Visual case study: Sea Island Resorts
Sea Island Resorts is a luxury resort located on the Georgia coast, (approximately 80 miles north of Jacksonville, Florida and 80 miles south of Savannah, Georgia). The 80 year old resort has recently undergone a $500 million dollar renovation and is considered to be one of the top luxury hotels in the world catering to an upscale clientele with very discerning tastes. The Cloister at Sea Island was recently chosen as the site to host the 2004 G8 Summit for world leaders chaired by President George W. Bush. Meg Asaro and Karen D’Silva from Spark Visual Research take a closer look at the images used in the advertising for this resort and what appeals to the mature and affluent demographic often coveted by today's marketers. Feb 07 Case Study: Sea Island Resorts
Karen D’Silva
It’s difficult to discuss the advertising imagery without bringing up the demographic of Baby Boomers. This “Sea Island Resort” ad embraces the newly defined idea of what it means to get old. It was only 10 years ago that a 60 year old woman was portrayed with a bun on top of her silver hair, reading glasses dangling at the tip of her noses, a cute doily looking sweater covering her shoulders and an intricate knitting project sitting on her lap. Meet the 60 year old woman of today. She is active, independent, and full of life.
One of the emotional drives we at Spark have defined for Baby Boomer is They do What They Love. In this advertisement, what she loves is spending time with your grandkids and/or traveling. See how the photographer takes this idea one more step by capturing an active moment? This candid viewpoint and soft natural light helps tell a believable story. Furthermore, the woman is on her knees, positioned to welcome the experience. Even the clothing seems youthful, kind of spunky. The choice of loose comfortable cotton clothing reflects her personality. The color of the shirt is a reflection of the popular concept Green, an eco friendly way of life. In fact, the Green concept carries through to the resort. “Discover life unfolding magically on a quiet search of the Georgia coast.”
Meg Asaro
Marketers are loving the Boomers due to two notable societal shifts:
1. They are the largest demographic to date, amounting to 76 million people. That is about 1/4 of our population. Today, the number of people over 50 years old equals that of people under 50 years old. Look at TV - CSI, Desperate Housewives, House, Grey’s Anatomy. They are all popular mainly due to a strong Boomer following.
2. They have money. Boomer spending power is about 2 trillion annually. Once you combine that with their lifestage, one can deduce what industries concentrate on this demographic: travel (as represented in this image), medical pharmaceutical, insurance and financial. All these industries are looking to portray healthy active Boomers in their advertising, think Silver Surfer. According to USA Today, the perfect age for those 40-49 is 40 but the perfect age for those 50-64 is 44. That is one young looking “older” person! Look at the lady portrayed here, on her knees, participating in life. Not one part of this image says “old”.
Karen also brings up the concept, or trend, of Green. It is impossible to miss as we surround ourselves today with hybrid cars, alternative energy windmills and organic produce. Boomers naturally tap into this trend as they were hippies in their youth. They wanted to change the world, march on the White House and organize sit-ins to have their voices heard. Today, the world is an equally unsettled place and they still want to think of themselves as change-makers. That brings us to another Emotional Drive we attribute to Boomers - Their Past is Part of the Present. We are composed of our history and Boomer history is rich with the innocence of the 50’s, the rebelliousness of the 60’s, the style of the 70’s and the greed of the 80’s. Use this knowledge to your advantage as the relevance and popularity of this demographic will continue to grow for years to come.
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Meg Asaro & Karen D’Silva are the Principals of Spark Visual Research. For more information about the authors visit the bios for Meg Asaro, Karen D’Silva, or www.sparkvisualresearch.com. D’Silva and Asaro also publish their own newsletter for professional photographers seeking highly applicable market research presented specifically for use in conceptual planning for commercial photography productions.
Comments
I feel obligated to point out that Meg & Karen’s analysis of the boomer market is perfectly valid and sensible; except that in this case, it was prompted by a misreading of the image and the ad.
The woman here is not presented as a grandparent; she is identified as Stacia Hendricks, an employee of the resort, and her clothing is presumably a uniform. She does not represent the target market of this ad, but is offered as a benefit of the resort.
The true target market of the ad is the parents of the kids, which I would estimate to be more like urban or suburban professionals in their 30s and 40s. Here is the reading the resort really wants us to get: Mom & Dad get to spend their vacation on the golf course or at the spa ("a few steps away"). Meanwhile, their kids get cared for, entertained and educated ("under the watchful eye").
Posted by: Erik | February 12, 2007