Silver Tweeters

Social Insights Into The Over 50’sOlder, Richer, Wiser?

James WitheyHead of Brand InsightPrecise

+44 (0)20 7264 6316james.withey@precise.co.uk@PreciseTweetswww.precise.co.uk

Social Insights Into The Over 50’s

From Social Data To Social Insight

Social Insights Into The Over 50’s

From Social Data to Social Insight

Image courtesy of Magnetbox from Flickr

Why is an insight like

a fridge?

Once you look into it, the light comes on. (Jeremy Bullmore)

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2

There is an unfathomably huge volume of social data content being created and shared across the social web.

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Monitoring tools are vital, but insufficient.Automated sentiment?Flip a coin.People are better!

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8 Image courtesy of Iragerich from Flickr

We need to look at the segment differently.Issues and opinions, not demographics.

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Less about ‘silver tweeters’.More about opinions on ‘silver issues’.

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Social Insights Into The Over-50’s

Retirement

We identified all UK-based social media discussions about ‘retirement’

and discovered three broad opinion-based segments.

1.

Excited Escapism

2.

Cheated & Chastened

Image courtesy of Irwandy from Flickr Image courtesy of DulcieLee from Flickr

3.

Pragmatic Planning

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Excited Escapism

“I’m looking forward to retirement and these are my plans”

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Consumers sharing hopes and dreams for

retirement.

Somewhat disconnected from reality

- perhaps knowingly so - as rather flippant

and often light-hearted.

Relatively more likely to be posted on

Twitter (26% of users are 45 and over) or

forums such as Digital Spy (where 35% of

visitors are 45+).

“I actually can't wait for retirement. It looks amazing, just

sit about reading the paper all day drinking tea #bliss”

23-year-old male working at

hospitality group in Ayr

A faraway dream, not a looming reality – unlikely to be our ‘silver tweeters’

Cheated & Chastened

“I’m angry about the changes the government is making to state and /

or public pensions” A strong degree of frustration and anger.

Driven by the feeling of being cheated –

that a contract has been broken.

Less about coming to terms with reality,

more about fighting the changes.

Relatively more likely to be posted on sites

used by public sector workers (such as

teaching site community.tes.co.uk) by

all ages, but relatively older.

“I'm a district nurse and my state retirement age is 67. I'm already

knackered at 40! They just want more and more from you.”

Despair that the prospect of not working has receded. Some ‘silver tweeters’.

Image courtesy of DulcieLee from Flickr

40-year-old district

nurse

How do the public feel about the retirement age debate?

Agree

with or un-der-

stand the

need to

raise the re-tire-ment age21%

Dis-agree with the

deci-sion or

need to

raise the re-tire-ment age79%

Pragmatic Planners

“I’m serious about planning for retirement”

Detailed discussion, emphasis on finance.

Have come to terms with risk of poverty,

and are planning to avoid it.

A lot of sharing of investment successes.

Relatively more likely to be posted on

financial forums such as IVA.co.uk or

personal finance message boards like

MoneySavingExpert.com (on which 45% of

users are aged 45 and over).

“I've been saving and investing more than 60% of my net income

plus gross pension contributions”

Plan for retirement, rather than dreaming about or fearing it. More ‘silver tweeters’.

Money Saving Expert

user

Image courtesy of 401K from Flickr

Help people come to terms with and prepare for that longer road to retirement.

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Thank you