Baby Boomer Insights

I'm dreaming of a Boomer Christmas (and that means feeling and looking better!)

Like millions of other Americans, I spent part of the Thanksgiving weekend shopping for bargains. There were plenty to be had, for sure.  It occurred to me by the end of the day that anyone who's shopping for Boomers is in luck. All you have to do is look for cool new offerings that help us look and feel better. Interestingly, none of the best  items I saw are actually targeted to Boomers and that's part of the secret of their success. We just want what other generations want: cool, helpful gifts that make us better in some way. Here are some  items I found particularly intriguing:

> Can't hear well or have family member who could use a boost? Then try the world's first disposable hearing aid, called the Songbird flexfit. For those with mild to moderate hearing loss (that would be millions of Boomers), it's the first time a high-quality digital hearing aid has been made available for gift-giving. At only $79 for an aid that lasts 400 hours, or about 3-4 months, it's a bargain. (Full disclosure here - Songbird is an Edelman client, but even if they weren't I have to say, as a person who wears aids, this product rocks!)

> Want to keep your mind sharp? Everywhere I turned, I saw displays for BrainAge and other electronic-based products targeted at those who want to "train your brain" through a series of fun games that test your math skills, memory skills, or even music ability. These games were getting front and center attention in many of the stores I was in, often touting how "fun" it is to play games on the same kind of devices as your grandchildren. I was thinking more  about challenging peers.

> What Boomer isn't thinking about getting in better shape in 2009? Apparently, the way to do it is with the Nintendo Wii Fit system. I like to fantasize that I'll get so fit using this fun gaming system, the Wii people would be after me like Subway chased Jared. So far, it's working. I've gotten quite a workout just looking for one in stock for less than $100 (just for the Wii Fit, btw. The console is another $300+).

> All this running around made me a prime target for the new Dr. Scholl's Footmapping kiosk. I was skeptical when I first heard about this system (despite the fact Dr. Scholl's is an Edelman client) that measures your feet and identifies where you put the most pressure on them, then recommends a specific orthotic for your shoes. But after trying Dr. Scholl's, I was amazed and pleased that these orthotics were as good or better than the $600+ ones I purchased through my orthopedic doctor. I got the lower back pain relief I was seeking.

> Like many Boomers, I found myself standing outside a place in the mall that offered to whiten my teeth and "take years off" in less than 30 minutes for only $99. It seemed too good to be true, so I decided to wait and research it. I'm glad I did. Turns out it's probably not such a good idea after all.  I'll stick with the Crest Whitestrips, which my dentist has never taken issue with.

> As a longtime victim of insomnia, the NightWave Sleep Assistant caught my eye this year. It claims to be "like your own personal sleep coach" by getting your breathing to synchronize with the little blue wave. As the wave movement becomes slower, supposedly so does your breathing until you easily  fall to sleep. I love the idea of this, especially the whole concept of having a personal sleep coach. Is there anything you can't get a coach for now?

One  hot item this year that I did buy is a turntable with a USB port that lets you convert old albums into digital files on your computer hard drive. It doesn't do a thing for my looks, but it's a great way to feel better. There's nothing like dusting off Beatles, Eagles, Billy Joel and Rod Stewart LPs and rocking out to them on the iPod!

You know what I really appreciate this time of year? The Internet. Like many Boomers, I like to check out items in the store, but actually comparison shop and buy online, which is what I've been doing most of the evening now. It's great. I'm saving money and time and I feel good about that. BTW, if you want to do this too, try www.pricegrabber.com, www.dealio.com, and www.froogle.com.

How about you? What are your favorite Boomer gifts this year?

Boomers seek "encore careers" to use skills, give back

Recently, while hanging out with some longtime girlfriends, we got to talking about "what's next" for us. We have all enjoyed (or are continuing to enjoy) satisfying careers that tapped our skills and interests, but none of us sees ourselves as retired (including one who already is retired, but "works" more than ever as a volunteer).

To the person, we all envisioned a future being just as busy as we are now, just in a different way, whether that means volunteering or starting a whole different career.

There's a term for what we've described: an encore career. Essentially, it's when people choose to use their talents and skills to pursue a passion or longtime interest that may or may not have anything to do with what they've spent their worklife doing. For instance, a high-powered business woman who decides to devote her time to training unskilled, poor women to prepare for their first job. And in doing so, she trades money for fulfillment.

Some reports suggest as many as 80+ percent of boomers will "re-career" in some way after they have reached the traditional retirement age of 62. I count myself among them.

That's one reason I so enjoyed hearing from Terry Nagel, managing editor of www.Encore.org this week. He pointed me toward a release about the winners of a recent contest in which boomers told their own stories about what they chose as their encore career and why. The stories are inspiring, unique and often unexpected.

