Market Younger. Market Smarter.

Many successful businesses know the benefits of segmenting their marketing to cultivate consumers at a young age. Consider well-known companies such as McDonald’s, BMW, or even toothpaste manufacturers, who market specifically to a younger audience. The intended result:  Building brand loyalty at a young age and creating consumers for life.

In 1999 Pentera pioneered life-stage marketing in the planned-giving industry by creating the Life-Stage Gift Planner™, a feature designed to be used on all our client Web sites, to help clients reach audiences of all ages and educate them about appropriate gifts based on their life stage. Pentera has also created print materials that reach younger audiences for clients since the 1980s.

For the planned-giving industry, seminal research findings confirm that marketing younger is indeed marketing smarter.

In 2007, the IU Center on Philanthropy conducted a groundbreaking study and identified a surprising profile (coined the “Community Core”) of those individuals who are most likely to consider making a bequest to a charitable organization. One prime indicator was age. According to the study, donors between the ages of 40 and 60 with at least a bachelor’s degree were the most likely to name or consider naming a charity in their will. Their motives for making a bequest included “doing good” and “doing what is expected.”

The research findings are clear: To be successful, your bequest marketing materials must reach and motivate younger donors. The benefits are not only a greater likelihood of increasing bequest intentions but also deepening relationships with loyal donors by having them join your legacy society. They will then be even more likely to support your organization’s mission over the long term through lifetime giving as well as through other planned gifts.

At Pentera, Life-Stage Marketing for planned giving is our area of expertise. Contact us today to learn how you can make the most of your marketing materials.