Baby Boomers and the "Ten Considerations"

Authors: Marc Matthews, Barry Robertson

?It is often claimed that Big Data and age-agnostic advertising are sufficient to engage and persuade consumers in the 50+ space, an arena dominated by the Baby Boom generation. However, Boomer buying decisions are driven by hidden socio-cultural imprinting and a complex silent language in which most brands are far from fluent.

From the popular Boomer / neXt seminar program, here are some starting points for a better understanding of how embedded Boomer attitudes and motivational triggers operate beneath the surface of easy answers, stereotypes and caricatures.

The Baby Boomers as a group in American society have been remarkably cohesive. Members of this generation are bound to each other and have moved through the cultural landscape by defining, refining and remaking their actions, attitudes and agendas as they've grown older. Boomer / neXt (B/n) has uncovered the following Ten Considerations: key characteristics that are important precepts to thoroughly understand and fully engage the over 70 million current U.S. Baby Boomers.

1.   Boomers are the Last Fully Invested Generational Proponents of Kinder, Küche, Kirche. These pillars received as fact where feasible and theory when economics or lifestyles were roadblocks. 

2.   They Display a Sincere and Prideful Patriotism that has Extended Throughout Their Lifetimes. At its most strident, Boomers have endorsed an America Best / America First / America for Americans posture. At its most accommodating, they have welcomed once-marginalized communities.

3.   They Fully Know What It Means to be a Boomer. Their Life Stories as Individuals are Fully Entwined with the Boomer History and Mythos. There is a general rejection of a “Bowling Alone” ethos, self-chosen solitude and group dismissal; Boomers want to embrace their individuality within broader frameworks.

4.   Boomers Make "Strategic Alliances" with Technology. They show an appreciation for new technologies and have a strong interest in harnessing new developments for productivity, connectedness and enjoyment. However, they are wary when fads, frills or frustration seem to be what technology is offering or promising – they’ve been burned and/or disappointed before.

5.   Age Is (Ad)just a Number. 60 is the new 60 et al. Their parents and grandparents at current Boomer ages did not remotely resemble present-day Boomers in look, lifestyle or legacy.

6.   Constant Attention Given to Reinvention, Consolidation and Synthesis. Retirement in real time is being redefined through a Boomer lens; it now resembles something unprecedented and often unintended for this generation.

7.   Boomers Play By the Rules, and Expect to Reap the Rewards. Great weight placed on “fair (and free) play,” where hard work, responsible behavior, moral fiber and deferred (but then fulfilled) gratification lead to success, satisfaction and security.

8.   The "Boomer Universe" Was and Is Expansive and Inspiring. Boomers were able to move from “compressed” or “restricted” early adult lives to more “expansive” lives and lifestyles today, where choices and evaluative postures are in the forefront of decision-making. 

9.   Speaking Metaphorically, Boomers Want to Shift Gears in Their Later Life, Not Leave Their Vehicles. Dynamism in after-halftime part of life is seen with the adaptation of the "blurring / becoming / blending" thesis, which allows for meaningful and beneficial change within the context of life experiences and personal journeys.

10. They Have Long Arcs and Complicated Relationships With Respect to Brands. Having spent decades evaluating, purchasing, embracing and expelling brands from their homes and lives, the process continues. Greater discretionary resources allow for trying the new and different if benefits are expected. They want marketers to solicit them; what they expect them to do is shun them.

Boomer / neXt seminars, surveys, reports and custom engagements teach brands and those who love them to regenerate and expand market share in the hugely profitable, but under-appreciated, over-stereotyped, 50+ consumer space.

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