Openly Gray

What is your Gray Market Strategy? If “huh?” is your answer, we need to talk. Everyone selling anything to anyone in the US or UK needs a Gray Market strategy or they risk ignoring as much as half its addressable market. And with it, bigger sales, bigger returns, and bigger bonuses. In the US, this segment is 125 million strong and growing at twice the rate of 18-49. Yet 95 percent of marketing spending targets consumers under 50. Consumers with far less buying power at their disposal. We need to hear and understand each other. Unfortunately, our culture is currently making that difficult—in no small part due to content that makes us look like old fuddy-duddies.
 A recent study from AARP shows just how bad this has gotten. People over 55 are rarely seen in ads and, when they are, the portrayals are often negative. We have a strong connection with millennials and Gen Z. We live a multigenerational life learning from them and influencing their ideas and decisions. Being Openly Gray is not the end of something old, it's the beginning of something new. We are excited about the world that lies ahead. And we have the means and determination to explore and enjoy that world any way we see fit.