“Yuppies. The “Me” Generation. Baby Boomers. These are just a few of the labels given to people born during the post-World War II population explosion that occurred between 1946 and 1964. Because baby boomers hold $750 billion in annual spending power, a wide array of industries vigorously competes for the group’s attention. However, advertisers have discovered that targeting and persuading this gargantuan demographic can be quite a challenge.

In “Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers” (Paramount Market Publishing, Inc., 2003, www.paramountbooks.com), author Brent Green explains how to win over this influential generation. Green focuses specifically on the leading-edge baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1955. Shaped by the Vietnam War, 60s protest movements and an era defined by sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, leading-edge boomers possess unique and sometimes paradoxical values. They endure a constant struggle between opposing forces like authority and independence, spontaneity and discipline, engagement and detachment, community and anonymity.

Although Green points out that boomers cannot be defined by sweeping generalizations, he says they share similar core values. In order to target boomers effectively and drive them to your product or service, it’s helpful to understand these values.

Forever young
Recent studies show that the baby boomer outlook on life is very similar to that of young adults. Green says the boomer generation consists mainly of idealists who believe they can help make the world a better place, even as they face the challenges of aging.

That’s not to say boomers are content to grow old quietly without putting up a fight. In an attempt to avoid the physical signs of aging, Green says numerous boomers “have adopted aggressive personal regimens to maintain as many youthful qualities as possible.” On a quest for the fountain of youth, boomers take on strenuous exercise programs, fad diets and even plastic surgery. And many are adopting the same fashion trends popular with younger age groups.

Remaining “forever young,” both physically and mentally, appears to be the baby boomer’s answer to negative views of aging. For that reason, Green recommends never targeting boomers by poking fun at the group’s age or resort to “over-the-hill” clichés such as bulging beer bellies, sagging wrinkles or expanding bald spots. In order to gain the loyalty of boomers, your ads should portray middle-aged and older people as vivacious, energetic, fashionable and rebellious against old age. Green says, “Show them engaged. Show them defiant. Show them winning the battle for control of the end-stage of their lives.”

Communal instincts
Although boomers treasure their independence, they feel a strong sense of community with others from their generation. While some retirees will be forced to live in retirement communities for financial reasons, others will choose to retire into planned neighborhoods to seek out support, friendship and connections with their peers. Green says you should appeal to baby boomers’ sense of community by touting the social benefits of your specific product or service.

Keep it simple
Baby boomers were the first generation to receive lightning-flash marketing messages by way of television commercials and one-liner billboards. Green reminds us that boomers grew up in an era when advertisers and politicians learned to condense complex ideas into a memorable eight-word slogan or a digestible 10-second sound bite. Some of the most popular phrases of the day were, “Make love, not war,” “You’ve come a long way, baby,” and “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” Each of these simple phrases communicates volumes using but a few words. Green says that today’s boomer targeted messages should have the same effect. He explains, “Baby boomers’ minds are busy with idealism and pragmatism, even today. They do not need complexity to understand complexity.” In other words, if you want to win over boomers, keep your messages short and sweet.

Green says that baby boomers will instantly withdraw from your message if it reduces their later years into a stereotypical series of five-day cruises, long days on the golf course and afternoons spent tending the garden. Baby boomers are seeking a mission, a cause to fight, a reason to live. Therefore, messages to this age group should appeal to their need to be needed and their desire to help others.

The age of innocence
Nostalgia can be used as an effective marketing tool. Green explains that, “When an ad triggers positive associations with remembered experiences, the featured product passes the first critical obstacle to a purchase decision.” However, in an effort to provoke sentiment, many baby boomer marketers soak messages in peace signs, tie-dye, Volkswagen vans and long, unkempt, center-parted hair. Green points out that these images may not induce a “comfortable” nostalgia for the audience. He believes that the majority of early boomers become more sentimental about memories associated with the late 50s and early 60s, a “time of relative innocence.” Green reasons that, during this time period, leading-edge boomers were younger and carried fewer worries and more youthful optimism. For this reason, marketers should consider switching their focus from flower power and hippies to Hula Hoops, Slinkies and Leave it to Beaver.

At a very young age, baby boomers learned the value of time. As boomers grew older, they learned to pore over their calendars and meticulously plan out their schedules, sometimes months in advance. Green says that, in order to liberate this group from the time pressures associated with their career years, marketers should depict boomers taking leisurely strolls through the park, sipping coffee with friends or relaxing on the beach with their family. So what happened to showing boomers as active and defiant? Because this generation has varying interests that sometimes go to extremes, Green says marketing to them can be a balancing act. While boomers should be portrayed as energetic and engaged, they should also reflect a relaxed, low-key lifestyle, free from time crunches and hectic agendas.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Baby boomers are drawn to the marketers who respect their intelligence and sophistication. The biggest mistake you can make in a boomer-targeted campaign is to be preachy or talk down to this audience. Throughout their lives, baby boomers have suffered through many negative experiences as consumers, so they are apt to quickly dismiss those attempting to force a product on them. Green advises businesses to foster mature relationships with members of this group before attempting to sell to them.

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