Learn to Love Those Boomers!

Several weeks ago, under the banner of "When we’re All 64,"The Wall Street Journal peered critically into a crystal ball to propose Boomer business opportunities that are likely to develop in the near future. Yours truly prognosticated about developments in the cognitive health and mortuary businesses.

But a seismic event occurred on October 14. BusinessWeek made the topic of marketing to Boomers the focus of its cover article. Those of us who have been writing and speaking about this for several years view the article as a watershed event. My hat is off to Boomer experts and colleagues Matt Thornhill of the Boomer Project , Jim Gilmartin of ad agency Coming of Age, and Lori Bitter of J. Walter Thompson's Mature Market Group, who were all quoted in the cover story.

The article compelled me to dash off some comments online. Beginning with the positive, I wrote:

This article is well written and researched, with excellent sources – both real world business case studies and thoughtful experts – to help communicate the opportunities unfolding in the Boomer market. BusinessWeek has taken a leadership role in fully articulating the business possibilities ahead.

From the depths of the article, I found many important points, such as:

1. Boomers are not as predictable as their parent's generation; paradox reigns, especially now in marketplace realities.

2. From Matt Thornhill, The Boomer Project founder, roughly 2/3 of Boomers aged 50 to 60 believe that "advertisers target people younger than I am."

3. The lion's share of cosmetic ads focus on youth and slimness, thereby portraying an image of beauty that is "unrealistic and unattainable."

4. Reflecting Boomer's coming-of-age zeitgeist of unlimited consumer choices, Yankelovich Inc. discovered that 33% of consumers older than 50 believe it is risky to buy an unfamiliar brand. However, 36% of respondents aged 16 to 34 have the same belief, and 30% of people aged 35 to 49 agree. (That pretty much kills the hypothesis that brand loyalty hardens with age.)

5. Health-conscious Boomers increasingly see themselves as amateur nutritionists (to this, I might add, amateur naturopaths, amateur dieticians, amateur physical therapists, etc.)

However, and it’s a big ON THE OTHER HAND, the cover illustration of this important expose communicates a denunciating message. I further asserted:

Would the editorial team take two seconds and reexamine your cover illustration? It's stereotypical and makes Boomers appear fatuous and aged beyond their years. The man is hunched over as if someone in his eighties.The matching swimsuits are way too cute -- and un-Boomer-like. It's not an uplifting illustration but one that reinforces negative perceptions of the generation. When you see this illustration, do you think of Oprah? Steven Jobs? Clarence Thomas? Bill Gates? Meg Whitman? One picture, as they say, communicates more than a thousand words, and you've diminished the import of this article with such inane cover imagery.

With this sharp critique, I did not intend to diminish the quality of the illustration, masterfully painted by Anita Kunz. Strictly from an artistic perspective, she’s a talented and creative illustrator. But the image communicates all that I wrote in my comments above.

Is this nit-picky?

I believe that one of the significant areas for battle, beyond the subject of Boomers' viability as a market segment, is how Boomers are portrayed in marketing communications. For me, it’s a "perfect storm" of irony to discover such an upbeat, significant article about Boomers and business, wrapped in a subtly derisory package.

Eighteen months ago, I took on the assignment of directing a cover illustration for Advertising & Marketing Review, a trade publication serving the Rocky Mountain region. I wrote the cover article, which you can read online.

Here’s our team’s creative idea, perfected by professional photographer Larry George and designer Kent Barnes.

Uniquely, this photo illustration features real Boomers, Jim, 54, and Carol Lyn, 52. Jim had the distinction of being the youngest VP of a CBS affiliate in the history of the network, where he served for nearly 20 years. Carol Lyn is an extraordinarily successful real estate broker. They have three sons, the oldest of whom is attending college. They have the money, values, and optimism that are any marketer’s dream-come-true.

Notice the parallels: a Boomer couple sharing an extreme adventure. Both illustrations also suggest Boomers’ extreme monetary value. But that’s where the concepts diverge. Our image attempts to be uplifting and forward thinking, right down to Carol Lyn’s romantic hand resting on Jim’s posterior (her idea). We portray them as cool people.

Jim and Carol Lyn are my synthesis of what this is all about, not the doofus illustration on this week’s cover of BusinessWeek. It’s not enough to say you "Love those Boomers!" You also need to show it.