Baby Boomer Insights

Boomer Pierce Brosnan finds mid-life liberating: out of the tux and into the spandex

When I picked up the paper from the driveway the morning, one of the first things I noticed was a promo for today's Parade Magazine. It said Pierce Brosnan had been dumped as James Bond, agent 007 for being "too old."

"That can't be!" I declared to myself. "He's not much older than I am!" (Just as quickly, I felt ashamed for thinking that I could see why a 50-something Bond woman probably wouldn't do, but that was different.) How is it possible Pierce Brosnan, at 55, is too old to play Bond? As far as I'm concerned, he's just getting old enough. I had always assumed he decided to quit playing Bond because he tired of the role.

Anyway, I made my way to the article on Brosnan, whom I consider one of the most handsome men in Hollywood. I've had a crush on him since he was Remington Steele in the 80's. Sure enough, there was his gorgeous face on the cover of Parade, and on the inside was an article in which he described his shock and disappointment over being told the Bond movie roles were going to a younger man, Daniel Craig. (BTW, I saw Craig as Bond and he didn't even come close to filling those big shoes, in my opinion. "Bond, James Bond," just shouldn't come from the mouth of a blond surfer dude.)

It's the rest of the article that bears the most attention, though. Brosnan talks about his willingness to try something different, to get out of the tuxedo and into bad clothes and platform shoes to play a role in the upcoming film version of Mama Mia! He sings! He dances! He acts goofy! And he loved doing it.

"You have to be able to make fun of your own dignity. You've got to let the movie make fun of your dignity. To let it rip is brilliantly exhilarating," declares Brosnan.

He's onto something. Research shows that Boomers like Brosnan are willing to try new things, seek adventure and not care much about what other people think. After all, according to the Edelman/Strategy One Boomer Insights Study, boomers don't even think someone is old until they're 74. And 75 percent of them feel no pressure to be or act a certain way. Another 88 percent said that doing new things "makes me feel good about myself."

Despite the fact that Mama Mia! is based on the music of ABBA, I'll go see it, just to see Brosnan in this unexpected role.

Meanwhile, I'd love to know if you boomers agree with Brosnan that mid-life is very liberating and something to be celebrated?

Sex and the City movie furthers the notion that gray is the new black

My almost-19-year-old daughter, Sydney, and I went to see the Sex and the City movie last night. When it was a TV series I watched it only on occasion and was never a big fan. But I knew it would be all the rage at the water cooler this week and I wanted to know enough to talk about it.

The first observation I made was that the audience was 90% boomer women. They clapped, laughed heartily, and squealed like the delighted girlfriends they were. Clearly, this crowd loved catching up on the foursome that made TV history talking about things women supposedly really talk about when they're together, out of the earshot of men.

While it was incredibly predictable, even to someone not intimately familiar with the characters, I found it pretty enjoyable nonetheless. I liked that three of the four women characters - Carrie, Miranda and Charlotte are in their 40s  - and Samantha is 50, yet they were portrayed as still stylish, full of life and still interested in talking to death various angles of relationships. The underlying theme of the movie was about forgiveness, something one typically understands and knows more about in her 40s and 50s, for sure. I loved that the actresses were playing their "real" ages and it seemed perfectly natural for them to have many of the same interests in "mid-life" as they did in their 20s and 30s.

In a way, this movie is a continuation of the "gray as the new black" phenomenon we've seen sweeping the country recently. From  "Cougars 4 Cook" on American Idol, to Dancing With the Stars having a devoted boomer audience, to the top three movies featuring "mature" actors (Harrison Ford in the new Indiana Jones movie, Robert Downey Jr. in "IronMan") Boomers are redefining what makes good pop culture. Just as we wanted all the focus on us when we were twenty-something, now we want it on us despite having a little gray around the temples.

Even Neil Diamond has made a big comeback after appearing on American Idol recently. (BTW, I got his new album for Mothers Day and just love it!) And Lord knows we're not done yet hearing all about Madonna turning 50 this year. In other words, Boomers are showing up everywhere, even in places traditionally thought to belong to the "young people."

(It says something, dontcha think when you have to insert a twenty-something star like Jennifer Hudson into the Sex and the City movie to help make it more relevant for that age group!)

Advertisers and marketers need to pay attention because Boomers are in the drivers' seat again, proclaiming what they believe is sexy and sellable. We see ourselves as younger than we really are and we want to remain vital (not necessarily young) for a long time yet, so we'll plop down our dollars if we believe you embrace us.

International Mature Marketing Network (IMMN) offers global perspective on boomers

Today at the JWTBoom LiveWire conference I spent some time chatting at the IMMN booth. Besides making a great tongue-twister (say I-M-M-N five times fast), it’s an interesting group. Here’s a tip – it’s actually pronounced “I’m in.”

