Baby Boomer Insights

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.

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!  

How the economy is impacting boomers

Years ago, I used to laugh at my father-in-law, who could tell you on any given day exactly how much gas cost and where you could buy it the cheapest. He'd drive 10 miles out of his way to save two cents a gallon. At the time, gas was well below $2 and I didn't see why someone who was rather well-to-do would bother to be inconvenienced to save less than $1.50. Now I get it.

Even though he retired very comfortably, he had grown up poor and never forgot his roots. Just because he had money that day didn't mean he'd always have it.

Today, I find myself following his lead, only - thanks to the Internet - I don't have to drive around looking for cheaper gas. I can go to www.gasbuddy.com or www.gaspricewatch.com. Better still, I can find out right on my cell phone where to find the cheapest gas. Just go to www.getmobio.com/learn/cheapgas and, like magic, a satellite picks up where you are and can tell you what stations are near you offering what prices. Now, it has become a point of pride to find a way to keep an extra five to eight bucks a month from greedy oil and gas providers. It's no longer about affordability for me. It's more about taking control.

My husband recently told me that when he was in middle and high school,  his brother, who is almost 12 years older, lived several states away. On Sunday, after church, Ralph and his parents would drive to Ralph SR's office to make the weekly call to his brother. Ralph was a high level executive and free long distance personal calls were an executive perk. It was a big deal because phone calls were far more expensive than gas. It was cheaper to drive 10 miles to the office to make a call than to make the call from home. Who'd have guessed then that the exact opposite would be true today? Gas is expensive and phone calls are cheap.

Today, the Ralph JRs of the world - we Boomers - have to make decisions everyday that are increasingly impacting the economy. According to a recent study by AARP, more than a quarter of Boomers are having trouble paying their mortgages and a third have stopped contributing to their retirement plans. Another 27 percent plan to postpone retirement.

If the economy continues its downward spiral, you'll see Boomers postpone major purchases and cut back on travel. So it is no longer a given that marketers can count on Boomers to continue to indulge themselves and spend freely. Marketers will have to work harder to get our attention and loyalty. But if you do, you're golden, because we'll tell everyone we know... and we know a lot of people!

Boomers want style (even in mundane items) as a part of aging well

My husband and I just returned from a long weekend in the North Georgia mountains, where we took a little getaway to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary. It was perfect convertible weather and we had a blast driving curvy mountain roads, eating in great restaurants and shopping in unique gift stores.

During our shopping treks, I couldn't help but notice a couple of interesting trends. I saw a lot more items clearly targeted to Boomers and seniors, including nostaligic posters, old tin toys, electronic brain games (right next to the kids' games!) and things like "ageless memories" books. By far, my favorite thing, though, was the countless number of very stylish walking sticks and canes.

Just a couple of years ago, these same shops carried wood carved walking sticks made from native trees and they didn't vary much. They clearly were all about function. This time, though, I saw all kinds of colorful, whimsical walking sticks, some of which carried little tags noting they were specifically for "hikers who seek style." That's code for "I don't want to look like I need this thing." In other words, Boomers and seniors can now hike with the grandchildren (or each other!) and use the walking stick or cane as a fashion accessory as much as for an assistive device.

I'll bet I saw 150 different styles in the course of a day. I even commented to Ralph that these walking sticks in particular would make a fun, interesting thing to collect.

To my way of thinking, these stylish sticks represent so much more than a fun, novelty item in a mountain gift store. They signal an overall trend we're seeing with Boomers. We're traveling more, trying new things and doing both with gusto and an eye toward companies and web sites that recognize that we don't want to defy age so much as we want to age well. We see no reason why we should have to sacrifice style for usability.

That's why you're seeing such a rise in everything from stylish, functional kitchen items to funky reading glasses.

Does your company provide or manufacture a common, functional device for Boomers and seniors? If so, are you keeping it relevant by making it stylish (or at least making the packaging attractive)? Maybe it's the device itself that needs a little spiffing up. Or perhaps you can start with the carrying case.

The point is that Boomers aren't gong to give up style for function as we age. We're still all about customization, personality, fun and above all graceful aging.

How wealthy consumers use social networks online: marketers should pay attention to their specific requests

Recently, I've noticed a huge uptick in the number of sites that let you "opt out" of having your information shared with others. In other words, you have to specifically tell the wizard behind the curtain that s/he CANNOT share your information; otherwise, you've totally lost control over who sees your data and acts on it. Your life is for sale.

