According to eMarketer, boomers, whose median age is 55, spend more time and money online than any other demographic. Yet, this market is essentially neglected by most advertisers and marketers.

It is estimated that 78.2% of this cohort, or nearly 60 million adults, is online. Even as their numbers decline, that penetration rate will remain high through 2015. And they control more than $2 trillion in annual spending.

“The baby boomers grew up being chased by marketers and advertisers that tailored products and brands to appeal to them,” said Lisa E. Phillips, eMarketer senior analyst “Now the median age of this cohort is 55, and many boomers feel as if they have dropped off many marketers’ radar.”

This is not new, news to Marti Barletta.

She has been shouting the neglect of the baby boomer market for quite a while.  Actually, she talks specifically about the “lifestage” they happen to be moving through and she zeros in on the segment of boomers who not only have the money, but control the spending. She calls them “PrimeTime Women” and authored a book titled the same.

Barletta emphatically states that women currently in their “PrimeTime” are the healthiest, wealthiest and most active, educated and influential generation of women in history.

I purchased PrimeTime Women a couple of years ago at the Marketing to Women Conference in Chicago and still refer to it all the time.  Realizing that the female boomer is your market is of no value – unless you are saying what she wants to hear.

Below are just a few nuggets from PrimeTime Women to help you better understand who she is:

• She is happier and more content and possesses a brighter, more optimistic disposition than Generation X and Generation Y women.
• She has a newfound sense of freedom to be herself.
• She is not just active, she’s a bit of an activist.
• She will go out of her way to buy from companies who are environmentally conscious.
• She knows how to handle unexpected turbulence and how to get around obstacles in ways that younger women have yet to figure out.
• She feels her greatest achievements lie ahead of her.
• In most instances, using conventional celebrity advertising to reach PrimeTime Women won’t work. Consumers in PrimeTime have less of a need to aspire up and impress others and are no longer as driven by materialistic values such as fame and fortune. That is not to say that all celebrity usage is ineffective, but there is a different dynamic. Instead, they are drawn to people they already do like those who are approachable.
• PrimeTime women have many things that they care about more than when they were younger. For example:

1. Family and personal legacy
2. Time to finally do something for themselves without feeling guilty
3. Milestones are key triggers in the decision making process
4. Experiencing life to the fullest

If you recognize the female boomer as a viable market and want to connect with her effectively, I highly suggest you purchase your own copy of PrimeTime Women.

If you’re still not convinced, I suggest you RUN get a copy.

Stephanie Holland is President and Executive Creative Director for Holland + Holland Advertising, Birmingham, Alabama. Working in an industry that is dominated by men, she is one of only 3% of the female creative directors in the country. Stephanie works mostly with male advertisers, helping them successfully market to women. Subscribe to She-conomy by Email

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Filed under: Advertising to Women During Recession, Buying Power of Women, Connecting with Women, Marketing to Boomer Women, Targeting Women, Women and social media, Women and the Internet