Does your packaging speak adequately to baby boomers and compel them to buy your product? Following are eight tips for marketing to baby boomers. They are adapted from the report “Design Your Packaging for the Ultimate Target Audience—Boomers.” The report is available through Women in Packaging Inc.

1. Don't associate boomers or consumers older than 50 with being old. Boomers view themselves as younger than they are (typically, by 20 years). They don’t want to be referred to as old. Use positive words and avoid an “over the hill” context. The term “mature” works well with this audience.

2. Make it easy to use. Emphasize convenience or ease-of-use. Boomers like to spend time on activities such as cooking. They just don't want to spend a lot of time getting things together to do it.

3. Make it easy to read. How important is label readability? In a recent Women in Packaging survey, 70% said it’s very important while 8% claimed it’s somewhat important. One consumer summed up the feelings of many surveyed boomers with this comment: “We are not illiterates. Just make sure we can see what we are buying.”

4. Keep the product secure. This means no evidence of tampering or indication that the product has been opened. This is becoming a huge issue. Already, 72% of consumers say it’s very important.

5. Create relevance. Use role models or visuals that represent the audience. Having a 20-year-old touting a product’s benefits means nothing to boomers. Conversely, having a 50+-year-old speaking to her daughter or granddaughter creates relevance.

6. Avoid celebrity endorsements. Consumers were asked this question in the survey: Do celebrity endorsements influence your purchasing decision? Just 2% said yes while 98% said no. Consumers were also asked: Do endorsements from a senior organization, such as AARP, influence your purchasing decision? About 86% said yes while 14% said no.

7. Make it easy to open. Does ease of opening influence your purchasing decision? Some 48% of survey respondents said yes while 54% said no.

8. Keep it simple. The same features that make packages kid-friendly should also inspire boomer-friendly packaging. Boomers want these benefits: easy handling, color-coding to differentiate products, and easy opening.

To order the full report, type the word “boomer” in an e-mail and send it to JoAnn Hines at Women in Packaging Inc.