If you work in the over-50s market, you may have heard of the three stages of segmenting modern elders:

• Go-go.
• Slow-go.
• No-go.

The Go-go, Slow-go, No-go segmentation method is a great way to explore what modern elders want at different stages of their lives. It moves away from looking at the over 50s as a homogenous group with all the same interests.

It also moves away from segmentation based on age. The assumption with these categories isn’t that an 85-year-old is decrepit while a 65-year-old is healthy and ready to go. Let’s explore them in more detail and see how you can use them to target older demographics with products and services that work for them.

What are these categories all about?

In the initial phase, the “Go-go” years, modern elders are typically more active, engaging in extensive travel and leisure activities. This stage usually starts from when a person retires to when they’re about 70. But there’s no hard and fast rules about age here. People are living longer, healthier lives, so those in their 70s can often lead active lives full of adventure too.

As time progresses, the “Slow-go” years set in, marked by a gradual slowdown due to emerging physical or mental health disabilities. Here, people’s needs and wants shift. It’s less about adventure and extreme sports, and more about activities in line with people’s abilities. For instance, someone who used to be a keen jogger and run marathons all over the country may now opt for activities like walking and hiking if his physical health is no longer up to scratch.

Finally, the “No-go” years represent a period of poor health where both physical and mental health issues arise. At this stage, people may require round-the-clock care, with associated increased expenditures on essentials like heating and healthcare.

This final stage is where we have to be really careful with segmenting by age. Not every retiree will follow a predefined trajectory. Disability and poor health are not inevitable outcomes in our later years.

In fact, according to the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, only about a third of women and a fourth of men will need long-term care during our so-called “No-go” years. Oh, and these “No-go” years of reduced health? They’ll likely only last for about three years of our lives. So while there are plenty of people who will experience a “No-go” period towards the latter parts of their life, it’s better to move away from marketing to a specific age bracket, and market to people who may need the products and services you’re offering regardless of age.

This brings us to our next point.

Dig deeper than age

In 2019, Marketing Week called age “a blunt instrument for targeting”. We couldn’t agree more with that assessment. If you want buy-in from modern elders, you need to find ways to attract them and market to them, too.

That means looking at how older demographics interact with your brand, whether they understand what you do, whether there’s scope to convert them and who your existing users are. BT, for instance, found that nearly half of its audience was aged over 55. The company realised it’s key they reflect this demographic in their advertising.

They changed the way they target consumers in general. They now look to target people interested in topics like entertainment, music, movies, and games without looking at their specific age. What BT has done here might seem simplistic, but perhaps that’s the key to segmentation; they’re targeting people who are already interested in what they’re selling. And they’re clever enough to realise that age doesn’t stop someone from enjoying what they offer.

This is exactly the point made by the “Go-go. Slow-go. No-go” method of segmentation. It’s about marketing to people based on what they need and want during different stages of their lives, regardless of their age. A healthy 85-year-old may want to travel the world, while a 62 year-old who has a debilitating disability may need help choosing a stairlift. Everyone goes through the three stages of retirement at a different pace. 

Give them the representation they crave 

By categorising older customers into one of three segmentation groups, you begin to realise that age is just a number after all. If you’re marketing travel and leisure activities to people in the “Go-go” group, your target audience could be a newly retired 65-year-old, or maybe a healthy 87 year old gearing up for more adventure. They both want to see themselves in your products.

Did you know that only 35% of over 50s feel like they’re catered to in marketing and retail settings? 4 in 5 people over the age of 50 feel like they are underrepresented or misrepresented in ads. As such, 49% of over 50s are actively avoiding certain brands. That’s because marketing materials often portray them as graying and ailing.

Some brands are catching on. H&M, for instance, made Jade Fonda the face of their latest activewear brand H&M Move. Fonda is well known for her 80s workout videos. This is a great example of nostalgia marketing as well; and ads that contain nostalgia elements are more likely to go viral.

The point here is, H&M wasn’t scared to make an 85-year-old woman the face of their new sportswear brand. H&M understands that there are 85-year-olds out there who are still in their “Go-go” phase of life.

And yes, Jane Fonda is one of a kind. But H&M is tapping into an underserved demographic by showcasing a powerful woman who represents everything someone in their mid-80s can be. Jane Fonda isn’t a frail old lady. She represents the modern elder, and the modern elder can now see themselves in H&M sportswear as a result.

Get insights from AgeGroup

Here at AgeGroup, we’re committed to representing the interests of the modern elder. From our perspective, modern elders are ageless. We’re on a mission to redefine ageing and help you understand how valuable this segment really is.

The number of people over the age of 65 in the UK is expected to rise by 40% in the next 17 years. We’re living in an ageing population. Modern elders are slowly becoming the majority. Brands that can move away from tired stereotypes can tap into this market.

We’re currently building several products to help you gain brand trust and find your audience. So make sure to keep in touch if you’re looking for the latest insights on this lucrative segment of the population.