BALTIMORE, July 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Words have power. When words describe groups of people, such as those of retirement age, they can evoke either positive or negative associations. A new survey conducted by SeniorMarketing.com gauged the responses of 1,114 people to the language used when describing individuals 50 and older. The findings, discussed as part of an article in the Chicago Tribune, reveal that the linguistic map needs an update, as certain words and phrases have fallen out of fashion, or worse, become patently offensive. Read the full article here.
Most respondents (71%) were comfortable with the term "Baby Boomer," but opinions were evenly split over the term "senior," with only 49% approving. Furthermore, when addressing ageism, or discrimination based upon age, the survey found that half of respondents said they had been victims of ageist stereotypes, while 72% said that they knew someone who had. Overall, considering the current generation of retirees is expected to live longer and enjoy a higher quality of life, language that communicates health and activity will likely get better traction.
"Our survey results clearly show how certain words, acceptable a generation ago, have rapidly become taboo," says Kevin Williams, president of SeniorMarketing.com. "'Nursing home,' for example, calls up all kinds of unpleasant ideas; 94% of respondents said that 'nursing home' had the worst association in their mind out of all choices presented. Perhaps most surprisingly, 44.2% agreed that the terms 'senior living' and 'retirement community' are outdated. With that being said, 'retirement community' only had a 13% negative association versus 'retirement home,' which had a 48% negative association."
If "nursing home" calls up such powerfully negative emotions, then certainly there are words that produce a more favorable response. Williams notes that "community" has appealing overtones, whereas "facility" is somewhat dehumanizing.
An often-overlooked but essential aspect of marketing to a demographic is language—specifically, the choice of words and phrases used to describe an audience.
"Knowing the preferred terms when talking about particular groups of people is important from both a human and marketing perspective. The wrong word or phrase can alienate your target audience overnight. The world of politics is rife with these avoidable blunders; businesspeople would do well to learn from such mistakes and set a better example," explains Williams.
About SeniorMarketing.com
Baltimore-based SeniorMarketing.com is a marketing consultancy targeting senior living. SeniorMarketing.com helps to increase profits in three areas: 1) increasing occupancy; 2) increasing customer lifetime value; and 3) improving marketing efficiency.
Contact:
Kevin M. Williams, President
SeniorMarketing.com
5022 Campbell Blvd., Suite N-3
Baltimore, MD 21236
Phone: 1-888-523-3311
Email