Asun Soriano, CEO of ATREVIA, took part in a report published in La Razón called Los silver: Una generación de 325.000 millones de euros, analyzing the income generated by individuals between the ages of 50 and 75 years old. Individuals with these characteristics currently represent 26% of the Spanish GDP and are the “new great young people;” they are healthy, have a high quality of life, and can consume.
“We have to break stereotypes surrounding the Silver generation and stop seeing them as grandparents who read stories to their grandchildren. We are faced with a generation that holds significant purchasing power, but on the other hand, brands and industry machinery do not seem to be aimed at this generation. If, in order to connect with them (with the Silver generation), we have to reflect on products and services, we also have to do it from the perspective of health, tourism, financial health, urban planning, housing... and, of course, this rethinking is also necessary for marketing and advertising,” says Asunción Soriano, co-author of the book ‘De los Zeta a los Silver’, and CEO of ATREVIA. She brings up a particularly interesting fact: half of today’s Spanish children will live to be more than 100 years old. In 2050, according to the UN, Spain, along with Portugal, Japan, and Korea, will have 40% of the population over the age of 65. “We must shift the focus of public debate, which always revolves around millennials or Generation X, to the Silver generation, which represents 25% of the GDP in Europe and in 2050 will represent 31%,” Soriano points out.
Entrepreneurs
On the other hand, it is worth noting that between 2019 and 2020, almost 40% of the consolidated entrepreneurship projects in Spain were launched by people between 55 and 64 years old, according to data from the GEM Spain Report. There are more startup creators over 55 years old in the US than young people. “We have to understand that life is no longer a career, or two or three, but that you retire at 65 and start another project because we are going to live longer. Companies must retain senior talent, but seniors also have a duty not to give up, remain operational and active, and not get into the “I’m old” mentality. Putting an end to ageism requires companies, institutions, and seniors’ effort,” pointed out Soriano».
You can read the full report originally published in La Razón here.