IMMN stands for International Mature Marketing Network. It was “created as a forum for like-minded marketers to grow professionally by sharing ideas, insights and best practices, keeping up with hot topics about mature consumers.”

Besides really understanding the marketplace for the 40+ group, they’re a fun bunch too. When was the last time you went into a booth where they were giving away things that really remind you of your childhood: slinky, red wax lips (they still taste awful, btw), play-dough, silly putty, candy necklaces and bubble-gum cigars?

Several well known companies are already members of IMMN, including Edelman, JWTBoom, ThirdGear, Agelessons, immersion Active, Evergreen, TrendSight, Generation Woodstock, 20Plus30, Millennium, Creating Results, and McDill Associates.

 Additionally, a lot of great speakers and authors belong to IMMN as well. Already, IMMN has a significant presence in Europe, where, for over a decade, it has been advising companies on how to reach the 40+ market. That means IMMN can help companies on a global basis because they understand the nuances of geography, which can affect how branding campaigns are done around the world.

Members of IMMN ($1250 a year for corporations; $600 a year for individuals) not only get access to great marketing minds, but to monthly webinars on the latest trends and best practices. Research and white papers, IMMN/Circus Magazine and LiveWire Magazine are included as well.

As you know, though, the greatest benefit to belonging to an organization of "like minds" is the tremendous networking opportunities. And from what I can tell watching conference attendees, that’s something all marketers are looking for!

Boomers and their media habits: experts discuss learnings at JWTBoom LiveWire Summit

Boomers don't consume media the same way their children or parents do. That was a key message of the media panel at today's JWTBoom LiveWire: A Summit here in San Francisco. Kelly Greene, longtime reporter for the Wall Street Journal, moderated a panel of boomer media experts that included Robin Wolaner, founder of TeeBeeDee; Helena Plater-Zyberk, Business and Consumer Insights Manager, Conde' Nast portfolio; David Zellhart, Western Regional Manger for National Public Media (PBS and NPR); Sharon Whitely, CEO of ThirdAge; David Cooperstein, CMO of Burst Media; and Susan Bidel, Marketing Director of Money Magazine.

Asked what significant changes they've seen in how boomers consume the media over the past few years, they answered;

- They don't conform to age expectations;
- Content is king... and they want to be able to share it;
- Localization is increasingly important;
- They want to see more connection between online and offline content in a single brand; and
- Boomer business execs still like print media most, but like online version of media too.

The panelists talked about the challenges of staying relevant in a fast-moving world. Most emphasized a strategy of providing content on their sites that complement their primary delivery channel, such as print or TV.  Boomers indicate they  like a mixed bag and  smart media outlets deliver in multiple ways. And boomers want positive news too, so many stories are a celebration of aging.

I was especially interested in the panelists' answers to Kelly's request that they name brands they believe have good examples of boomer-focused campaigns: Fidelity (with the guy who has had all kinds of bosses and now plans to be his own boss; Ameriprise (with Dennis Hopper); MasterCard ("priceless");several pharmaceutical companies; and Charles Schwab (noted for its online presence that is effective without being forceful in engaging in online conversations). All panelists agreed that the financial services and insurance industries have a head start on other industries in creating boomer-relevant campaigns.

Helena from Conde; Nast noted that the Toyota Scion was a great example of a brand that chose NOT to do much TV advertising and that it actually targeted Gen Y, but boomers liked it too and help to create the viral buzz surrounding it. One key learning there is that sometimes what's relevant to young people is also relevant to boomers. You can't assume you know the difference automatically.

Helena also observed that boomers don't always know whom to trust online because they know that marketers have "gotten to" people on social networks like Facebook and MySpace. That's why they tend to use a mix of media sources.

The lessons here for all of us is simply that there's no one way to reach boomers. It's a segmented audience that likes variety; what's more, their preferences aren't age-driven. So, if you want to reach a particular group of boomers,, don't think you can do it by picking a half dozen well known media outlets, buy some ad space and call it a day.

Rendering authenticity in boomer marketing

Today at the JWTBoom Livewire: A Summit, I had the great privilege to hear Joseph Pine, author of Authenticity: What Consumers Really Want (2007). He's an energetic speaker who, well,  oozes authenticity.

He offered this definition of authenticity: "conformance to self image." In other words, something is authentic if we see it, interact with it, and can see ourselves as a part of it. He noted that when we encounter something we consider authentic, we respond by saying "I LIKE that." Shortly, we switch to "I like that" (with the emphasis on I.) So there's no such thing as a brand declaring itself as authentic; rather, that's a designation a brand earns because it is awarded by consumers.

