Welcome to your weekly Boomer Women Inspiration Series

Chapter Seven - The World of Charities: This week's edition is a special one as it's the first week of activities to solely focus on the topic of charities with our Boomer Women. While we broached the subject in week 6, our three most recent tasks put charities firmly under the spotlight.

We kicked off with a broad discussion on what charity marketing campaigns have made their mark with them over the years, before exploring loyalty triggers when it comes to supporting charities. What does it take to create a lasting habit of support, and how might this have changed over the years with more recent entities and organisations entering into the space?

Let's take a quick look at what our Boomer women shared with us this week.

We received a huge number of terrific examples of effective marketing campaigns from charities, from a range of organisations. Boomer Women shared examples from all sorts of causes; Age UK, Alzheimer's Research, Breast Cancer, Barnardo's, WWF, PETA, Red Nose Day, NHS Bowel Screening, MacMillan and many others. Here are 5 lessons we learnt from the many insightful examples they shared with us:

1. Real People, Real Words, Real Action

Whilst it is always important to incorporate an emotional appeal in any form of advertising, and of course charity advertising is no different, Boomer Women were drawn to the importance of using real words from real people. Because many of the causes they support are rooted in real-life experience over their many years, they want to see communication that shows a clear understanding of what it means to live through something difficult, or how vital it is to take action on a crucial issue.

"I like the fact that it shows the words of real men who have overcome tough times telling others to call the Samaritans for help." - Fatima, 57-66, Single, Part-time Employed

"As my parents became older, they became very frail and this advert really linked with these feelings." - Brenda, 57-66, Widowed, Part-time Employed

2. Arrest with the Eyes

Like any great advertising you have to be noticed first before you stand a chance of delivering your message. With the proliferation of advertising in the world today, and with charities no exception, it's easy to get lost in a sea of familiar-looking images and pleas for support. Implementing a visual approach that turns the category norms on its head is still an effective way of gaining attention, before attempting to deliver your message. An example? Well, how about a recognisable celebrity - but naked.

"The 'I’d rather go naked than wear fur' campaign. I think it ran from the mid 90s to present with many different celebrities posing. It was eye catching and interesting and it showed celebrity endorsement of their charity." - Michelle, 67-77, Married, Retired

3. Get Cultural

Whether it's Red Nose Day, MacMillan Coffee mornings or Remembrance Day acknowledgements, Boomer Women in the UK love to get behind an event that resonates with the broader culture and traditions. The use of celebrities and well-known public figures has a role to play in this space, so long as those chosen are seen as credible to this audience and able to show a true passion and commitment to the cause.

"Red Nose Day Comic Relief campaign . It’s become part of our culture . I love the way it gives the public something for their donations (an evening of fun). Some of the sketches have become classic comedy moments like George Michael in Carpool Karsoke with James Corden" - Barbara, 67-77, Married, Part-time Employed

"The Macmillan Coffee Morning campaign is for me the most memorable. The concept is so easy, it accessible to everyone and any number of people can take part. The TV ads are really well done and it's the simplest of ideas that has generated many, many millions of pounds over the years." - Pat, 67-77, Divorced, Self-Employed

"A well known public figure is speaking and drawing attention to the great needs in the country after the earthquakes. The actual footage shows enough of the reality on the ground without being sensationalist, the video shows local people helping local people, they are not just portrayed as victims." - Vicki, 57-66, Married, Part-time Employed

4. There's room for humour

The causes charities are tackling are serious business. No one doubts this. But that doesn't mean there isn't still room for fun. In fact, breaking the tension with humour, or a light-hearted human touch, can be just the ticket for getting someone to sit up and pay attention to something important.

"It sticks in my mind because he made the boy laugh despite his treatment and then to see him running about at the end was wonderful and a reminder that there can be positive outcomes." - Patricia, 57-66, Married, Stay-at-home Parent

5. Upliftment trumps Guilt

A consistent theme we've seen across our community is an aversion by Boomer Women to guilt-laden messages, or a 'shock-and-awe' approach to difficult issues. Disturbing images are often felt to be too hard to process, leading to them disengaging - particularly when it comes to animals. Bleak, overly emotionally charged narratives of distress can cause them to feel guilt, which isn't as motivating as messages of hope, optimism and upliftment.

"So many campaigns show distressing pictures of children or animals but this one focussed on the potential that children have to overcome their circumstances." - Liz, 67-66, Widowed, Retired

"The reason I remember it so well is that it made me cry.  The pictures of what the little girl is doing for her mum making a time travel house to the year 2050 is so that there will be more treatments and hopefully a cure by then and the ad portrays it very well without the need for many spoken words." - Bernadette, 57-66, Married, Retired

"I think it is much better to see a positive outcome and see this was done through donations than to see the horror of what is happening. I would rather see an old donkey in a field with a message that he was freed and healed through donations, than see him in a bad way. I would rather see videos of a bear sanctuary etc. than the terrible conditions. It would make me more likely to donate as I just turn over when I see something really upsetting." - Michelle, 67-66, Married, Retired

"I know I prefer success stories when it comes to charity storytelling. Stories about people dying etc. don’t work for me. To see the positive impact of a charity or donation would do. I think tangible case studies of how Mind has impacted on an individual would be useful- through advertising." - Alex, 57-66, Co-habiting, Full-time Employed

Personal experience at an early age is by far the strongest trigger for Boomer Women when it comes to creating long-lasting connections with charities and their causes. However, the role of parents, churches and schools in their formative years cannot be discounted, alongside the mass media presence of some of the bigger charities of their day. Advertising clearly worked then, and as we look to newer forms of engagement, it appears not much has changed.

Whilst changes in life circumstances is once again a significant trigger in later life (particularly when it comes to experiences with dread disease), media still has a role to play. What the media chooses to highlight in terms of broader societal themes can have a signficant impact, while social media can be effective at raising awareness for more niche and targeted issues. Finally, when we think back to the array of personal interests these women have, it's useful to remember that these, too, can provide a way in to learn about and get involved with new charity initiatives.

A Good Conversation Thought Starter

Lastly, our Charity Thought Starter. This is a small seed of an idea that we've stumbled upon that might have the potential to turn into something bigger down the line. It's something we'll be keeping our eye on throughout the remainder of the community to track its development, but wanted to share it with you now to mull over.

This week's seed is: Boomer Women become increasingly more interested in having an impact at a local level when it comes to charity initiatives as they advance in age.