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Demographics: Are Boomers the "Gloomiest" Generation?

Thu, 07/24/2008 - 01:00 — anne

Sad SmileyMatures were known as the “Greatest Generation”; will Boomers (those adults turning 44-62 this year) become known as the Gloomiest?

According to a report by the Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, America’s Baby Boomers give lower ratings to their quality of life than other generations; to worry that income won’t keep up with inflation, and to believe that it is harder to get ahead now than it was 10 years ago. For example, when asked, “In the next year, how likely is it?”, 55% of Boomers said it is likely that their income won’t keep up with the cost of living, versus 44% of 18-42 year olds, and 43% of adults 63+.

Boomers are also less likely to believe that their standard of living exceeds their parents’ standard of living when they were the same age.

For example, Boomers rate their present life at 6.2 on a scale of 1-10, while 18-42 year olds rate their lives at a 6.5 and older adults at a 6.7

Pew researchers assert that Boomer attitudes are not just a product of current economic conditions, since they’ve always had a less positive assessment of quality of life issues. They suggest that these attitudes may be related to the attitudes and expectations about life that were formed when they were young.

Source:
“Baby Boomers: The Gloomiest Generation” - Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, 6/25/08

Also see:
"Baby Boomers: From the Age of Aquarius to the Age of Responsibility," Pew Research Center, 12/8/05
"Social Inequalities in Happiness in the United States, 1972 to 2004: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis," American Sociological Review, Vol. 73, No. 2, 4/2008
"Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life," Pew Research Center, 4/9/2008

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Research Brief – Reaching Mall Shoppers, Stereotypes About Gamers

Tue, 07/22/2008 - 03:00 — anne

Looking to Reach Mall Shoppers?
Look no further than this recent Nielsen study that shows that Adspace Mall Network reaches 47% of mall shoppers viewed content provided on the Adspace Mall Network. The network plays a six minute programming loop that mixes consumer content and advertising messages displaying the 10 best deals in the mall and the 10 best sales on Smart Screens. The study showed that 34% of viewers had an average recall of specific ads they saw on the network.

According to the survey, shoppers viewed SmartScreens an average of 3.3 times per visit, had an average total viewing time of 114 seconds, with an average length of each view at 34 seconds. Teens were even more likely to watch the Smart Screens (57%) and devoted more time to doing so.

Sources:
Shoppers Check Out Mall Deals on Video Screens, MediaPost, July 21, 2008
Adspace Networks

Put Away Your Stereotypes About Gamers
40% of gamers are women, the average age of videogame players is 35 and 26% of gamers are over the age of 50. Those cursed boomers…From Marketing Charts according to  Entertainment Software Association (via DMW).

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brandeo weekender: chasing thirsty 35-49 year olds, the golden rule, auto insurance policies and chocolate hands for Easter

Sun, 03/16/2008 - 01:00 — anne

tips, trends & tidbits from the week of march 10th

Pepsi skewers the stereotype that digital advertising is just for young consumers.  A NYT article reports Pepsi is forsaking mainstream media for an online launch of Tava, their new, no-calorie carbonated beverage. Pepsi hopes to reach consumers 35-49 who spend significant amounts of time online checking email or searching for travel, music and food info. Lots more brands would benefit if marketers abandoned stereotypes of these older (and moneyed) online users.

Tava, inspired by “distinctive flavors enhanced with vitamins and imagination,” features exotic flavors such as Mediterranean Fiesta and Tahitian Tamure for folks who are way too sophisticated for soft drinks or water.

Start-ups and website publishers beware: Just because material is widely available on the internet and you think you’re such a small fish that no one will notice or care if you borrow it, doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it.

According to TechCrunch, tiny start-up ManagedQ was using images that belonged to Snap without Snap’s permission. So Snap disabled ManagedQ’s access to the visuals, which essentially shut ManagedQ down.

Although it’s easy to sympathize with ManagedQ, it’s just as easy to understand Snap’s actions. So, if you decide to use material from another site without permission or attribution, be warned. It could happen to you.

