newsletter: prime time: the value & buying power of older adults | report
May 21, 2025
The hype about Millennials and Gen Z continues, but the reality is that they don’t come close to the buying power—and opportunity—of older adults.
Most common buying demos end at 54, but Adults 55-64 in Canada have a combined yearly income of $351 billion—38 billion more than their Millennial equivalent. The discrepancy in wealth is even bigger: Adults 55-64 have a combined wealth of $1,381 billion—4.2 times more than the younger 25-34 group.
Older adults make and spend the most money. So, why don’t they get more of advertisers’ attention? Perhaps because we continue to market based on outdated assumptions.
Myths:
- Older adults are saving, not spending
- Older adults don’t work and aren’t active
- Older adults are set in their ways and unlikely to switch brands
Truths:
- Older adults not only make the most money, they spend the most money
- Older adults work, work out, dine out, travel, drive, and shop
- Older adults are just as likely to experiment with new products; their brand loyalty levels are equivalent to other age groups
The best way to reach this lucrative cohort? TV. Adults 55-64 watch 25 hours of TV per week and use TV advertising to help them choose what to buy.
To find out more about this valuable demographic—and what you might be missing—download our Prime Time report.
download the prime time report
the Adults 18+ premier buying demographic
In recent years, the effectiveness of linear TV has been enhanced by a range of innovative tools and platforms, all of which are designed to help advertisers engage with and target their customers in more meaningful and impactful ways.
While traditional demographic metrics like age and gender remain important, some conventional categories—particularly the Adults 25-54 segment—have become less representative. Consider this: since 2010, Canada’s total population has grown by an impressive 16%, yet the Adults 25-54 demographic has increased by just 4.7%.
We’re also seeing substantial changes in behaviours and lifestyles: As outlined in the Prime Time report, younger adults are delaying major lifestyle milestones such as purchasing a home and having children, while older adults are continuing to work and staying active longer—all while exercising their significant spending power on a diverse range of products and services.
The upshot of these trends for advertisers is that targeting Adults 25-54 today means targeting a smaller proportion of the Canadian population and a fraction of the total buying power than they did even a decade ago. An Adults 18+ approach offers attractive economies of scale—without sacrificing the ability to target other audience demographics—and aligns with the advertising practices of other video providers, allowing advertisers and agencies to benefit from more cohesive planning and comparability across platforms (including within marketing mix models). Marketers will be able to more easily assess the effectiveness of their advertising strategies and make more informed decisions about where to continue to allocate their spending.
thinktv encourages all industry stakeholders—broadcasters, advertisers, and agencies—to embrace this more inclusive approach.
For more, download the thinktv paper.