REAL ESTATE NEWS

Baby Boomers may be entering retirement, but they aren’t slowing down—and seniors housing operators risk missing the mark if their marketing still leans on outdated stereotypes. At the recent NIC Conference, industry leaders urged operators to rethink how they reach this critical demographic, which is more connected, active, and forward-looking than many assume.

Consider this: about 70% of Baby Boomers own smartphones and spend nearly two and a half hours on their devices each day. Among those in their 50s, smartphone adoption climbs to 91%, with an average of seven connected devices in their homes. More than a third use voice assistants like Alexa. They are not only online—91% in total—but actively engaged, with more than half on Facebook daily. TikTok use among Boomers has jumped from 2.9% in 2020 to 13.8% today, and 13% are even experimenting with ChatGPT.

National advertisers have taken notice, often spotlighting celebrity Boomers like Jerry Seinfeld or Martha Stewart. And it’s not just corporations shaping the conversation—Boomers themselves are becoming content creators, amassing followings on social media and reshaping perceptions of aging.

During a session titled “Have We Got It (Them!) All Wrong? Marketing Messages for the New Consumer,” panelists pushed operators to develop smarter, more aspirational messages. Tana Gall, president of Merrill Gardens, led the discussion with panelists Dr. Joe Coughlin, director of MIT AgeLab, and Lee Newman, CEO of GSD&M.

“Boomers are ready for what’s next,” Newman said. “They’re not just winding down in life.” Data backs him up: 48% have a bucket list, 62% say they still have more to learn, and 60% believe learning is more rewarding now than when they were young. Yet in advertising, perceptions often lag behind. Nearly 28% of people over 50 are shown in a negative light, compared with only 4% of younger people, according to the panel.

Aegis Living recently offered a counterpoint with a marketing campaign that reframes aging in society. But overall, too many industry messages reduce older adults to clichés. Coughlin argued that housing operators need to abandon stale imagery. “Once you’re 65, there are no more parties for you—that mentality has to go,” he said, criticizing what he described as “cruises and crutches” messaging. He added with a jab at design: “I can usually recognize a seniors housing community from the road. It’s the one with the awning out front. The only other buildings that do that are funeral homes.”

So how should operators pivot? Newman pointed to four strategies: be the first or the only at whatever service you offer; market not just to the resident but to the secondary decision-maker, who is often family; acknowledge difficult truths rather than hide them; and hire professional marketers. The panel also stressed that women should be a focal point, since they make 90% of healthcare decisions and are three times as likely as men to conduct online research for others.

Coughlin emphasized that community operators must think like curators, creating branded experiences rather than just providing housing. Boomers were the first “brand-determined generation,” he said, with strong loyalties to names like Target, because it delivers both aspiration and affordability. “Don’t always just give them what they want,” he told the Austin audience. “Give them what they don’t realize they want or need.”

That spirit of optimism is another defining trait. Boomers believe solutions exist—a pill, a policy, or a program—to help them get better. For senior housing operators, the challenge will be not only meeting that optimism but channeling it into a narrative that makes aging feel less about decline and more about possibility.

Source: GlobeSt/ALM