Monday, July 9, 2007

Direct Marketing To Baby Boomers

It's amazing to think about the fact that Baby Boomers (me being among them) make up 25% of the US population, hold 70% of US assets, and collectively, spend over $2 trillion a year in products and services. Wow!

Savvy direct marketers are learning how to more effectively communicate with this large group of consumers so they can cash in with them -- and get some of that $2 trillion applied to their bottom line. In fact, a new book has been released to help direct marketers and advertisers do just that. Advertising to the Baby Boomers by Chuck Nyren, a veteran creative strategist, explains how to approach this important demographic. This second edition update is divided into three sections. The first part helps us understand Boomers' self-image and desires; the second suggests marketing strategies; and the third offers a listing of some practical resources. This book is a great resource for all of us in understanding the uniqueness of this large group of potential and/or current customers.

In case you aren't aware, there are an unprecedented five generations alive today that we must take into consideration as we plan direct marketing and advertising efforts. And, as you can imagine, each generation has very different needs and desires in terms of how they want to be communicated with, marketed to, etc. The Baby Boomers represent the largest generation alive today and (as Nyren points out) it is imperative to effectively communicate with them, while not alienating them in the process.

If you are interested in learning more about the five generations and how to better market to them, we have created a white paper on this very topic. It's interesting to see the differences between the generations -- and there are many. Although for most of us, these differences become very apparent at any family gathering! Or is that just Cousin Harold's personality that's shining through??? : )

2 comments:

MineThatData said...

I'm not certain I've ever heard anybody talk about effectively marketing to my generation, Gen-X. We've always been too small to be considered worth marketing to.

Suzanne Ortiz said...

I, too, am a Gen-X'er. And, yes, it's harder to come by data about us. What I have learned is that Gen-Xers distrust authority and big business. We think we know more than our bosses (hmmm, wonder why we now have our own businesses). We are significantly different than the next group, the Millenials who are optimistic, team-players.

I find generational studies very interesting. They also add a nice context to segmentation work.