Marketing to Baby Boomers, Part 2 -- Redefining Aging in America

Redefining Aging in America

As Boomers get older, they're redefining what it means to be old. That doesn't mean Boomers want to be back in their 20s or 30s; it plainly means they want to feel as good as possible for their age. In fact, many Boomers say they feel about 12 years younger than they are. They're realistic about what it means to grow older, but they aren't ready to be "old." Maybe they'll never be ready.

Baby Gate

"The weighty postwar boomer generation that drove every critical cultural and marketing trend for 50 years...is defying marketers' expectations about how it wants to live and shop," says Louise Lee in BusinessWeek.

They're also planning on holding up with technology. Some members of the Wwii generation rode in horse-drawn wagons in their youth, but lived to see the first moon landing. Is it any wonder that, with so many changes, some of them have trouble programming their Vcrs?

Not so with Baby Boomers. Boomers grew up behind the steering wheel, and they intend to remain mobile well into their golden years. Most Boomers have never experienced a world without technology, and they've kept up with every advance--in fact, they've been responsible for many of them (think Bill Gates, one Boomer who turned 50 in 2006). Because they've been there every step of the way, you can expect them to continue to be technology-savvy as they grow older.

Boomers also aren't going to be flocking to Florida and Arizona when they turn 65. For one thing, Baby Boomers won't be retiring as early as many of their parents and grandparents did. A recent Merrill Lynch & Co. peruse of Boomers showed that fewer than 20% of Boomers see themselves stopping work altogether as they get older. For some, it's a matter of insufficient resignation funds. Others plan to reinvent themselves by starting a second career. Finally, Boomers seem to prefer to retire near their families, holding those relationships tight-knit, rather than bright away to a warmer climate.

Marketing to Baby Boomers, Part 2 -- Redefining Aging in America

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