Baby Boomers (people born between 1946 to 1964 – currently aged between 60 and 78) are now the world’s wealthiest generation, however, brands, marketers, and media planners are failing to keep up with their evolving digital media habits, according to the latest ‘Baby Boomers’ big digital shift’ Global Advertising Trends report released by WARC Media.
According to the report, Baby Boomers are not spending greater amounts of time on social platforms, as commonly assumed. Instead, older generations are switching from offline versions of content media to their online extensions – be it connected TV, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, or online press.
This matters to marketers, because these formats ought to be traded and measured differently, requiring a fresh approach to media planning.
Alex Brownsell, Head of Content, WARC Media, said, “Boomers are embracing digital content. While brands obsess over Gen Z, the affluent Baby Boomer generation is undergoing a media revolution. This requires advertisers to revisit long-held assumptions, and ensure digital media plans are tailored to older consumers’ increasingly unique habits.”
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The WARC Media report outlines key considerations for brands wanting to tap into this generation:
Baby Boomers’ habits shift to digital content
Baby Boomers’ media preferences are quickly evolving. In 2024, people aged over 55 globally will spend more than half (54.4 per cent) of their media time online, including digital components of traditional channels such as connected TV, digital audio and online press, according to GWI.
WARC Media compared media consumption behaviour among people aged between 45 and 54 a decade ago with those currently aged between 55 and 64s – representing people born between 1959 and 1970. In 2013, less than a third (31.6 per cent) of all media time was spent with digital channels; in a decade, that share has grown by more than 20 percentage points to 53 per cent in 2023, propelled largely by behaviour changes brought on by COVID.
Paul Bland, Chief Digital Officer, Havas Media Network, said, “Media planners must ditch their habit of seeing Baby Boomers as living in a kind of media “statis”. If anything, older people are probably rising the most in terms of consumption of some of the most innovative digital properties around. It’s genuinely impacting the way we buy media as an agency.”
Marketers are in thrall to Gen Z. This may obscure substantial changes in media behaviour among older audiences.
Social media remains appointment viewing for Boomers
Baby Boomers are building digital media experiences distinct from younger audiences. While Baby Boomers are spending a little more time on social platforms, it remains a small part of their overall media habits.
By next year, 55-64s are forecast to spend 93 daily average minutes with social media, per GWI, up 43.1 per cent on the 65 minutes of consumption recorded among 45-54s in 2015.
However, other areas of digital consumption are growing much faster: online TV streaming is up 195.0 per cent over the same period, with Baby Boomers switching to Netflix and YouTube on their TV screens.
Facebook continues to be older consumers’ preferred network. According to YouGov, Baby Boomers make up the largest chunk (29 per cent) of weekly Facebook users in the US, compared to only 9 per cent of those accessing TikTok each week.
In the UK, social media consumption has largely plateaued among the 55+ audience, with average daily minutes falling from 58.3 in 2015 to 52.2 last year.
Highly mobile-penetrated China leads on time spent with social media each day, but there too Baby Boomer usage has ebbed in recent years.
Baby Boomers are least receptive to advertising
Baby Boomers have the lowest average levels of ad receptivity in a cross-generation comparison. Only 12 per cent globally say that they feel ‘positive’ about advertising, significantly below the 47 per cent benchmark for all consumers.
Gonca Bubani, Global Thought Leadership Director – Media, Kantar, says: “Baby Boomers are generally just more negative about ads compared to the other generations we measured. As advertising receptivity goes up for everyone, they are on the lower end, and they remain there.”
Only 4.5 per cent of Baby Boomers have downgraded to an advertising funded subscription video on demand (SVOD) tier on services like Netflix and Disney+, according to GWI, compared to more than a quarter (28.4 per cent) of Gen Z respondents.
Rising advertising loads on TV have frustrated older audiences, but they appear more positive about newer social and video platforms, with TikTok ranked as their preferred option. This may be a result of having joined the app more recently and not experiencing it in its earlier, ad-lighter days.
