Remember when it was all Millennials all the time? When the world was swathed in pink and brass gleamed brightly. When inspirational sayings scrawled in neon adorned walls and terrazzo covered floors, tables counters, and kleenex boxes? Sorry ladies, it’s all about Gen Z now. How quickly a media darling gets pushed to the side when a newer, cuter, younger, sparklier option catches marketing’s eye. 

But here’s the thing: Gen Z (and let’s be honest, even Millennials, who are just turning 40 themselves) are still building their wealth. Young people today are much more likely to spend their money on experiences and dining out than new products. And, they have limited cash flow.

But you know who is spending money? Who’s built wealth, paid off debt, and is finally focused on themselves?

Women over 40. 

Women over 40 are established in their careers, have built up a reserve of savings, and are interested in authentic, human connection. At Fancy, we think this is a huge opportunity for brands. 

And we’re not the only ones. Just ask the 500 women over 40 we surveyed about the way they feel advertising and marketing perceive and portray them. 

1 in 4 Americans is a woman over 40.

That’s right. 25% of the country. Put another way, 83 million potential customers are being left out of the purchasing conversation. Brands, are you listening? 

She makes the buying decisions.

Women over 40 are professionals who’ve moved up the corporate ladder, they may have started businesses,  they might be wives and/or mothers, they have best friends, and they’re travel savvy. Oh, and women make 85% of the spending decisions for their household.

Brands need to appeal not only to the end-user of the product but also to the person who will actually buy it. 

A woman over 40 is not only shopping for herself, she’s looking for healthy food to feed her family, stimulating toys (or college options!) for her children, interesting date-night spots for fun with her partner, not to mention products and services for her aging parents or in-laws.

If advertisers took a moment to get to know women over 40, connect with them on an authentic level, and realize that they’re not just interested in counting wrinkles and losing 5 pounds, they’d realize that these women are strong, intelligent, and have money to spend on a ton of products that appeal to them.

She’s got money. And she’s spending it.

Many women over 40 are bringing home the paycheck that supports their family. Many are supporting aging parents or family members and making purchasing decisions for them. Many are also choosing not to marry or start families and have only themselves to support.

With a stable job and a good investment account, women over 40 aren’t interested in sitting idly, depending on someone else to take care of them. These women are ready for adventure, are interested in learning new things, and aren’t afraid to go it alone or bring along a friend.

she needs solutions.

As women take on more and more roles, they have less and less time. Women are working outside the home, inside the home, volunteering, and finding time to maintain long-term friendships. These independent, busy women don’t need products, they need solutions.

Instead of focusing on simply selling your product, take the time to find out what problems these women are facing on a day-to-day basis. Once you know what she’s struggling with, figure out how your product or service solves it.

And I don’t mean a quick fix for their eye wrinkles. Women over 40  are less concerned with their looks than advertisers give them credit for. In fact,  we surveyed 500 women over 40 and found that 84% of them felt like brands overestimated their preoccupation with their physical appearance. These women are focused on real, hard-to-deal-with issues and each day they face them down fiercely.

Offer women over 40 solutions to their problems, find ways to make their lives easier, and you’ll find an entirely new market of loyal customers.

She’s a caregiver.

Women over 40 don’t want to be seen only as mothers—even the mothers we surveyed wanted to be seen in roles other than mom. These women spend time volunteering in their community, go to regular meetings with groups they care about, have an active social life, and they most likely work a full-time job.

On top of all that, many of these women are also caregivers—whether or not they are mothers. No matter if she’s caring for aging parents or a child, many women over 40 find themselves fulfilling the caregiver role alongside everything else they’re doing. If your product can be marketed as a way to make their role as a caregiver easier, you’ll find yourself with a group of loyal customers.

Please remember, it's important not to rely on stereotypes but to accurately portray her experience as a caregiver. It’s not all she is, but it is one of the many roles she fills.

She wants authenticity.

If you want to connect with women over 40 you’ve got to get real. She has a desire to be seen for who she is and the life she’s living. It’s complicated. It’s messy. And it’s gorgeous. 

Women over 40 are diverse and dynamic—if brands continue to ignore their desires and needs they will miss out on the opportunity to build an authentic relationship with a large cohort that has money to spend on problems that need solving.

Generally speaking, advertisers don’t think of a woman over 40 as the hip, sexy woman who wants to buy their products. And yet, that’s exactly how she sees herself. Women over 40 have never felt sexier, more confident, or more powerful. It’s a bit of a surprise to her too. In fact, 80% of the women we surveyed said they felt younger, cooler, or sexier than they ever imagined they would feel at their age. 

Want help reaching women over 40?

Fancy is a strategically-minded creative agency. We work with visionary brand leaders who understand the power of marketing to women but struggle to do so in an authentic, empowering, and effective way. 

If you think your brand could be doing more to create personal, motivating, and profitable connections with women over 40, or of any age, we'd love to share our insights.

Drop us a line. We can help.