Over-65’s aren’t renowned for being fans of change. No sooner have they blown out the candles on their Victoria Sponge retirement cake than it’s time to break out the crossword, or Saga’s latest brochure for long weekend breaks in the country.
That’s the well-worn stereotype anyway. And it’s one which design agency Bluemarlin has turned on its head in each of their five product innovations for the Dairymen this week, all targeted at the potentially lucrative grey pound.
Far from gathering dust in front of daytime telly the over-65 market is “longing for excitement,” the agency discovered. “Curious” and “adventurous” baby boomers would in fact welcome the opportunity to sample a variety of milks (including camel) in their cuppa, which was the inspiration for their alternative milk sampler six-pack.
The demographic also has a “playfulness,” the agency found, which would appreciate their milk toddy brand Mooze, milk with a “nip of something naughty,” and an active lifestyle that would suit their portable Orb cheeses, “perfect after a yoga class.”
It’s an approach from which the dairy industry would do well to take heed. Short of a fibre-topped probiotic yoghurt or two, brands have done little to meaningfully target the over-65 shopper thus far, and that could be a costly commercial faux-pas.
Not least because dairy has a distinct advantage.
Health is the number one concern for over-65’s browsing supermarket aisles, according to Age UK, and not only does a standard glass of milk have much of the nutrients recommended for healthy ageing but dairy is also the ideal vehicle for further enrichment.
It’s a gap in the market bluemarlin suggest could easily be filled with the likes of their nutrient rich hot chocolate Forget me Not, or their kefir-based Kultured cheesecakes. Even Mooze boasts its Vitamin D content.
So for dairy R&D departments still feeling reticent about targeting their oldest consumers, we hope these bold ideas act as inspiration to ditch the stereotypes, and start thinking outside the box.
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