The past few years have hugely disrupted the way we all use digital technologies, regardless of age or generation. But if we look at the Zen Gen in particular, the digital divide has reduced at a significantly faster rate. Still, we see digital advertising, eCommerce and social commerce focused heavily on the younger generations, which often makes zenners feel forgotten. Sure, Millennials and GenZ will be the big spenders in some time from now , but why are we not focusing more on who has significant buying power now?
This is the Zen Gen. Our latest research in 7 different markets revisits their universe and provides powerful insights on what baby boomers in Europe and Latam expect from brands in the digital environment.
We have discovered that simplicity, trust, and confidence are key aspects of their digital experience, and brands will need to keep this in mind if they don’t want to lose them along the way. Simple and minimalist digital product design (whether it is websites, apps or landing pages) will connect with the user experience they demand.
It’s time to forget everything you think you knew about baby boomers and technology and rediscover the Zen Gen universe. Or better yet, it’s time to forget about the concept of ‘baby boomers’. Zenners are a huge opportunity for brands, D2C (direct-to-consumer) businesses, and for those who need to rethink their view of older consumers (so pretty much everyone).
Alimento is a delivery service providing food and drink for people with swallowing difficulties, a condition known as dysphagia. People who experience dysphagia are often aged in their 50s and above, and often have other health conditions like throat cancer.
Using Good Rebels’ proprietary co-creation methodology, we worked closely with 50 sufferers to develop the business proposition and brand identity. We then successfully launched the business into the UK using our ‘market finder’ process, where we use digital paid media to identify product / market fit and drive fast growth.
We tested over 100 creative variations and placements across AdWords, Bing, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, achieving a 50x improvement in conversion rates in just 12 weeks.
Founded in 1983, Newmarket Holidays is one of the UK’s leading providers of holidays, flights and tours to the over 50s.
Newmarket asked us to generate bookings using Facebook, and to experiment with Instagram to drive brand awareness and generate leads.
Using targeted segmentation, remarketing, native ads and the ad formats that provide the richest experience – video ads and image carousels – we ran a series of highly successful campaigns that have increased sales and data collection.
For every £1 of media we delivered £50 of revenue; we generated qualified email leads at a cost of £1.20 per email.
Age UK set us an incredible challenge. Despite providing life-enhancing services and vital support to people from all backgrounds, the charity struggles to achieve significant engagement with BAME (black, asian and minority ethnic) individuals and communities.
We were asked to use our insights and co-creation methodologies to understand the reasons behind this lack of engagement, and to design solutions to break down barriers and engage BAME communities more directly in the work of the charity.
We delivered a nationwide co-creation project, working with the national charity, local Age UK centres and support workers, and older people from BAME backgrounds, to identify best practice in communications, community engagement and centre design and services.
Our findings, presented at the 2019 national conference, are inspiring improvements in Age UK’s work with diverse communities across the UK.
