Home > All interviews Dale Lovell ( PR Manager - 50connect.co.uk ) : " The over-50s online are a unique demographic, in many respects extremely different from their off-line contemporaries " By AG 17-01-2005 50connect.co.uk is the leading website for the over-45s in the UK. The site offers a combination of varied editorial on subjects such as personal finance, travel, health, family history, gardening, relationships and retirement, along with targeted Special Offers and competitions. We write over forty articles in-house each week on a range of subjects and if we come across website’s that we feel our members will be interested in, link directly to them, encouraging our users to visit.   What was the first motivation when 50 Connect was founded? The primary motivation in launching 50 Connect was to offer mature online users somewhere they could find everything that interests them online in one easy to find location, while also providing advertisers access to the demographic online. The website is divided into core content channels such as Travel and Finance, similar to MSN or Yahoo, which have proved extremely popular with users and advertisers alike.   How many visits do you get and who are the main visitors? The main visitors to the website is what could be referred to as the core Baby Boomer demographic, primarily those aged between 45 – 60. We are evenly split between male and female visitors to the site. When it comes to our content, 50 Connect makes no reference to being a website for the over-50s, which is what we believe attracts Baby Boomers, which has a young outlook and dislikes being perceived as old, to 50 Connect. 50 Connect receives 947,000 unique monthly visitors and 15.8 million page impressions. The 50 Connect Home Page receives 1.4 million page impressions each month. We have 129,000 registered users, making us by far the largest website for the over-45s in the UK.   What is the best way to attract Baby Boomers online? The over-50s online are a unique demographic, in many respects extremely different from their off-line contemporaries. While the differences between their contemporaries are many, in one particular way, mature web users, when it comes to content and tone online share one very important similarity with their off-line counterparts – They do not like being condescended to and, like most of us as we get older, aspire to youth.   Any publication that declares itself as specifically for the over-50s will automatically alienate large swathes of potential buyers because people, even if they are in the right demographic, will not want to be associated with a publication synonymous with ‘old fogeys.’   Similarly, as most over-50s who regularly go online will tell you, they do not like the term ‘Silver Surfer.’ While it is a convenient marketing term from our experience it can be taken to be quite condescending.   What sets the over-50s online apart from other age and character-profiled target markets? Unlike some other character profiled target markets the ‘grey market’ has higher levels of disposable income than most. The over-50s are a disparate group with various interests and lifestyles, perhaps best highlighted by the fact that in 2003 the average age of a first time Harley Davidson buyer was 59. The ‘grey market’ is made up of differing individuals – grandparents, parents, singles - generally though, this age group enjoy top quality products and do not mind paying extra for quality goods and services. They are brand loyal, but only if that brand delivers the type of service and quality they expect.   Do you have any plans to expand worldwide? This is something we have considered in the past and may adopt in the near future. Countries with large older populations, such as Canada, the United States and Australia are the most appealing, especially as the language issue would mean that some pooling of content could be achieved. At the moment however we are concentrating on consolidating our position as the UK’s number one website for the over-45s. We would welcome any Overseas partnership enquiries.   Printer-friendly version | Send to a friend | React to this interview Copyright - Unless otherwise stated all contents of this web site are © 2007 SeniorStrategic. - All Rights Reserved. For permission to reproduce any contents of this web site, please email our Syndication department: Info@theMatureMarket.co.uk.