Why Your Brand Should Be Creating for the 50+ Crowd

They have money and they're willing to spend it

The 50+ customer has time and money—and they’re willing to spend both. According to Internationalist Intelligence, 92 percent of marketers describe consumers 50+ as financially stable. The broader market data reinforces this reality: Adults over 50 account for roughly half of all consumer spending in the U.S., according to AARP Media Advertising Network (AMAN), making them one of the most economically powerful cohorts in the marketplace.

Yet only 17 percent of companies have a dedicated 50+ strategy, according to Internationalist Intelligence. Brands that build a strategy to reach the 50+ customer can unlock the boldest growth opportunities.

Here’s what to know:

They’re not yesterday’s 50+

Today’s 50+ audience is Gen X and active Boomers, the first cohort to enter this life stage with deep digital exposure, cultural fluency, and very different expectations about brands. Yet perception hasn’t caught up with reality. Seven out of ten 50+ consumers are more active than their parents were at the same age, and around 85 percent don’t feel constrained by societal expectations of their age, per to an AMAN Q2 2024 study.

Brand marketers need to pay attention to the lifestyles 50+ adults are actually living, and reflect the diversity of those experiences.

Represent them as who they actually are: Physically active, tech-savvy, culturally plugged in, and—perhaps most importantly—working, many of them well into their 70s and 80s.

Persuade, persuade, persuade: They’re open to it

AMAN found in its Q2 2025 survey that the top three spending categories among 50+ were travel, financial services and home improvement. In addition, Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, points out that older Americans’ increasing share of the population and increasing economic might are not only driving job growth in healthcare but in travel and financial services as well.

And they do their homework: Another AMAN study found 89 percent of the 50+ group does online research before buying, and 84 percent also research in-store. This means they are active in seeking out new possibilities when it comes to choosing brands and are open to switching.

Treat each opportunity as a chance to persuade customers to try something new, as long as the product is marketed by a trusted brand that delivers value.

Build a real strategy, rather than just settling for awareness

Given everything we know about the spending power and influence of the 50+ consumer, it’s clear every brand needs to have a strategy for reaching them.

A real 50+ strategy means:

• Intentional segmentation that doesn’t fold them into “general market”
• Relevant creative that explains why your product is right for them
• Design that reflects how they actually live today
• Positioning the product as something that can deliver long-term customer value

They’re willing to spend their money on the whole family

Internationalist Intelligence research shows 67 percent of 50+ customers say they are active multigenerational spenders. When you reach a 50+ consumer, you’re reaching more than just that person. Very often, they are the family CFOs, influencing the decisions of adult children, grandchildren and aging parents.

Any product can be relevant to the 50+ audience, if positioned in the right context. That should frame how you build creative and where you buy media. It should also open up more possibilities for the types of products and services you’re selling.

The bottom line

Today’s 50+ consumer is leading a lifestyle quite different from their counterparts decades ago. They are active consumers who research and reward brands that provide value and that speak to them in a way that recognizes them.

Given the spending power of this group, you can’t afford not to earn their trust.