"Keep it simple, sonny"

Editor’s note: Tim Huberty is president of St. Paul-based Huberty Marketing Research.

Only a few years ago the Baby Boomers first began turning 50. Since then, we’ve probably all heard the statement, “For the next gazillion years, a Baby Boomer will turn 50 every six seconds.” But the 50-plus crowd has already become a formidable group. It controls 70 percent of the total net worth of U.S. households or about $9 trillion, according to an Arizona group called Agewave. Yet the 70 million men and women in the group represent just 27 percent of the population.

As marketing researchers, we continue to validate research techniques among Gen X-ers, Gen Y-ers and now even Gen Z-ers. But it’s time to give the “old folks” their due.

Adults over 50 are a breed apart. They process information differently and, consequently, they make purchasing decisions differently. As a result, the marketing rules which apply to other consumer segments can hardly be applied to them. The same goes for conducting qualitative research.

Over the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of conducting many, many focus groups among this group and I’ve written this article to share some of the research lessons I’ve learned.

Fortunately, one rule tends to dominate: Keep it simple, sonny! Whether you’re putting together a discussion guide, showing concepts or even analyzing information, less is more. However, this simplicity is for the benefit of the researcher, not the subject. Indeed, as you will soon discover, older consumers are too complicated to pigeonhole into narrow marketing research parameters. Instead, the simpler the researcher can keep things, the more he or she will learn.

Labels and limits

First of all, what do you call them? “Seniors” doesn’t please anybody anymore. In fact, it’s bordering on the politically incorrect. Older consumers don’t particularly like “mature” either; it’s kind of stodgy-sounding. Most prefer that you don’t label them at all. So when setting up groups, I now just tell facilities that we’re looking for “50+ consumers.”

Obviously, all 50+ consumers cannot be lumped together. They’re more different than similar. A 50-year-old is about as similar to a 75-year-old as he is to a 25-year-old. For the sake of simplicity, I’ve had the most success with dividing 50+ consumers into three groups: pre-retirees (50 to 62), active retirees (63 to 75), and people 75 and older.

Is there a point at which older consumers become too old? If there is, I haven’t found it. I usually let the recruiters sort out who’s able to come and contribute. During the discussions, I often ask 50+ consumers what their mental age is. Typically, participants tell me that age is 12-15 years less than their chronological age. In other words, you’re only as old as you think you are. (This latter point is also something companies should keep in mind when creating marketing materials aimed at the “older folks.”)

Logistics

There are several differences between conducting focus groups among 50+ consumers and everybody else. First of all, the traditional two-hour session is just too short. Groups should be spaced at least two-and-a-half to three hours apart. The groups just take longer - not because older consumers are slower but because the pace is more leisurely, things are more laid back. The participants are more interesting. An added bonus: The groups do not have to be conducted during the traditional 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. time slots. In fact, it often works better if groups are scheduled during the day.

For 50+ consumers, there is also a difference in protocol. Oftentimes, for younger consumers, a focus group is an intrusion upon their very busy schedules. They tend to be motivated by the incentive. They’ll “fit you in,” but if something more important comes up, they’re often no-shows.

On the other hand, for older consumers, a research session is typically the focal point of the day. They’ll clear their schedules. They’ll arrive early. They’ll be courteous and eager to contribute. They recognize the value of marketing research!

A few years ago, I conducted groups on senior housing needs. I had one group scheduled in the morning in one city and a second group scheduled in the afternoon at a second city. The morning group ran far longer than I intended and I had underestimated the driving distance between the two cities. Consequently, I arrived over two hours late for the afternoon group at a senior community center. Rather than anyone leaving, there were actually more participants waiting patiently when I finally arrived at the center. During my delay, friends had called friends and invited them to come to this “interesting discussion.”

For older consumers, smaller is better. An ideal group size is six to seven, never more than eight. This is because everyone comes to contribute. Unlike younger consumers, nobody hides. Nobody is afraid to speak up. They want to share their opinions. They want you to learn.

Actually listen

Too many times, focus group sessions among younger consumers have turned into a series of one-on-one interviews as participants are only interested in what they personally have to say. On the other hand, consumers 50+ actually listen to other participants and are genuinely interested in what the other group members have to say. As a result, a session becomes a group activity in which everyone contributes. When one individual comments, others enthusiastically add to the learning.

For older consumers, camaraderie is the thing. There is unspoken ritual, whether the groups are being conducted in Minneapolis or Albuquerque: a group of older consumers bonds immediately. I can’t recall very many groups when at least three or four participants are not exchanging phone numbers or setting up follow-up meetings by the end of the session.