Pine said there are three rules to do business by:

If you ARE authentic, you don't have to say you're authentic.
If you SAY you're authentic, you better BE authentic.
It's easier to BE authentic if you don't say you're authentic.

He asked audience members to name brands they connected to because they believed the brands were authentic. Some of the answers: REI, Target, LL Bean, Harley Davidson, Lexus, Ben and Jerry's, Nike, Cheerios, North Face and Birkenstock.

Pine then shared the five genres of authenticity:

Natural -  such as organic food
Original - Apple isn't always the first with an idea, but their design is always original
Exceptional - Ritz Carlton's customer service. They track all your preferences and cater to you.
Referential - taps into shared memories. The Venetian Hotel in Vegas.
Influential - exerts influence: example given was Starbucks telling stories of how it helps farmers

BTW, I especially liked one story he told about the Ritz Carlton. He said that when the Ritz in Naples, FL, switched from door knobs to a plastic card key system, they contacted their regular customers and offered to give them one of the original door knobs in exchange for their going online and sharing a story about their Ritz Carlton experience. What a clever idea!

Pine also shared a quadrant drawing called "Rendering Authenticity." On one axis It showed brands that are what they say they are and those that are not what they say they are... on another axis were brands that are NOT true to themselves and those that ARE true to themselves. This results in four flavors: Real/Fake; Real/Real; Fake/Fake; and Fake/Real.

His point was that it is possible for a brand to move from Fake/Fake to authentic by acknowledging their position and taking corrective action. Best comment: "Fake is what we call something we don't like. If we like it but it's not real, we call it Faux."

There was a lot of discussion around the need for brands to offer experiences to consumers so they can decide for themselves how authentic the brand is.His best examples included the American Girl stores, where the average visit is four hours long and people pay just to experience the brand (and that's before they spend a dime on products). He offered up ING as a brand that offers an especially unique experience: baristas who are also financial planners. Even if it's gimmicky, there's no denying the tactic works. The baristas have been instrumental in getting over $200 million moved into ING accounts in the first year!

He noted The Gap is an example of a company that has great advertising but has failed to translate that into experiences in their stores that make people want to come back over and over.

The overarching point of his entire presentation was that authenticity is what all brands should try to achieve. It's not  always easy, but it is possible. And when your brand achieves it, you'll have a distinct competitive advantage.

JWTBoom Livewire conference offers marketers insights into boomers' online habits

Forget what you think you know about Boomers and their online activities. That's just one headline of the day.

I am in San Francisco at the invitation of JWTBoom, sponsor of the JWTBoom Livewire: A Summit. Today's summit was full of one great presentation after another. In fact, there was so much content, I'm going to write multiple entries, rather than try to summarize it all here.

Sharon Whiteley, CEO of ThirdAge, kicked off the morning with a sneak peak at some research that's so new, it just came out of the oven and was surrounded by steam. Seriously, she emphasized that the final data cuts weren't even complete, but it was already obvious some interesting trends were emerging, so she shared them with those of us at the media breakfast. By the way, ThirdAge teamed up with JWTBoom to conduct the research, which involved surveying 1,800 respondents, Here's the topline:

What's in: work-of-mouth sharing; experts and credible authorities; trusted brands; product research and online shopping; e-mail; broadband; privacy; health and wellness information.

What's out: social networking; blogs; podcasts; downloading and listening to music; group gaming,

She argues that what we hear and read about boomers embracing social networking and blogs is mostly hype. The survey showed that boomers use more traditional tools such as e-mail to keep in touch with friends, where they share everything from photos to life experiences. So while we boomers often have MySpace and Facebook accounts, it's not our preferred way to communicate. She also noted that boomers aren't at all turning away from blogs and podcasts, btw. It's just that they don't use that kind of language. When asked if they're interested in reading and hearing the opinions and insights of people like them, they indicated they were very interested. So the lesson for us all is that language is important when dealing with boomers.

Boomers embrace online marketing - selectively: they're open to marketing messages online but first they must trust the brand (so those that have been around a long time offline definitely have an advantage). The survey showed that 75% of respondents that have received promotional emails about products and services clicked through to the site being promoted. More than 55% have purchased a product or service promoted.

Not surprisingly, boomers most trust the content of web sites of brands they already trust offline. Some 83% said the content had to be attributed to experts, authorities or authoirities with subject matter crediblity.And when boomers do trust your brand, they're as likely, if not more so, than younger people to share product news with their friends. So, keep in mind the importance of using consumer product reviews on your site!

One thing we see confirmed in many studies also came out here: boomers are a powerful bunch. Today, the 78 million boomers control 83% of consumer spendng, And boomer spending will increase $800 billion to over $4.6 trillion by 2015.

Stay tuned for more information from this study. Meanwhile, visit the recently revamped ThirdAge web site. It's great!