In theory, crafting marketing messages that resonate with nearly one-third of the U.S. population sounds impossible. But that’s exactly the challenge that Martha Boudreau confronts as executive VP and chief communications and marketing officer at AARP.
“If you can join AARP at 50, our brand has to be relevant to me at 52, my friend who’s 75 and my mother who’s 95,” Boudreau said.
Since stepping into the job in 2014, Boudreau has steered the nonprofit’s marketing strategy across a plethora of channels, from direct mail to social media and even to AARP’s customer call center. She has led both national and state-level campaigns spanning the entire spectrum of AARP’s 50-plus audience, urging those newly in their 50s to start investing early in their long-term health through the organization’s ongoing “Wise Friend and Fierce Defender” campaign, and collaborating with Getty Images to produce stock images that more accurately represent people over age 50.
Both in her role at AARP and as a board member of the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, Boudreau works to combat ageism in the advertising industry and advocates for marketers to incorporate age into discussions of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“People who are 50-plus want to see themselves represented in the imagery, the ads and the messaging of all the different brands that they’re considering spending their money on,” Boudreau said. “But all too often, the implication in that imagery and messaging is that as you age, you become dependent, unhealthy and less relevant. And that is not what 110 million people want to hear.”