The Fall season means football, a new TV season,
and apparently, Boomer events.
The Boomer Project finds itself in great demand this
fall, speaking at over a dozen public and private
conferences, seminars and events across the
country. Our mission is still one of education, but the
audiences are now much more interested in learning
how to sell and market to today's Boomer
Consumer and less interested in hearing why they
should do it.
That's good news.
We started the Boomer Project three years ago
focused on that very question -- how to effectively
reach and connect with today's Boomer Consumer.
This month we'll report on some headway being made
in understanding Boomers, and some more missteps
we see being taken.
Big News
This newsletter marks the end of an era as
"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is undergoing some
changes. This issue, and all subsequent issues, will
be shorter, more pointed and a faster read. More
blog-like but in newsletter format.
Part of this is in response to feedback from readers,
who want just the key facts and news items about
marketing to Boomers.
We're also doing it because other readers have asked
for more content from us.
So we're launching a new, paid newsletter called
Boomer Marketing News.
Boomer Marketing News is an 8-page, 4-color
standard letter-sized newsletter available 12 times a
year by subscription only, downloadable as a PDF.
The stories are more in-depth investigations,
discussions, interviews and insights into the best and
brightest marketers targeting today's Boomer
Consumer.
In addition, every issue will share findings and
implications from our own national surveys of
Boomers, with insights into how they think, feel and
respond to marketing and sales messages today.
The annual subscription price is $240, or only $20 a
month.
However, subscribers to this newsletter can take
advantage of a special first year discounted price of
only $180, or $15 a month. Just use the coupon
code "bab00m" when you sign up online.
Read the
premiere issue for free and sign up to get your
annual subscription to Boomer Marketing News.
We're excited to be able to offer our subscribers this
new content and look forward to keeping you
informed, educated and enlightened about marketing
to today's Boomer Consumer.
Understanding Boomers
Last week, in new York City, Focalyst
Research, the
joint venture between AARP Services and
The Kantar
Group, held the Focalyst Forum and shared
topline
findings from their national research among 30,000
consumers ages 42 and older.
They were kind enough to include the Boomer Project
in their conference, allowing Matt Thornhill to
moderate a panel discussion on advertising to
Boomers today. We appreciated the opportunity to
share the spotlight with them.
And given that generosity, we have been hesitant
to comment on the insights they shared. Kind of
awkward. Until now.
That's because they shared a "segmentation" of the
125 million consumers over the age of 42 and it's now
being
reported, and mis-reported
, around the Web.
(The mis-reported version refers to everyone over 42
as a Boomer. The cut-off for Boomerdom is age 60.
Older than that are the Silent Generation and the
G.I. Generation.)
More importantly, we just don't find it useful or
relevant to marketers to reduce 125 million
consumers, from three very different generations,
into six broad stroke "segments." Especially when
Focalyst reported that age wasn't
an input into their segmentation work, only an output.
We argue that there are permanent and profound
differences in attitudes and values based on one’s
generation, that is, formed when that generation
came of age. In fact, demographers will tell you
that's exactly what makes a generation a
generation -- those shared experiences growing up in
a particular time and place in history.
Given that, we think someone's generational cohort
has to be the first input in
order to understand the differences within and
across 125 million consumers. A 48-year-old Boomer
has a decidedly different world view and value
system than a 78-year-old G.I. Generation member.
Age is the starting point, not an output.
Our guess is that segmenting the data by age
doesn't fit with AARP’s "all
things to all people over 50" mission.
The result is research on 30,000 reported in a way
that isn't particularly useful, or actionable.
(Don't get us wrong: we think segmenting Boomers is
very important. But it has to be done within a
category or industry to really have any value to
marketers. There are 78 million ways to segment
Boomers.)
Boomer Television
TV
Land is either crazy or brilliant. We'll find out
Wednesday night at
10:00pm when they launch
"I Pity the Fool," the new reality TV show
starring that icon from the 1980's, Mr. T.
Think Dr. Phil meets wrestling. Self-help yelped at
you by mohawk-wearing Mr. T, still going strong at
age 54.
This is part of TV Land's new strategy to become a
network for a generation (Boomers) and not a genre
(old TV shows). More original programming is on the
way.
We're going to watch next week if only to see who
advertises on the premiere. What marketers are
ready to reach today's Boomer Consumer on a show
like "I Pity the Fool?"
We'll report back next month.
California Booming
It seems Boomers took the advice of Horace Greeley
to "Go West, young man."
By 2020 California will have passed Florida as
the "grayest" state, with the largest population over
65 in the nation.
And the state is starting to worry about
what that means.
Author Gail Sheehy (Passages, Sex and the
Seasoned Woman) reported at the Focalyst
event last week that "half of the women 50+ in
California are single."
Maybe not enough young men actually went West
after all.
Do As I Say, Not as I Do
Baby Boomers use of marijuana and other drugs is
increasing usage rates among older adults,
according to a national survey released last
month.
The Office of National Drug Policy ("just say no")
attributes the increase to the fact that Boomers now
make up the 50-59 age bracket and they have
historically had higher illicit drug usage than the older
generations.
Further proof that there are generational differences
that stick throughout life.
The good news in the survey is that at the same
time, the rate of drug usage among teenagers declined.
So at least someone is getting the message
about drugs.
The Big, Bad Boomer Audience
According to an article at AdAge.com, it is a
bad thing that MySpace.com has attracted Baby
Boomers.
The reporter and two people quoted in the article tell
us that Boomers aren't culturally relevant and aren't
trendsetters.
Perhaps even more troubling is that this comes on
the heels of MySpace.com's owners, News Corp,
announcing that they are focusing on the "FOX
Generation" -- 12 to 27 year olds who spend $350
billion on goods and services annually (about
one-sixth of what Boomers spend, by the way).
Since when is attracting a large, wealthy
demographic group a bad thing for a media property?
Adweek reports the news
with less bias against Boomers.
In This Month's Boomer Marketing
News
Our new, paid monthly newsletter, Boomer Marketing News, launching next
week, provides in-depth articles and features about
top marketers and their efforts to attract today's
Boomer Consumer.
The premiere issue, available for free, contains
stories on:
- Life Stage Marketing as a way to attract Boomers
- Facts and Figures from the Boomer Project's
national research on Boomers
- Marketing to Boomers on the Web -- a profile of
some of the new online media sites trying to lure
Boomers
- Boomer Segmentation Schema -- a look at
various ways to slice 78 million into a more
manageable figure
- Boomer Research -- an update on several new
studies on Boomer behavior today when it comes to
Home Buying, Jobs, Caregiving and other topics
You can download the premiere issue starting next
week
here.
Then sign up for your annual subscription and get 12
more issues for only $180, discounted off of the
regular subscription price of $240 annually. Just use
the coupon code "bab00m" when you sign up.
Hiring the Boomer Project
Companies and organizations hire the Boomer Project
to provide marketing research and consulting
services on how to better market to Boomers. In
addition, we are often hired to provide on-site
training to sales, customer service and marketing
personnel, and to give presentations and seminars to
internal
and external audiences.
Contact Jocelyn
Tice to learn more.
Also, if you have any comments or questions
about any of the information presented here, please
let us know at
comments@boomerproject.com.
Matt Thornhill
The Boomer Project
