As I get further into my forties, I seem to be gradually disappearing. Men don't flirt with me anymore and teenagers' eyes pass over me as if I didn't exist. It's a bit of a relief, really. But when I walk through a store without a single clerk even greeting me, I feel like screaming.
Don't they realize how high the limit is on my credit cards? And how much influence I have in my home?
Women my age and older are not only part of the "mature market", which has more money and spending power than any other market segment, but they are, in most cases, the "Chief Purchasing Officer" for their household. That should make them incredibly attractive to marketers. But I don't see myself in many day-to-day ads.
Women like me are hugely empowered, bringing home the main income in 55% of US homes and having at least joint decision power in 90% of household decisions. Not only that, but studies have shown that, contrary to what advertisers seem to believe, women in their 50's and 60's don't feel "middle-aged" or "frumpy." On the contrary, these years appear to be the happiest in a woman's life. Trend spotter Marti Barletta, for one, refers to this population group as "Prime Time Women" (the title of her latest book) and calls them the healthiest, wealthiest, most educated and most active generation of women in history.
Nike and Dove are two major corporations who market specifically – and successfully – to this age bracket. And Barletta states that health care, financial services, travel/hospitality, real estate and automotive companies are figuring out that they live or die depending on their appeal to Prime Time Women. Which means that these women controlling a huge segment of the North American economy.
So get with the program, advertisers (and store clerks). We've got the power, and the money. Come and woo us.