JANE CARO Q&A

1.  You’ve long championed social equity, particularly in education and gender issues. What message do you think today’s business leaders most need to hear?

I think business has understood for ages that equity and diversity, especially around decision making tables, makes for better business decisions and profitability. But, frankly, even if it didn’t, women and people who are not straight, white, private-school educated men still deserve to be judged according to their merits and nothing else. If Australian business really believes in ‘promotion on merit’ and not promotion on privilege (of class, education, gender or race) then there is nothing to stop it being implemented. The candidates are available. Just hire them. And give them the same pay and conditions as you would a white bloke.

2.  You speak powerfully about how baby boomers are “The Forgotten Market”. Why do you think this demographic is so overlooked by advertisers today?

Business and marketers are in love with youth. They see it as sexy, energetic and as symbolic of the future. Western society sees youth as aspirational. Which is absurd, if you spend just a couple of minutes actually thinking about that. And youth is also a time to being secure (they are relatively inexperienced and untried), not yet settled and increasingly, sadly, poor. Boomers are the opposite of that. They know what they want and like. Many have both the money and the time – at last – to please themselves, so marketers are missing a very large trick.

3.  Despite holding a significant portion of the nation’s wealth and spending power, the Baby Boomer demographic is rarely the target market for advertisers. What’s the disconnection here?

See above. And marketing, PR, comms and advertising are dominated by young people. Young people never really think they will get old. They will, of course, faster than they ever dreamt possible. Boomers were just the same when they were young. We were the gen who were told to ‘live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse’. We did not follow that advice and many of us are continuing to live life to the full into senior old age. Rather than despising us for it, younger people would be wise to follow our example.
4.  What are some brands or campaigns, if any, that you think are getting it right when it comes to marketing to the over 60s?

Good question. I can’t really think of many that market to us at all, unless they are cruise lines, funeral insurers or arthritis medications. Dove had a good attempt by acknowledging beauty at any age. More of that, please.

5.  What suggestions do you have for business owners on how they can delight the older demographic in the way they do business?

Just treat us with the same respect you would (or should) treat any other target market, as whole, complex and interesting human beings. Don’t stereotype us, patronise us, ignore us completely or make us the butt of the joke. And put big type on your products, instruction booklets and warranties.

6.  What’s one piece of advice you’d give to the next generation of leaders – especially young women?
Be yourself. Do not allow anyone to tell you that you should be smaller in some way. If you are talkative in meetings, keep talking. If you are expressive, keep expressing. If you have opinions put them out there. One thing I have learnt as a woman who is all three of those things (and more) is that no matter what you are like or try to be like as a woman, you will never be a man. They want you to be like them and not like them and so set impossible contradictory standards – speak up – don’t talk so much, be direct – be tactful, work hard – don’t be so competitive, etc. As a woman you will never be ‘right’ according to the ideal male worker model so beloved by business. The only alternative is to be happily ‘wrong’ in entirely your own way. In my experience, it will be hard sometimes to be true to yourself and you will get criticised for it, but you will also earn respect in the end.