But Encore goes a step farther by offering specific advice on how to know if you're ready for an encore career. The site even  suggests where boomers may want to look for an encore career. 

The boomer trend toward re-careering isn't  driven just by economics. Sure, many boomers will continue working because their finances dictate that they do so, but the fact is the boomer generation is eager to give back and leave a legacy. And what they don't already know, they're willing to learn. That's one reason we see so many boomers going back to school, oftento  community colleges, not to seek degrees but to learn more about a subject that's relevant to their encore interests. Look for colleges to make significant changes to their curricula, tuition structures and even class hours.

With unemployment headed north, boomers delaying retirement and an incoming president promoting change through more social engagement, we can expect to see all kinds of new flavors of boomer careers over the next several years.

They won't all rush to nonprofits, of course, which is why companies looking for reliable employees need to consider boomers who are looking  for new careers, often before they're old enough to retire. I see all of these changes as tremendously positive and it excites me to think what might be next for me!

Boomers want choices and will reward (and punish) companies based on the choices you offer them

In the research, speaking, writing and reading I've been doing about boomers over the past few years, one thing that always sticks out in my mind about us is that we're all about choice. We want real choices in everything from the biggies, like whom we'll pick for President, to little everyday choices that end up deciding the fates of brands.

Marketers who want to reach boomers need to pay special attention these days because when we start tightening our belts, we pay especially close attention to our choices  -- and we reward and punish brands with equal amounts of energy.

I'm a good example of this.  I recently bought my second Lexus from Hennessy Lexus in Atlanta. I never even looked at another brand. I just decided one day that I wanted to trade my IS250 for an  SUV. The guy who sold me my first Lexus, Don Bonura, had been in regular touch over the past 2 1/2 years, so when he reached out to me a couple of weeks ago with a "howdy note," I wrote back that I was thinking about trading because I really missed driving an SUV, but loved my Lexus sports sedan. Don sent me some information about the RX350, offered some direct online links and made himself available to me by e-mail and phone. I told him what I was looking for and not once did he try to get me to consider something else (a different color or model year); instead, he set about finding me exactly what I wanted. (For you skeptical readers - Hennessy is not an Edelman client.)

Long story short, in a matter of days we struck a deal online and I went to Hennessy and picked up my new RX350. Turns out, though, that Don's day off  was the only day I was available, but he came in anyway to make sure the transaction went as he had promised. I was in and out in a jiffy and couldn't be more thrilled with the service or the vehicle. The lesson? I had choices up the wazoo when it came to car buying. It's no secret the industry is hurting and people with good credit and/or money are in a position to be choosey about everything from what they buy to where they buy it to how they buy it.

The last time I shopped for a car, Hennessy had the upper hand. I wanted a hot, new car that was selling at a premium and yet I still was treated as though I was the one holding all the cards. In other words, Don wasn't just selling that car, he was selling the fact that  Hennessy should be my choice for all the cars I'd probably buy over several years. (This was optimistic on his part. Until now, I've never kept a car less than five years and I've never bought the same brand twice in row.)  But I love great service and beautiful styling.

Contrast that to what happened later that same day. I called my insurance agent to let him know I had made a trade. No call back. I sent an e-mail that night with all the particulars. No response. I called the next day and left a nasty-gram telling him I expected to hear from him within a couple of hours. I got an e-mail acknowledging receipt of my e-mail and assuring me that my policy would be written retroactively to the date of purchase. He then asked if I wanted to keep the same coverage I had on the other car.

Now, I don't know about you, but I don't keep my insurance particulars at my fingertips, and I couldn't instantly recall what coverage I had. I couldn't help but wonder why he didn't include in his note what coverage I already had and even offer changes based on the fact I now own a very different vehicle from the one I traded. The only thing I can figure is he must think that since I've had my insurance coverage with this company for over 20 years, it's just a given I'd stick with him. Well, guess who spent some time over the weekend researching his competitors so I can make a switch? On Monday, I'll e-mail again to let him know what I've learned about choices.

And while I was at it, I dropped my cable company because they sent me an advertisement suggesting I use their service (and the new customer deal was fabulous). When I called to let them know I already used their service and was offended they didn't know that, I got an apology, but they didn't agree to give me the same deal I would have have gotten had I been a new customer. In other words, they were clear that acquisition trumped retention. So I told them to go acquire someone else.

I don't believe I'm at all unusual in my behavior, but I do believe that boomers are going to increasingly look for ways to exercise their choices, especially when it comes to anything involving money. For too long companies have looked at us as open checkbooks who can be bought for a nostalgic song and  ads showing an attractive model with a touch of gray hair.  No more.