The Boomer Brain: There are 44 million baby boomersin the U.S. who control 77% of all financial assets. After age 50, thebrain becomes less able to screen out distractions, presenting a hugeimplication and a great opportunity for marketers. A key differencebetween the older and the younger brain involves the amygdala, the brainarea devoted to primal emotions, which in young people responds topositive and negative stimuli, but in older people, more strongly topositive stimuli. Another key trait among older adults is the tendencyto overlook the negative. It’s called “preferential processing,” andseveral studies have highlighted it. They indicate that, when presentedwith a negative message, older brains can “delete” the NOT and rememberit as a DO over time. A real world example of how this neurosciencediscovery is useful for marketers is when crafting a message for theBoomer Brain, say “Remember the milk”, not “Don’t forget the milk”.

The Female Brain: Despite the fact that women’sspending capacity has increased to a whopping $13 trillion annuallyworldwide—more than the GDPs of China and India combined—it has onlybeen in the last decade that the female brain has been studied in anydepth and detail. Marketers are waking up to the fact that the femalebrain has four times as many neurons connecting the right and lefthemispheres, greatly enhancing its ability to process informationthrough both rational and emotional filters—a fact that must not beignored when crafting a message.

The Mommy Brain: Pregnancy and motherhood presentwomen with the most significant changes their brains will experience intheir adult lives. Importantly, those changes will last their entirelifetimes. The highly evolved Mommy Brain is largely responsible for ourstatus at the top of the food chain, and mothers control 80-85% of allhousehold spending. The millions of Moms across the country are anarmy—mobile, nimble, vigilant, in touch like never before through socialmedia, and powerful—if your product or messages hit home with them, youhave won over powerful allies who will support you through instantcommunication networks beyond anything you could create for yourself.But the reverse is also true.