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Digital seniors

Older adults are more connected and tech-savvy than we give them credit for, yet highly underrepresented in digital marketing outreach. In 2019, more than half of older adults bought a new tech product such as a smartphone, laptop, or smart home device.²  And the tools aren’t just for show. Roughly 75% of older adults with an internet connection say they use it daily.³

These digital seniors go online for a number of reasons from staying in touch with friends and family (91%) to organizing their finances (87%) and improving their health and wellness (73%).⁴

A majority of online seniors spend at least six hours a day online and own an average of five devices.

Tips for designing behaviour change and brand loyalty programs aimed at older adults:

Reach them where they are — with a multitouch approach
Develop a combination of digital and direct mail communication to initially engage your audience and to continue engagement over time.

Personalize each touchpoint — Deliver engaging, direct and relevant information to each individual audience member. End each piece with a clear call to action.

Entice them visually — Use vivid design and images that reflect how older adults see themselves — as active and thriving members of society.

Make your programs user-friendly — Design interactions that are easy to understand, and fun and leave audiences feeling the program is worthwhile.

• To drive behaviours, include content like videos and digital interfaces that use game mechanics.
• Break complex content into easily consumed bite-sized pieces.
• Engage the power of positivity to design behaviour-change activities.

Embrace the power of positivity — Laura Carstensen, Ph.D., a psychology professor and director of the Stanford Center on Longevity at Stanford University, illustrated the impact of the “positivity effect”⁵ on older adults in a study comparing the memory recall of younger and older adults.

When shown a variety of positive and negative images, the older adults recalled far more of the positive photos than the younger participants did.

In another study on whether older adults might be motivated to exercise more after encouragement with positive messaging, Carstensen found that positively-framed messages more effectively promoted walking than negatively-framed messages, and the effect was sustained across the intervention period.⁶

According to Carstensen, the idea is that informing older people about the potential benefits of walking may be more effective than warning them about the risks of inactivity. As a result, Carstensen suggests that preferences for positive information among older adults may be useful in designing effective interventions to promote healthy lifestyles.

Keep them active in their communities — Social connection is a fundamental human need — as essential to survival as food, water and shelter. Acknowledge this in your programming.

Deliver content that speaks to the benefits of social connection and encourages both face-to-face interaction and digital engagement. This can be done by:

• Sharing content about available volunteer opportunities in local communities
• Designing reward options around in-person experiences like cooking classes or local tours
• Providing information about community resources available to avoid loneliness. 

Focus on relationships — Older adults tend to value their relationships, grow more selective in everyday choices and pursue goals that prioritize emotional meaning. Show you value older adults’ time, attention and loyalty to cultivate emotional connection and nurture engagement.

Make it worth their while — Demonstrate clearly what is in it for them to drive participation and change. Make sure to offer rewards intended for your audience, not their caregivers.

Focus on health care — Most chronic conditions could be managed or prevented by encouraging positive behaviour change. A focus on healthy behaviours is likely to get this audience’s attention. Such practices could improve overall health outcomes, reduce health costs and improve patient satisfaction with both providers and payers.

 

Examples of clinical behaviours to target:

• Device/medication adherence
• Annual wellness visits
• Chronic condition management
• Gap closures

Examples of active health management (Stars & CAHPS/HOS) behaviour-related content:

• Plan benefit explanations
• Healthy living tips
• Social determinants of health (SDOH)
• Social isolation remedies

Developing healthy behaviours in senior populations is critical to driving better overall health outcomes.

Older adults continue to be an important demographic to focus on for many leading Canadian companies. There’s a real opportunity to make a difference to both this audience and the businesses they engage with by reflecting the audience’s current lifestyles and values. Let go of outdated stereotypes and embrace the thriving, active roles older adults take in their communities. Integrate positive messaging into brand loyalty and behaviour change programs to make the highest impact.