Boomer News & Views

Keep The Focus

I recently responded (privately) to a note sent in response to the very first posting of the Boomer Report. In it, the writer took issue with some of my statements—not because he disagreed, but because he had a different focus. That is, rather than considering the Boomers as a total segment, he addressed himself to the issue of the oldest Boomers—those who were born in 1946–1949 and whom he felt would now be heavily into thinking and planning for their retirement. This, he felt, should be the focus of Boomer Marketing.

After several exchanges on that issue, I decided to try bringing him back to the broader focus with the following note. I would love to hear from those of you who agree—or disagree!!

I think we are losing sight of the big picture here. With your focus on those who will be retiring (or thinking of retiring) in the next five years, you seem to be fixing on those Boomers born in 1946-1949. However, the bulk of the Boomers was born in the 1950s—and they are now in the 46-55 age range.

If you will read the balance of the postings to my Blog, you will note that my focus is to have marketers, advertisers and agencies dismiss the artificial 18-49 age range they use to set their strategic and media planning. The money here in the U.S. is in the hands of the 50+ crowd—and they are not shy about spending it. (BTW, the writer I am addressing here is Canadian)

My goal is to have these marketers forget (or make secondary) the ancient thinking about building their market long-term—and go after the market that now exists. That is, the 50+ crowd—which has the money and is (for the most part) eager to spend it on what is new.

Why this focus to my thinking and writing? It is simply because marketers are not willing to accept the fact that the long-term market (and the building thereof) is in itself a fiction. Loyalty to one brand or another is today a factor of “what have you done for me lately”—not habit.

Just A Little Older

We recently completed a focus group study for a consumer package goods product in which the recruiting specifications called for several groups of Baby Boomers…people over the age of (gasp) 45!

A few years ago this would have been an unheard of requirement. After all, who at that time wanted the opinions of people who were set in their ways, who were thinking of retirement, who were worried about their social security and Medicare—and who were so set in their ways that why should any self respecting marketer care at all what they thought?

Guess what. For the category covered in the research, these “over the hill” consumers provided insights into the product category and brand that had not occurred to the younger groups that were also part of the study.

The purpose of the foregoing is simply to point out that the “unheard of” way of considering the use of Boomers and older (i.e., Seniors) is now the old fashioned way. People today are living longer, working longer, playing longer, watch what they eat, and take care of themselves so that they stay fit longer and look younger longer.

They also drink beer and wine, take vacations, buy cars, date and have sex (yes they do!), join heath & fitness clubs, eat snacks, jog, stay up with the latest fashions, shop in supermarkets and department stores, buy and decorate new homes, give parties.....

In other words, for the most part they are not very different from GenX and GenY consumers except for one aspect. They are older!

Oh yes, they are also the largest and wealthiest segment in the world today!