Kee’s Superior Exquisitely Handcrafted Victorious Best of the Best Flawlessly Exclusive Special Charcoal Roasted Flying Goose Pizza’. The pizza was inspired by the creative custom of Hong Kong restaurants who are known to come up with over-the-top elaborate […]

Adorable Dog Steals Reporter’s Microphone During Live Weather Report
Further proof not to work with animals or children. You could even add homophobes & Collingwood supporters to the list.