Well, listen up, marketers. If you're targeting wealthy consumers, just know that according to a recent WealthSurvey by the Luxury Institute, 65% of wealthy consumers hate having to opt out. What's more, they'll disconnect from a site they believe will use their personal data without their permission.

No big deal, right? It's not like wealthy people (and boomers make up a large portion of this group) hang out in social networks.

Wait! Not so fast! It turns out that these wealthy Americans (those with an average income of $287k and an average net worth of $2.1 million) have membership in 2.8 social networks with an average of 110 connections. That means we've seen a huge increase in the number of wealthy consumers using social networks  -- from 27% in 2007 to 60% in 2008. Moreover, the number of wealthy consumers 55+ using social networks has grown five-fold to 49%.

I've seen evidence of this firsthand. The number of people in these categories who have reached out to me via this blog or through LinkedIn (the second most popular social networking site for the weathy, behind MySpace) has grown tremendously just in the past six months. I'm often pleasantly surprised to learn who's online and wanting to connect.

It seems almost counterintuitive that "rich" people would be online. Someone asked me recently, "Don't they have people who do that for them?" I replied, "Sometimes. But often they have 'their people' doing other things, which frees them up to spend more time online."

Whatever their motivation, marketers need to keep in mind that reaching wealthy consumers isn't all about exclusive events, parties and fancy direct mail. Check out the Luxury Institute site, by the way, to learn even more about the expectations of the wealthy.

Here's the bottom line: you can no longer assume you know how boomers and especially wealthy ones, think and act. That's why my company spends so much effort helping companies identify their Bull's-eye Boomer (tm). After all, why spend a fortune just to hit the outside rings when there's plenty of data now to help hit the bull's-eye every time?

Boomers and technology: we love our gadgets and gizmos!

My husband, Ralph, turned 52 last week and we celebrated in the usual way - a family dinner out, followed by a coconut cake dessert at home and the presentation of gifts. He's easy to buy for. For almost every gift-giving occasion he wants either some new techno-gadget or a power tool. Like many Boomer men, he loves to stay up on the latest technology and like most little boys, he loves to tear down and build up things. (For the record, he excels at both.)

This year he got a Garmin portable GPS. Mind you, he's an excellent map reader and has a great sense of direction. No matter. Having something electronic tell him what he already knows still appeals to him. The day he got it, he rode around in his Mustang convertible trying to get lost and confuse the little dashboard nagger. He was downright pleased with himself when he discovered a small glitch. The system didn't recognize that a road nearby doesn't have as many turns as the voice indicated.

The way Ralph got from wanting a GPS to actually having one is typical of how a typical Core Boomer (those between 46 and 51 - that's 51% of all Boomers) makes the journey. He talked with others (offline) who own a GPS, including a work colleague and our friends Bart and Pat. Then he went online and researched various types of GPS units, noting also where they could be purchased and whether there were any sales going on.

I suspect he purposely did this research the weekend before President's Day knowing there would be a better chance of a sale, plus counting on the fact I had that day off as a company holiday. All of his assumptions were right. I bought the unit at Circuit City on President's Day.

I love gadgets as much as Ralph does, so shopping in an electronics store to me is more fun than, say, shoe shopping. It takes me forever. I want to see the newest digital cameras, the shiny laptops and check out anything I think I can justify as a way to make me more productive or efficient.

See, that's the thing about Boomers that marketers need to understand. We easily justify our spending and most of aren't afraid of technology. In fact, Boomers embrace technology and are usually the first to buy the big ticket items like HDTV, laptops with bells and whistles, etc.

My birthday is in March and I'm also starting to research my next gadget gift - a new digital camera. It has been a few years since I bought one. You can bet I'll have a whole different set of requirements and expectations for this one (starting with a screen I can actually read!).

There is one difference between Boomer Ralph and Boomer Marilynn, though. I'll be among the 98% of Bull's-Eye Boomers (tm) who will share everything I know and think about it!

Edelman reveals results of Boomer study: Bull's-Eye Boomers rule!

My company, Edelman, will announce tomorrow that it has created a new consultancy called Boomer Insights Generation Group to specialize in communications marketing strategies to reach and activate Boomers. This is probably the most exciting thing that I've been involved with in my 30 years in PR.

We'll be helping companies understand how to build relationsips with self-identified Bomers, whom we call Bull's Eye Boomers (tm). More than one person has asked me "How hard can that be? After all, we already know who the Boomers are - they were all born between 1946 and 1964."

