There are 70 million grandparents in the U.S. today and many of them have very deep pockets. Not only are many still working, but they are a goldmine if your brand sells things for kids — from the practical to the gift-able.
These points were brought home to me recently when I met with Donne Davis, Founder of The GaGa Sisterhood, a social network for enthusiastic grandmothers. Founded in Menlo Park, CA in 2003 after the birth of Donne’s first grandchild, The GaGa Sisterhood enables grandmothers to share the joys and challenges of having grandkids.
“We have discussed everything from co-sleeping to home-schooling to child discipline and our ranks just keep growing,” says Davis. The group meets bi-monthly in members’ homes and has grown in number (38 attended the last meeting). Their online community numbers far more. Guest speakers are lined up for the majority of the meetings and, even when “experts” are absent, the two resident therapist grandmas ensure there is never a shortage of deep conversation.
Founded “way before Lady Gaga,” the GaGa Sisterhood has many lessons to teach us mom marketers:
1). The line between “mom” and “grandma” is fuzzy. The average age for becoming a first-time grandma in this country is 47. 47! Yet there are also first-time moms at the very same age. This makes it tricky for marketers to find the right imagery to depict the right market. Perhaps they don’t need to. Moms and grandmas care about kids equally. Show women and kids together in a natural setting and you win. Even better, show Dads or granddads with their family and oftentimes that can be even more touching to a woman.
2). Multi-generational living is on the rise. The GaGa Sisterhood had a recent speaker address this new phenomenon. Several of their members live with their children and grandchildren, either out of necessity or desire. Realtors claim that in many cities this is one of the few growth niches in an otherwise stale market.
3). Grandmas are not in rocking chairs. Look at Donne’s picture. She’s hip. In fact, not only did she remind me of Diane Keaton at our meeting, but she had just come from her Zumba class. “Grandmas are busy,” she tells me. “We’re not sitting in rocking chairs — we’re more likely building them. We recently ran a popular post titled ‘Who’s busier: Moms or Grandmas?’”
4). Grandmas are tech-savvy. Donne credits Skype as the best invention ever for grandparents. And she claims her crowd embraces any technology which makes their busy lives easier or more connected. So if you market a tech solution, don’t assume the 20-something crowd will be your early adopters.
How could your brand expand to include this growing marketplace? Could you create a dedicated newsletter or offering just for grandparents? Or could you solicit feedback from grandmas when planning new products? Heck, could you just acknowledge grandparents as an important force in kids’ lives when blogging or marketing?
And for those of you who might like to reach out to Donne for grandma feedback, be our guest. Just be aware that between running The GaGa Sisterhood and being a grandma to Juliet and Amelia, she’s also working on a book tentatively titled “When Being a Grandma Isn’t So Grand.” Like we said, these grandmas are rocking!
