Women Over 40: Is this a Moment or a Movement?
For a few weeks my LinkedIn feed has been full of reposts of Mika Brzezinski’s Forbes article “Women Over 50 Are Having A Moment.” Thrilled that this age group is at last getting recognition for their incredible achievements (Forbes itself is curating a list of 50 Women Over 50, and based on some of the semi-finalists I know, I can’t wait to see the full, curated list), and finally feeling seen for their ongoing contributions to business and the world at large, women are rightly amplifying the story.
Here’s the thing though: women over 40, 50, 60, 70, etc are not having a moment. They are accelerating a movement.
They are not fading into the background, quietly retiring (as if!) and re-doing the living room drapes. Women have never been more engaged, more motivated, more in control of their lives than they are today.
Business is recognizing this, too. We are starting to see brands popping up that are specifically targeting this group. Developing products and solutions that are based on the hormonal or life stage changes that women experience as they age.
No need to apologize.
The communication from these brands whether in advertising, packaging, social media, or perspectives shared by founders and the C-suite is bold, powerful, and unapologetic. They say we are who we are and we are here for the long haul. It’s said that the menopause market is $600 billion. If there’s that much money to be made targeting just one aspect of this woman’s life imagine if brands considered the rest of her world….
Webinar: How to reach women over 40
Fancy co-founder, Erica Fite, hosted a Webinar last Thursday on “How to Reach Women Over 40” (if you haven’t seen it, you really should! She distilled the findings of our survey of 500 women 40+ into valuable insights and tips you can use today to better, and more authentically, connect with this valuable group. A link to the replay is right here.) What was so impressive and inspiring wasn’t that the sign-ups far exceeded our expectations, or that the show-rate was well beyond industry standard, it was the variety of women (because, still, women over 40 are most important to other women over 40 or women who plan to someday be over 40) who attended.
A wide assortment of industries and categories were represented from beauty to philanthropy to nutrition to sexual pleasure to women who just are over 40 and are thrilled to be finally part of the cultural conversation. The questions they asked were interesting and insightful, and helpful to us as we work to solve brand challenges in a way that elevates what’s important to women.
collaboration over competition
One of the most differentiating aspects of the way these brands are positioning them in the world and in her life is the way they echo the population of women over 40 at large with a “rising tide lifts all boats” attitude. Recognizing that there is more than enough opportunity to go around, these brands are partnering together to change the conversation. They are valuing collaboration over competition and it is so refreshing.
These brand leaders have a mission beyond their bottom line, they are pushing the cultural needle, they are changing the way women see themselves and the process of aging, and they are shedding the cloak of invisibility that’s shrouded women over 40 since, well, forever. Because for them, it’s personal.