That, my friends, is the the crux of the problem. Too many companies market to Boomers as though we're defined by our age. Yet, one of the key findings of the Strategy One/Edelman Boomer Insights & Implications Study is that a full 28% of Boomers don't see themselves as Boomers as all. Can you imagine spending millions of dollars marketing a car to people who have committed to walk everywhere they go? And yet that's what companies do every day when they crank up their marketing and advertising campaigns and aim them at this massive group called "Boomers."

The Strategy One/Edelman Boomer Insights & Implications Study, which was conducted in July, 2007, included 1,320 adults ages 43-64. Here are some of the highlights you'll be hearing more about over the coming weeks:

> 72% of self-defined Boomers feel mainstream news and media try to appeal to a younger age group.

> 81% of women and 65% of men believe the government has the greatest responsibility to provide affordable medications to adults age 65 and older.

> Women said lack of money was the greatest challenge they faced when trying to maintain or improve overall health and wellness, with 45% of women and 40% of men citing stress as the second greatest challenge or barrier.

> 29% of surveyed women vs 19% of men say they are primarily loyal to one brand. Only 25% of Boomers of both genders is loyal to one brand.

So, as you can see, despite the fact that Boomers are 78 million strong and represent 24% of the U.S. population, they certainly don't always think and act alike. Moreover, brand promoters who don't understand who their Bull's Eye Boomer is stand to waste a lot of money and influence.

Over the past several weeks as we have sliced and diced the research, I've found myself in constant amazement at how often my fellow Boomers have nodded agreement when I mentioned specific findings to them. The conversation almost always turns to a "you won't believe what I got from such-and-such a company," followed by a tale that ended with "What were they thinking?"

Too often "they're" not thinking - marketers who have always targeted generations are going to be left in the dust if they don't quickly shift gears and start aiming toward the bull's eye!

Marketing to Boomers online: we love to spend money, plan trips and influence others!

When my oldest daughter, Katy, graduates from the University of Georgia next weekend (with a degree in commercial real estate), we'll present her with a trip out of the country to somewhere she has never been. Just in case she reads this blog, I'm not revealing where she and her best friend are headed, but  I'm pretty darn certain they'll have a great time. (I've never been there myself, btw, but we boomers are like that - we indulge our kids first!)

I've had a lot of fun planning for the trip and managed to do the entire thing without ever talking with anyone. I found the resort online, booked the flights online, hired a car to pick them up at the airport, arranged to expand her cell service capabilities and even  alerted the bank that she'll be out of the country for a week so they don't deny her unusual debit card purchases (made with money I transferred into her account online). Of course, I've been teasing her with e-mails about the whole thing and she lovingly responds with text messages from her cell phone.

My point is simply this: marketers who continue to assume that they need only focus on Gen Y and Gen X in their online marketing are making a huge mistake. I confess during the entire process of planning Katy's trip, I found myself making quick decisions about what web sites I wanted to interact with and what service providers I was willing to send money to based on the experience I had with them online. Here's a tip for you web site developers: a page completely filled with "stuff" turns off Boomers, especially if the "stuff" is presented in nine-point type!

My insistence on finding and purchasing so much online isn't unusual for my generation. According to a recent report by E-Marketer.com, Boomers and seniors are frequently turning to online sources to do research and make purchases. And their significant economic clout is really starting to show in cyberspace. With an average household discretionary income holding steady at almost $30,000, Boomers have more money to spend online - and offline - than any other generation. And guess what? We're increasingly spending that money on booking online travel for ourselves! (Don't worry, Katy - Dad and I promise not to show up on your trip!) A big difference is we're looking to learn on the beach, not burn on the beach.

Boomers are not only getting - and staying - online, we're influencing seniors to do the same. In fact, the over-60 crowd is expected to grow from 17.5 million in 2006 to over 25 million by 2010. Unfortunately, too many marketers think that because this group largely retired before computers and high-speed internet access became the norm at home, there probably aren't very many who are online.

On the contrary, many find that now is the perfect time to learn a new skill like surfing the web. Many connect with their grandchildren on MySpace and Facebook.  Some are even looking online for opportunities to volunteer.

So, as you put together your 2008 communication and marketing plan for reaching Boomers, make sure you understand how we're changing and influencing online behavior or you may never get a shot at us! 

Boomers like Black Friday too: look for us in the big box stores and online

The countdown is on. Black Friday is just a few days away and if the research can be believed, Boomers will make up about a quarter of the people who hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving. According to Maritz, those with incomes of $100,000 or more are significantly more likely to hit the stores on Black Friday than those who make less than $25,000.

