The Best Years – What we cover

We strive for a better understanding of those people who are past their 40s and probably 50s. We will be talking to people who are players within the silver economy and who will be sharing fascinating stories of their personal and professional lives.

How did they manage to turn their experienced challenges into opportunities for personal growth and self-fulfilment? I will also report on discussions I had with acknowledged professional experts in the field of senior citizen policies.

We will bridge the gap between those people and organizations who want to reach the target group of middle-aged and older people and the target group itself.

The older half of our population is playing an active role in our society. Many are continuously pursuing new dreams, hitting the restart button, or serving our local communities by generously contributing with their unique talents.

The ever-growing importance of the target group of Best Agers

Older people (i.e., people from 45 years onwards) make half of the German-speaking population. Following Statista, at the end of 2019, 22,3% were between 40 and 59 years old; -23,74% were more senior. Note that just about 15% of the population are minors!

This segment’s ever-growing economic power has caused all industrial players to adapt their products, services, and offerings to this demographic change.

During our interviews, we found that older people become increasingly self-confident. They travel, live their lives, fall in love or enjoy with their significant others every aspect of their lives -as it should be but, and at the same time, in a way that was not possible one or two generations ago.

Bridging the supposed digital divide

Concerning media consumption, older people often still rely on traditional channels. Consequently, digitalization poses a significant challenge for a vast market that may feel overwhelmed by the digital conversion or perceive itself as not fully prepared.

We all could share family stories underlining the suspicion of an existing digital divide between our families’ different generations. I passionately believe that any form of the digital divide is not necessary and, by all means, surmountable. We should not wait for older people to obtain the same digital literacy level as most teenagers already have. Everyone can and should be part of the digital revolution.

For all the reasons mentioned above, digitalization will not uncouple the silver market from other economic areas. It is the other way round: The silver economy will shape the process and influence the design of new products and innovations. Naturally, it is easier for companies to engage with their younger customer base via their partnering influencers, their social media marketing tools, or just by offering interesting digital content.

Questions we will discuss in our podcast

So, how do we reach the older target group? What do experienced people expect from their products? What kind of content do older people consume? Who do they follow on social media? What prevents us from overcoming any form of the supposed digital divide?

Or, more broadly, how do we prepare and shape our aging process? How do older people and their families deal with the need for permanent care?

It is time to start with our Podcast / Blog series and find answers to these challenges!