It turns out that the Internet is a more important tool to reach older consumers than we may have thought.

 Many marketers assume that older Americans are less profitable targets than younger consumers due to their a) set-in-stone buying patterns and brand loyalties and b) the difficulty in reaching them through the Internet.

 Well, you know what they say about assumptions.

 According to an article from CNN.com, only 35 percent of Americans 65+ years use the Internet. But (and this is such an important “but”) around THREE QUARTERS of white, college-educated men age over 65 use the Internet.

 That rate is approximately equal to the percentage of Internet users in the general population, which means that the 65 and over age group is one that has been overlooked by Internet marketers to their own detriment.

 College-educated men over age 65. Can you say “disposable income”? Heads up, marketers. Maybe there should be some resource re-allocation in your future!

-Anne Medlin    

                Marketing Director, IR Media Group