My midlife messaging manifesto

Too many Mmmms?

What’s got me (and hopefully you) convinced that more money flowing through the hands of midlife women is a fine thing?

Statistically, our collective buying power is immense, even though the way brands sell stuff to us can be highly unappetising. Now that we talk freely about midlife health, it feels like the vultures are circling at a cringeworthy goldrush (but that's another story).

Meanwhile Gen X women are the most under-served and misunderstood big buyers in the market. If you’re a midlifer too, just ask yourself this question – in your household, who’s the primary shopper? Are you the one who drives key decisions about high-ticket expenditure, from holidays to furniture?

We've also got purchasing influence up and down the generations. We might help our kids choose a bank account or our parents pick new trainers (I've done both recently).

There's that (sometimes unspoken) understanding that we're also reconsidering lots of stuff. Milestone birthdays and life-changing moments do that to you. We're pivoting careers. We're open to new products, services or ways of being/doing. We might be looking for freedom, novelty, balance, or to build generational wealth for our families. My mum was an intelligent, working, grown adult at a time when women couldn't open a bank account in the UK without permission from her father or husband. No, not in the 19th century. This only changed in 1975. That’s a whole lot of hurt still hovering around in our collection of emotional bruises.

I don't want to talk AT midlife women, like some of the big brands. I'm one of you and always open to talking WITH you about this. I hope to see more women like us leading companies, receiving investment or building businesses that support our big dreams.

Do you believe this too?

I’ve got a growing section of my Substack dedicated to midlife messaging, where I’ve explored pilgrimage, midlife clichés, email marketing, as well as profiling midlife women running their own show.