Janet Kiddle
About Janet
Kiddle
I turned 50 in 2002. I’m passionate about the target audience of which I now form a part. I feel much neglected by brands that previously thought me a worthwhile customer. My generation has been marketed to all our lives, until we got to 50, despite still being actively engaged with the consumer marketplace. Like me, people turning 50 now find it very difficult to believe that just because they have reached a ‘certain age’ they are no longer valued.
During the 90s, I was Executive Planning Director at Team Saatchi, Head Of International Qualitative Research and finally Managing Director of The Research Business International. I find that this background gives me a great combination - specialist understanding of target groups alongside an appreciation of the needs of brand marketers, brand planners and consumer insight teams.
Today, I’m in demand as a speaker and contributor to articles on the topic of the older consumer. Partly because I contributed to a book published in 2006, ‘The 50plus market’, edited by Dick Stroud. But mainly because, back in 2003, I founded Steel Magnolia. I felt that, with the growing importance of the demographic numerically and economically, it was time for an agency that immersed itself in this audience so that clients would benefit from keeping abreast of the latest issues, trends and thinking.
By staying informed and by regularly conducting research in this area, we know what works, where we need to start and the broader context within which we can set the research findings. This approach, combined with our understanding of people gleaned from many years of research, is designed to help clients understand this market and how to engage with it.
I know Forster shares my passion. To effectively market to this far from homogenous market a deeper understanding of this age group is required. I’ll be working closely with Forster AGEncy to ensure that clients develop products, services and communications campaigns that engage with the relevant target group – whether by age or attitude.
I turned 50 in 2002. I’m passionate about the target audience of which I now form a part. I feel much neglected by brands that previously thought me a worthwhile customer. My generation has been marketed to all our lives, until we got to 50, despite still being actively engaged with the consumer marketplace. Like me, people turning 50 now find it very difficult to believe that just because they have reached a ‘certain age’ they are no longer valued.
During the 90s, I was Executive Planning Director at Team Saatchi, Head Of International Qualitative Research and finally Managing Director of The Research Business International. I find that this background gives me a great combination - specialist understanding of target groups alongside an appreciation of the needs of brand marketers, brand planners and consumer insight teams.
Today, I’m in demand as a speaker and contributor to articles on the topic of the older consumer. Partly because I contributed to a book published in 2006, ‘The 50plus market’, edited by Dick Stroud. But mainly because, back in 2003, I founded Steel Magnolia. I felt that, with the growing importance of the demographic numerically and economically, it was time for an agency that immersed itself in this audience so that clients would benefit from keeping abreast of the latest issues, trends and thinking.
By staying informed and by regularly conducting research in this area, we know what works, where we need to start and the broader context within which we can set the research findings. This approach, combined with our understanding of people gleaned from many years of research, is designed to help clients understand this market and how to engage with it.
I know Forster shares my passion. To effectively market to this far from homogenous market a deeper understanding of this age group is required. I’ll be working closely with Forster AGEncy to ensure that clients develop products, services and communications campaigns that engage with the relevant target group – whether by age or attitude.
My opinions