By Karen and Erica

We have complained about how marketers and advertisers fail to see us for who we are, probably because they fail to communicate with us much at all. That has caused us to think about how we would like to be approached by someone who wants to sell us something. What would get our attention?

First, of course, we want an attractive image. Someone who wants to sell us something needs to show us as people of substance. We want to be shown as we are--accomplished, energetic, intelligent people, both enjoying the world and engaged purposefully with it. We want to be portrayed as physically and mentally fit, with lots of life ahead. Well groomed, wearing elegant clothes, in places that are interesting or beautiful or both.   

Second, show us why we should want what you are selling. (By the way, we are the people who purchase for the children and men in our lives too, so it's not just about us.) How will your product or service make us more attractive, our lives more interesting, or our obligations and needs more manageable. Offer us clothes that make us beautiful and let us move fast. Cars that are sleek but comfortable. Doctors who treat us like we are first class citizens. Maitre d’s that act as if we are obviously going to order champagne and leave a big tip. 

Third, we like a good story. How do we fit into the picture? We don’t want our characters in the story about the flashy new tech item to be pictured as ignorant foils for smug Gen Xers. We are happy to be seen learning from young people, for sure, but from a position of strength, not weakness. We didn’t get here by being dense, dumb or ditsy. And we didn’t become any of those things after we got here.

We like a stylish story, too. The story does not have to be only about us, but we need to be players. We love the Jaguar It’s Good To Be Bad series. If the villains are stylish and funny and get the flashy cars, and if you want to sell to us, we want to be the villains. And you should want to sell to us. Especially after 50, women drivers outnumber men, and women dominate car buying decisions.

We are your biggest market, by far. Sell to us by seeing who we are. We'll all prosper if you do.