Boomers – spanning 20 years, are at various life stages with needs for products and services. One More Reason Why Marketers Still Need to Target Boomers

Though marketers are tempted to lump all Baby Boomers together in one demographic, it is critical to realize that spanning 20 years from leading edge to trailing edge Boomers, they are not all the same. Categorized as being born from 1946 - 1964, the 40-somethings don't really see themselves as relating to the Boomers turning 65 and vice versa as illustrated in a commentary to Matt Thornhill, Boomer Project founder/president. And even within one age demographic, like the larger segment of the audience in their mid - 50's, there can be Boomers with young children or teenagers right through having grandchildren. Not to mention those already taking care of their parents. The key is to focus on life stage no matter what the age and since they're not brand loyal (as described in our last post), there's plenty of opportunity for new marketers and new products or services to catch Boomers' attention. You just have to appeal to what's going on in their lives now and not focus on their age.


Source:  MediaPost Engage:Boomers Blog, article by Matt Thornhill

(On January 1, 2011, the first of the Baby Boom generation begins to turn 65. While marketers have traditionally viewed anyone over 49 as over the hill, there are compelling reasons why overlooking Boomers isn’t smart for business. During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting 65 of those reasons.)

Boomers – not brand loyal and are more ready and willing to make a switch. One More Reason Why Marketers Still Need to Target Boomers

Commonly thought to be set in their ways, Baby Boomers are more likely than Gen-x and Gen y to experiment with new products. Boomers are more likely to place importance on perceived benefits such as price, value and customer service, where younger generations are more likely to focus on style and prestige. Consumers in all groups say they will switch brands and pay more to get a product that better meets their needs.

A  Nielsen/Hallmark study updated information on Boomer spending power and compared brand loyalty measures by product across Boomers and younger demographics. Boomer households represented more than 50% of sales in 98 of the 122 product categories analyzed, accounting for almost $200 billion in total sales in those categories.
Yet, despite the fact that the average Boomer share of those categories was 53%, some advertisers do not target Boomers with their media strategy, instead concentrating dollars on younger consumers with the intent of wooing loyal lifetime customers.

Are you targeting the Baby Boomer audience? Is your brand message resonating with them and drawing them in? 

Source: Nielsen

(On January 1,2011, the first of the Baby Boom generation begins to turn 65. While marketers have traditionally viewed anyone over 49 as over the hill, there are compelling reasons why overlooking Boomers isn’t smart for business. During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting 65 of those reasons.)

Boomers – turning to nutrition to fight the effects of aging. One More Reason Why Marketers Still Need to Target Boomers

Food manufacturers are quickly discovering that Boomers are turning to nutrition to fight the effects of aging. According to Kantha Shelke, Ph. D., a Contributing Editor of FoodProcessing.com, “Boomers are using nutrition to take the sting out of age-related complaints including pain, memory loss, fatigue, indigestion and declining vision”. Shelke believes “nutrition has become the Baby Boomers’ antidote for most of the negative effects of aging."

Food manufacturers are embracing supplements that battle chronic diseases from heart disease to arthritis by including them in their food and beverage formulations. For example, SMART BALANCE has added omega-3’s (a key nutrient for heart health) into their buttery spreads, and there are a variety of vitamin-enhanced, omega-3 eggs. From the Blueberry Council and the Almond Board of California, to the Cranberry Marketing Committee, they are all jumping on the nutritional bandwagon by promoting the health benefits of their foods. With Boomers demanding these changes, companies are starting to respond. There's opportunity for more to jump on board.

Source:  FoodProcessing

(On January 1,2011, the first of the Baby Boom generation begins to turn 65. While marketers have traditionally viewed anyone over 49 as over the hill, there are compelling reasons why overlooking Boomers isn’t smart for business. During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting 65 of those reasons.)

Baby Boomers looking to fitness and sports to unlock a healthier lifestyle. One More Reason Why Marketers Still Need to Target Boomers

Physical fitness has always been the mainstay of the Boomer lifestyle. The fitness craze as we know today started with Boomers 54 years ago with the establishment of the President’s Council of Physical Fitness & Sports.  Established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on July 16, 1956, this council set the national tone for youth fitness that would filter through to every school in the nation. Boomers became the first generation of children to be the focus of physical fitness in our nation’s history.

Throughout their lives, Boomers have elevated adult recreational sports to a new level.  From the growth of the snow ski industry in the 1960’s, to the rise of racket ball in the 1970’s, the aerobic craze of the 1980’s, the expansion of heath clubs in the 1990’s to extreme sports in the 2000’s, Boomers were there. They have left their footprint on each sport they’ve conquered and have a fine appreciation of physical fitness and the active lifestyle it allows them to pursue.