This is reminiscent of the trademark skirmishes that occasionally occur between mega brands and tiny companies who play off the mega brand to create a clever name/tagline/logo of their own. The big brand’s legal eagles swoop in, handling the situation with such ferocity that onlookers see the infringer as the victim. The reality is that failure to protect one’s trademark weakens one’s ownership rights so trademark owners must be vigilant.

Comscore reports that during 2007 consumers submitted online requests for 32 million auto insurance quotes and purchased a record 2 million policies. That’s a 15% increase in the number of requests and a whopping 32% increase in the number of purchases from 2006.

What Were They Thinking? Okay, so I came across these Easter cards that offer your choice of a chocolate cross or chocolate hands clasped in prayer. They’re embedded in a card containing an Easter prayer. I love chocolate but I won’t/can’t eat it in the shape of a cross, nor will I eat chocolate shaped like body parts. Chocolate bunnies, however, are acceptable.

Have a great weekend.

Generational Marketing

Generational Marketing is based on the premise that marketers must understand the underlying drives associated with different generations and how those generations interact with each other to be able to effectively market to them.

Generational marketing proponents believe that the generation in which people are born significantly influences who they are, what they believe, what their values are, life skills, and ultimately, what they buy. Members of a generation share the experiences of their formative years, including cultural, economic, global, political, and technological influences.

The chart below displays the birth dates and key influences of each generation.

 

    Generation Key Influences Birth Dates

    Matures
    “The Greatest Generation”

    		Depression, New Deal, World War II, GI Bill 1909 - 1945
    Boomers
    The nation’s largest generation
    		 Great Society, Economic Prosperity, Suburban Expansion, Sexual Revolution, Rock ‘n Roll, Drugs
    		 1946 – 1964

    Early Boomers (1946 - 1955)

    Late Boomers (1956-1964)

    Generation X
    		 Divorce, Aids, Sesame Street, MTV, Crack, Game Boy, PC 1965 – 1976
    Generation Y, Millenials
    Echo Boomers
    The nation’s second largest generation
    		 The Internet, eCommerce, Boomer Parent Indulgence, 9-11, Oklahoma Bombing, Reality TV, Digital Music 1977-1994

    Notes

    1. Since there are no hard and fast rules defining birth dates for each generation, numerous researchers and writers have redefined the dates based on their beliefs and particular purposes. Thus, other sources may cite different birth dates for generational segments that are different from those cited here. For example, Baby Boomer birth dates have also been listed as 1945-1964, Generation X birth dats as 1965-1984, Generation Y as 1985-Present (2008).
    2. Matures are sometimes broken into additional groups: "The GI Generation", 1905-1924, defined by its participation in WWII, and "The Silent Generation" 1925-1944.
    3. Generational time spans vary because they are based on key influences during the formative years of that generation. Thus, the 1909-1945 birth dates of Matures span a 36 year period, while the 1946-1964 time span of Boomers is an 18 year period.

Sources:
MRI 2008
AdAge 060208
Rocking the Ages: The Yankelovich Report on Generational Marketing

Generation Jones

Born 1954 to 1965, Generation Jones is a newer concept and name that represents the actual children of the sixties (more wide-eyed than tie-dyed); Jonesers were weaned on The Brady Bunch and Easy Bake Ovens and later were the teens of 70’s heavy metal, disco, punk and soul. (From Boomj.com)

See also Generational Marketing.

Boomj

Boomj is a lifestyle & social network for baby boomers & generation Jones

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia offers advertisers magazines such as Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings; the nationally syndicated, Emmy Award-winning television series "The Martha Stewart Show;" Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio; and MarthaStewart.com.

TeeBeeDee

TeeBeeDee is a social network.  According to the website, TeeBeeDee is "for people over 40 who believe that life is still to be determined. Learn from others, share what you know, and connect with people who want to keep on growing."

TBD.com

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