Grandparents are good news for marketers

What is the one thing all grandparents have in common? No prizes for the answer – grandchildren.

The grandparent/grandchild relationship is not always one made in heaven but it is very often very strong. That must be good news for marketers.

In the UK one in five, or 13.3 million, people (22%) are currently grandparents. By 2020, this group is forecast to grow by nearly a quarter to 16.6 million. Nearly two thirds of people aged 50 and over (60%) are grandparents.

Get the message?

I am astonished at how few companies have understood the financial importance of the grandparent in funding everything from chocolate bars to their grandchildren’s first property.

Grand, a US magazine has appreciated the importance of this group and has just celebrated its second birthday. I have to say I was a bit sceptical when the magazine first launched but it is always good to be proven wrong. Well done Grand. Dick Stroud