Page 20 - AeM_Nov_2017

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Don’t underestimate your granny when

it comes to Google

These days, with the pace at which technology is if we want to keep cornering our capital advantage.
outdoing itself, it’s virtually impossible to hold your
high ground as ‘king of the hill’. As soon as we flash Traditional marketing says that you need to keep cater-
the latest iPhone, a new one is flaunting its 12 MP ing for the masses if you want to stay ahead in this
camera with ƒ/1.8 aperture at us. Just when we’ve business world. And the perception is that one of the
nailed the art of geomapping, drones are brought in older generations is standing perplexed on the side-
to scan and map work sites at a fraction of the cost lines, lost among the hashtags, the trending, the likes,
and time. Tablets at this rate will be relegated to the or the filters, that are happening online all at once.
ranks of LPs and fax machines–old school inven-
tions that will have our own kids feeling old when This is only half the truth. The other half is that Baby
their children laugh at what was once so ‘cutting Boomers alone (born between 1946-1964) represent
edge.’ It’s a marathon and a sprint in one; but the the #1 consumer-age demographic in the United
finish line feels nowhere in sight. States ‒ and their investments in everything from travel
to health care to e-commerce are only growing. Couple
For children who’ve been unlocking iPads before riding their collective consumer power with their longevity,
tricycles, technology is Reality 101. But for many grand- and suddenly the need to integrate our silver economy
parents, the thought of overlaying furry kitten ears onto into today’s digital retail experience goes from a good
our Whatsapp profiles would be impossible, much less idea to a downright imperative. Clearly, it’s a no brain-
moronic. Thus, they are easily detached and disconnect- er: the digital economy is not only for the generations
ed from these trends, as technology furiously gallops on. who will take the future, but for the generations who got
And somewhere between the gap of tech savvy and us this far.
technophobe is a market that demands attention,
Going strong at 55, and counting
20 November 2017 - Email Marketing & Lead Management