But how does the marketer do that?
One of the answers to this question is sponsorships. If sponsorships aren’t already in the mix, they should be. The boomer gal likes to experience things first-hand. She wants to know you personally care about her and what she cares about. She wants to sample your product. She wants to shake your hand.

This is hard to do from the pages of a glossy magazine or television ad. (Although, of course, there is certainly a place for these in the marketing mix.) Plus, the boomer woman is busy, and it’s hard enough to capture her attention in a receptive moment, let alone stop her long enough to shake even a finger, let alone her hand.

But sponsor an event put on by an organization to which she belongs, or cultural attraction she is attending anyway, and you are meeting her on her own turf. Don’t hard sell (or directly sell at all)…but be present and available, inviting her to approach you and letting her ask the questions. Give her presents (samples and meaningful coupons) and useful information—not just about your product but about the issue your product addresses. Help her have fun and give her something to talk about.

One of the coolest opportunities that’s come across my desk in awhile is a sponsorship of HATS! , a new, original musical comedy, celebrating being a women approaching 50 and beyond inspired by the Red Hat Society. (FH Boom has done some consulting work with Red Hat Society, which is how we learned about this.) Developed two years ago by a Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway and off Broadway producer of 30 years responsible for such shows as Stomp, Damn Yankees, Brooklyn, Dinner With Friends, to name a few.

Here’s the cool part. If you become a major sponsor, you can actually have product placement built into the fabric of the show. Imagine that the gals on stage are singing an uplifting song about osteoporosis (they do!) and then the chorus line pauses to take their (brand name) med, your client before returning to kick up their heels.

In its first 18 months, HATS! has been seen by over 150,000 people in 6 major markets including Las Vegas where it launched January 12, 2008.

HATS! the musical will be embarking on a 20+ week tour in 10 cities around the United States beginning Fall 2008 and running through June 2009. Carol Castelli, who is heading up the search for sponsors, estimates that 100,000 women will cycle through the venues during this period. (Carol@brylyn marketing.com.) That’s 100,000 women who are in a great mood, delighted to know you (your product/service) care about boomer women, who are captive in the audience, applauding at the conclusion and returning home to each tell about five to ten more friends what a fabulous time they had. When was the last time you saw a boomer woman applauding at the end of even the glossiest magazine ad?

In my next blog, I’ll discuss some other organizations and cultural events that offer sponsorships near and dear to the heart of the female boomer consumer.

Carol Orsborn