Book Review: Generation Ageless 4 - A Marketing Viewpoint

Book Review: Generation Ageless - A Marketing Viewpoint

Scattered about in this rich encyclopedic volume about Baby Boomers are tables and charts and examples of marketing ideas based on the topic of the moment. For example, in the introduction of the book there is a brief history and description of the basic Boomer character. When the material discusses the reasons why the Boomer population wants to remain in middle age indefinitely, a chart is placed with a "Marketing Thought-Starter."

Here is an excerpt:  "The refusal of Boomers to compromise directly affects what they want from the consumer marketplace. They bring the same moralistic sense that things must be done 'the right way' to every sphere of their lives. Boomers want the Nth degree of everything, particularly things of two sorts."

"First, they demand quality and touches of luxury...Special touches, even the smallest, offer the biggest value..."

"Second, Boomers insist upon high levels of customer service. They want something beyond the hyperboles of recent decades-excellence, delight, and the like. Boomers have come to expect continuous improvement in the quality of both products and customer service..." (p. xxx).

During the chapter discussing the event of the booming births comes another tidbit idea: Boomers Create Shortages. In this particular "Marketing Thought-Starter" discussion is about the rising rate of cancer patients in which there is an anticipated shortage of doctors, oncologists, to treat them. "By 2020, it is projected that there will be 4,000 fewer cancer specialists than needed" (p. 9).

If you are flipping through this book, you would find many of these "Marketing Thought-Starters" all throughout. They are designed to get you thinking about how your enterprise, small business, niche, or market could apply to Baby Boomers.
Still another extensive section of this book deals with the dilemma of aging. Baby Boomers do not want to age. They are spending big dollars and chunks of time devoted to staying young in body, in mind, in spirit and vitality. The discussion in the book should give the entrepreneurial individual plenty of ideas for using this character trait as a marketing strategy.

Smith and Clurman also warn those in present industries that support the current generation of aging adults not to make the same assumptions in providing for aging Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers do not intend to age the same way and at the same rate the previous generation has aged. 

One of the most amusing examples of how marketing has missed the boat in regards to the interests of Baby Boomers is in Chapter 5: Marketing Immortality. When new cars were introduced in recent years for younger drivers, what a surprise awaited the consulting firms that tracked trends in the automobile industry! "The targeted median age for the Toyota Matrix driver was 28.8, but it has actually turned out to be 42.78. The target for the Honda Element was 28.6; it is actually 44.7. The target for the Pontiac Vibe was 30.2; it is actually 48.2. The target for the Dodge Neon was 22.7; it is actually 39.2." The Baby Boomers "hijacked" the younger cars for themselves-a result of their desire for more youthful appearances through youthful thinking and youthful shopping. 

Finally, among other trends that fit in with the Boomer mentality, ethical consumerism is on the rise. Baby Boomers want it all. They want to vote through their shopping experiences. Already on the rise, consumers support companies that incorporate certain kinds of ethical practices into the ways in which they do business. For the Boomers, this is the best of all worlds. They can consume with conscience. The concept may be as simple as carrying around a hand-held device that the buyer uses to scan bar codes. The information provided through the screen of the device informs the consumer of the company's ethics and solutions about pollution, environment, wildlife preservation, product safety, labor practices, and so on. The potential is immense. At present, there is a website that already rates over 50,000 businesses available online in many of these categories.

Baby Boomers want to matter. And they will find a way to do so.

Source: Generation Agless

by J. Walker Smith, President

and Ann Clurman, Senior Partner

Yankelovich, Inc.

HarperCollins Publishers, 2007.

US $24.95/ Canada $28.95/ UK L 14.99

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