During introductions, I ask older consumers to tell the group an interesting tidbit about themselves. Caution: This exercise can sometimes make the discussion topics mundane and even boring! Using this approach I have met a myriad of participants, including General George Patton’s driver, a gardener at the White House during the Roosevelt administration, and the back-up drummer to the real Desi Arnaz Jr.

Keep it simple

A discussion guide jam-packed with a multitude of topics just won’t work. Again, keep it simple! Older consumers are more comfortable thoroughly commenting on fewer topics. Even when the moderator wants to rush into other agenda items, older participants won’t move on until they feel that they have commented sufficiently or until they are sure that the moderator understands their points - as I somewhat painfully found out during a session on blood pressure medications. Participants refused to move on to a review of ads until they were certain I understood the connection between heart disease and Type II diabetes. “Look here, Tim. I can see that you’re going to have know this, sooner rather than later. You’re what, 20-25 pounds overweight? You should be listening. This can save you a lot of aggravation later!”

No posturing

With older consumers, there’s no posturing going on. Nobody’s trying to impress anybody else. Nobody’s holding his cards until the rest of the group has commented. Older consumers are comfortable with who they are and what they believe, so they can hold back until the person next to them has commented - without changing their opinions. I always make younger consumers write down their answers before sharing them with the rest of the group. Even then, after checking scratch pads at the end of the group, I have found that about one-third of these younger participants typically change their opinions when they start hearing where everybody else is going.

As my anecdote shows, older consumers are often much more truthful than other consumers. But that’s also a disadvantage. Let’s face it: any good moderator can “sway” participants to select a certain concept or ad. But not older participants. They won’t budge. They’ll let you know what they think and they’ll stubbornly hold fast to those opinions. At times, clients in the back room have accused me of not trying hard enough. But 50+ consumers can also see right through this technique. “I know you’re trying really hard, but you just can’t convince me. You tell those people in the back room that this just doesn’t cut it.”

Listening and learning

Older consumers are more in touch with their emotions. This is an important consideration since most, if not all, purchase decisions are made emotionally, not rationally. The only difference is that older consumers will readily admit to the emotional impact: “I know it don’t make a whole lot of sense, but that’s just the way I feel.” They’ve come to understand that the heart is more powerful than the head: “If you think about it, we shouldn’t be spending that kind of money on a vacation like that. But, you know, we’ve worked hard for our money and, by God, we deserve it!”

Older consumers are also much better at tapping into those emotions. They’re not afraid of letting their imaginations run wild. Younger consumers often snicker and roll their eyeballs at the suggestion of such ideas, but older consumers enthusiastically embrace projective techniques, like photo sorts, crayon drawings, and word association tests. Storytelling is huge! When it comes time to share the stories with the rest of the group, I am constantly overwhelmed by how detailed the stories are.

Telling those stories often takes several minutes and sometimes cause even crusty old moderators to choke up. “I remember growing up and spending Christmases at my grandparents’ house. Just as I was falling asleep each evening, I’d bundle up under the comforter and look out the window. Across the snow, I could see that church, a half-mile away, hidden within the evergreen trees, glowing in the light of a full moon. There was snow on those trees, forming a white collar. I remember going to midnight services on Christmas. The air was crisp…”

Because of this ability to tap into the font of deeper insight, concepts and descriptions should be kept simple. Fewer words, shorter sentences, and less embellishment works better than piling on fact after fact after fact. And by keeping stimulus material to a minimum, the imaginations of older consumers are given more latitude. Older consumers are most adept at recognizing that marketers frequently put together ideas that impress their peers more than their target audiences. During one session with older consumers, I was getting reaction to a direct mail piece. The agency had lovingly bathed it in all the “in” colors. I asked the participants which of two pieces they most preferred - the agency’s “masterpiece” or the plain white envelope. They unanimously selected the plain white envelope. Of course, the envelope did have a huge red sticker on it: “Save!”

Older consumers are much more capable of imagining and expressing themselves “beyond the words.” Consumers 50+ are more apt to think in metaphors, personally applying commercial messages to their own life experiences. Thus, come analysis time, the “keep it simple” rule often flies out the window. Because older consumers are much more adept at going beyond the surface meanings of an idea or a concept, one has to carefully listen - and relisten - to the tapes to really understand and appreciate what took place. What you heard was not necessarily what was said. There’s a gold mine of learning in the reactions and interactions of what older consumers contribute. But a moderator has to realize that he’s only at the tip of the iceberg. During analytical moments, a psychology degree is not a bad thing to have.

More interesting

The bottom line is, older consumers are more interesting. They make the time spent in focus groups zip by at warp speed. What they say is what they believe. Marketers should recognize that whatever they show older consumers in focus groups, whatever they want to explore, the rule should be less rather than more. Just get the discussion going and the respondents will take it from there.