Want to avoid these shoppers? Well, here's where the research says they'll be: Wal-Mart (63%); Target (57%); Best Buy (43%); K-Mart (28%); Sears (23%); Circuit City (21%); Kohl's (27%); Macy's (25%); and Victoria's Secret (17%). No big surprises there, huh? These are the stores where people line up at 5 in the morning in the freezing cold to snap up some bargains before going home to take a nap.

Same story, different year. What  isn't so obvious among these numbers is how much shopping will actually take place on the Internet, including among Boomers. Already many are searching Black Friday for deals online and off so they can better plan their trips and decide ahead of time what they're better off buying in a store vs. online.

Then there's "Cyber Monday," the first "work" day after Thanksgiving when 88% of online shoppers make a purchase. Most have a list of things to look for, built after spending the weekend in the malls. What a way to ease into what's certain to be a hectic work week by snagging a coveted item online - and getting free shipping to boot!

So what's this have to do with Boomers? We're increasingly turning to online resources to do our shopping as well. If you want our attention, you need to:

1.  Make your site easy to find. Buy or use search terms WE use
2. Make your site easy to navigate. If it's hard to get around, we don't keep trying
3. Make it clear that any purchase we make is secure. We tend to be skeptical
4. Make sure your site is easy to read. I love the ones that let me pick the font size!
5. Send us a confirmation of our order. We like proof of our transactions

It's not too late to snap up some keywords through a Google ad buy and if you're selling products online that are targeted specifically to boomers, now would be a good time to experiment with some keywords.

If you're a Black Friday shopper, good luck! And let us know if you got your best bargains in the store or online this year!

FirstSTREET provides role model for companies that want to snag Boomers who shop online

Well, in a couple of days it'll be Halloween. You know what that means: our mailboxes are being stuffed daily with Christmas catalogs. There's nothing like  shopping  while in sugar shock from "fun" sizes of Milky Way Midnight and Laffy Taffy, huh?

Count me among the growing number of Boomers who are increasingly turning to catalogs and online shopping sites to avoid going to the mall. Mind you, I still go to the mall, usually at 7 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, but I don't buy much. I'm there for ideas and price comparisons. When I get home, I spend hours online looking for ways to get exactly what I want and have it delivered to my front door. It's getting easier to find online retail sites, but it's still rare to find one that really "gets" how to appeal to Boomers  (probably because too many retailers still think online shoppers are  20-somethings and 30-somethings).

This year, I'll be doing some shopping at FirstSTREET (marketing tag: For Boomers and Beyond). I heard about it from a friend and I'm telling all my friends. That's the first takeaway from this post: Boomers love word-of-mouth... we ask for opinions and we love sharing ours, so companies that want to target us need to get some Boomer advocates on their side.

What I love about FirstSTREET is that it has gadgets and innovative items I haven't yet seen in retail stores, probably because it's easier to introduce new products online than on shelves. That means there's a greater chance of finding something unique.

FirstSTREET is a great role model for how to develop an online shopping site that follows the thought pattern and habits of Boomers. Take the way they present products, for example. You can shop "for the grandchildren," "retro," "life stages" and much more. As a result, visitors are encouraged to spend more time on the site looking at recommendations and checking out products for our parents, as well as for ourselves.

The thought process behind selling to Boomers doesn't stop with the online offerings and ease of use of the web site, though.  One of the things I like most about FirstSTREET is that when they send instructions for items that require assembly, the type is large, the pictures are huge and the directions are pretty idiot-proof. My kind of assembly guide!

If you do have to call customer service, that's what you get - service. The reps have been trained to  be patient, respectful and helpful. (They also say "m'am" or "sir" which I could do without, but it beats "yeah" and "uh huh.")

In short, FirstSTREET has made a conscious decision to target Boomers and it's working. Rather than develop an online retail site that is "also" for Boomers, they put a stake in the ground and said, "we're going after this market and for once the others can catch up." Bravo!

This time next year, you'll be reading about a lot of copy-cat sites developed by retailers who decided to get on the clue train and embrace those of us who want to patronize companies that seem to want to do business with us.

Let me (and readers of this blog) know about other great shopping sites that target Boomers!

P.S. I have never worked with FirstSTREET in any capacity and am not attempting to drive traffic to its site because I - or Edelman - will benefit in any way. I just really like the site and love the word-of-mouth that it has created!