Marketing to the 75+ crowd

Marketers have long been accused of overlooking the seniors market, but for Brampton, Ont.’s Heart to Home Meals, seniors are its only market.

I think there’s a misconception that seniors are thrifty and I would disagree. They, like everyone, want good value.

Michael Gazer

The franchise company delivers home-style frozen meals, soups and desserts to seniors’ doorsteps throughout southwestern Ontario. Its target audience is a demographic sweet spot: by 2031, the number of Canadians 65+ will double to 9.6 million and comprise up to 25% of the population, making it the country’s fastest-growing market.

Established as Copper County Foods in 2007, the company rebranded this past April with help from Brand Institute. The rebrand includes the new name, a new logo and a new tagline: “delicious meals made for seniors.”

Michael Gazer, president of Heart to Home Meals, said Copper County Foods didn’t clearly communicate the target market or focus of the company. “A big objective was to make it clear who we are here to help, and the [new name and tagline] absolutely specifies who we are in business to serve,” said Gazer.

To promote its new name and new catalogue, Heart to Home Meals is reaching its core customers 75+ the traditional way: print ads in Metroland community newspapers and direct marketing. As the campaign was about to launch, Gazer shared his insights on marketing to this fast growing and often misunderstood demographic.

• Seniors are price-conscious, not thrifty. “I think there’s a misconception that seniors are thrifty and I would disagree,” said Gazer. “They, like everyone, want good value. They appreciate companies that give them good value and good service.”

• Seniors are strong brand advocates. If they like a product or service, they will go out of their way to recommend it, said Gazer.

• They want to feel independent. As people age, they may lose the ability to do things they loved, such as cook and go for walks. But seniors still want to make decisions for themselves and it’s critical that they’re not made to feel pandered to, said Gazer. Messaging should never focus on seniors’ limitations, such as mobility issues. “It’s about empowering them to feel that they still have independence and the ability to make decisions,” he said.

• Seniors are extraordinarily loyal. “Unlike other target groups that may be more fickle… seniors are very, very loyal,” said Gazer. “As marketers, we’re all looking for that group of high-frequency, high-value customers. And seniors, if you do it right, are exactly in that area.”

• Seniors are tactile. “They like receiving physical things and they like referencing things,” said Gazer. “When the Thursday [community] paper comes in, they’ll read it from start to finish. That channel works well because it’s cost-effective and it’s sticky. They’ll keep the print publication on their coffee table for the week until the next one comes out.” And with direct mail, “again it’s that’s physical, in-your-hand piece of marketing that works well with this demographic.”

And what about digital and all those stories of grandparents flocking to Facebook? Gazer said with its core customers aged 75 and over, internet usage is growing. “But the reality is, there’s a low percentage of people over the age of 75 who are on Facebook and who are buying online.”

That said, Heart to Home Meals is starting to get into digital marketing. It has an e-commerce site that accounts for 20% of its business, but those orders are placed primarily by customers’ caregivers or children. The company is working with digital agency Hooplah, which is doing SEO, SEM and Google AdWords targeted at people whose parents need meal solutions, as well as potential franchisees.

In the coming years, the use of traditional marketing channels will likely subside and the company will focus more on digital, as today’s web-savvy younger boomers reach their 70s. “In 10 years, it will be dramatically different as the 65-year-olds today become the 75-year-olds of tomorrow,” said Gazer.

Stir created the new ad campaign and spring/summer catalogue. PR is being handled by Brown & Cohen.