Lifestyle companies should turn to Boomers if they're looking to reinvigorate their businesses.  Whether it’s a sporting center, health club, wellness center, or yoga studio, the opportunity for growth with Boomers is enormous. After all when Boomers embrace an activity they do it with gusto!

Source: Miami Herald

(On January 1, 2011, the first of the Baby Boom generation begins to turn 65. While marketers have traditionally viewed anyone over 49 as over the hill, there are compelling reasons why overlooking Boomers isn’t smart for business. During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting 65 of those reasons.)

“Boomeritis” the aches and pains of Baby Boomers. One More Reason Why Marketers Still Need to Target Boomers

“Boomeritis” commonly known as the aches and pains of Boomers is a term coined by orthopedic surgeon Nicholas DiNubile, author of Frame Work: Your 7 Step Program for Health Muscles, Bones and Joints.  According to Dr. DiNubile, “ In just over 100 years, we’ve doubled our life span, but evolution hasn’t caught up to that.”  Despite Boomers taking better care of themselves, Boomers bodies are breaking down. Could it be the Boomer’s body warranty has run out? The opportunity is enormous for sports therapists and athletic trainers to develop appropriate and consistent exercise programs for the Boomer athlete, and for wellness centers that provide kinder, gentler forms of beneficial exercise.

Source: The Bismark Tribune

(On January 1, 2011, the first of the Baby Boom generation begins to turn 65. While marketers have traditionally viewed anyone over 49 as over the hill, there are compelling reasons why overlooking Boomers isn’t smart for business. During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting 65 of those reasons.)

Boomers on a spiritual journey. One More Reason Why Marketers Still Need to Target Boomers

Boomers attitudes towards organized religion and the role it plays in their lives has changed over the decades.  Similar to their parents and even their grandparents, they are seeking out meaning in their lives as they age, but unlike those before them, it is in a more individualistic way. Today there seems to be a trend among Boomers as describing themselves as more spiritual and less religious. This is supported by an AARP study that found 85% of Boomers considering themselves as either “somewhat spiritual” to “very spiritual.”

Professor Wade Clark Roof, PhD, Department of Religious Studies, UC Santa Barbara, explores the subject of spiritually in this book Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion. In his book he charts the growth of five subcultures of Boomers: dogmatists, Born-again Christians, mainstream believers, metaphysical believers and seekers, and secularists. According to Professor Roof, Boomers have found multiple and complex ways to be spiritual without being religious.

Source: BNET – The CBS Interactive Business Network

(On January 1, 2011, the first of the Baby Boom generation begins to turn 65. While marketers have traditionally viewed anyone over 49 as over the hill, there are compelling reasons why overlooking Boomers isn’t smart for business. During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting 65 of those reasons.)

Boomers: Losing Their Quest for the Fountain of Youth? One More Reason Why Marketers Still Need to Target Boomers

Were people age 50 to 64 a decade ago healthier than Boomers of the same age today? A recent analysis of disability data from the National Health Interview Survey, a nationally representative survey of health issues for Americans, suggests that may be the case.

Researchers from the RAND Corporation and the University of Michigan found that significantly more Americans in the 50- to 64-age group were reporting disabilities related to mobility in 2007 than in 1997. For instance:

• More than 40 percent of people aged 50 to 64 reported that, due to a health problem, they had difficulty with at least one of nine physical functions; many reported issues with more than one.

• Over the study period, researchers noted a significant increase in the number of people reporting that a health problem made it difficult for them to stoop, stand for two hours, walk a quarter mile or climb 10 steps without resting.

• There also was a significant increase in the proportion of people who reported needing help with personal care activities of daily living such as getting in or out of bed or getting around inside their homes.

Particularly troubling was the increase in the number of reasons cited for the disabilities. From 1997-2005, neck and back problems, diabetes, and emotional issues such as depression, anxiety, or other problems were the most common causes. By 2005-2007, arthritis and rheumatism had been added to the list; with many respondents reporting that their disabilities had begun in their thirties or forties.
Whatever the reasons—obesity? Too little exercise? Too much tennis, golf, skiing, or marathon running? —it’s clear that as 78 million Baby Boomers head toward age 65 and beyond, this trend has the potential to overtax an already stressed health care system. At the same time, it presents real business opportunities for those focused on healthy lifestyle products and services. 
Source: Renée Despres, Senior Editor, ehealthMD.com

(On January 1, 2011, the first of the Baby Boom generation begins to turn 65. While marketers have traditionally viewed anyone over 49 as over the hill, there are compelling reasons why overlooking Boomers isn’t smart for business. During the course of the next few weeks, we’ll be highlighting 65 of those reasons.)