Seeking Solutions With Suzanne

Brent believes that baby boomers have become a neglected target audience. Ironic, considering that they are more likely than most other age groups to shell out money on cosmetic, nutrition and fitness products.
More than 30 percent of Americans will be over 50 by 2010!
Those 50 + receive less than 10% of all ad messages, yet have $750 billion in spending power!

This portion of Brent’s company’s website discusses the benefits of marketing to the highly-ignored baby boomer generation
Brent wrote this article entitled,” Boomers: Toward a Higher Marketing Consciousness,” for the Advertising & Marketing Review.
This fun website is “a source for trends, research, comment and discussion of and by people born from 1946 - 1964.”

Ageism and Marketing

at 11:55AM, 1:55PM, and 3:55PM

Brent Green is president of Brent Green Associates, Inc., a full-service marketing communications consulting company in Denver, Colorado. He is on a mission to eliminate prejudice and ageism against baby boomers in today's media, and change America's concept of aging-for the better.

Who Is A Boomer?

Those born between 1946 and 1945 are referred to as "leading edge boomers;" those born between 1955 and 1964 are referred to as "late bloomers." Although both segments are continuously grouped under the "baby boomer" umbrella, each group has their own distinct characteristics and interests-something that is frequently overlooked by the media.

Leading edge boomers are very near to retirement, making them the perfect target for housing, health and vacation purchases. The younger boomers may be looking for a safe, reliable automobile, or working to pay off their child's college tuition.

So why is it that two very different groups have been, as Brent puts it, "wrapped neatly in the same 19-year package?"

The Media is a Powerful Tool

Two elderly people fighting over a single pair of false teeth, so one of them can eat the bag of chips. A hoard of overweight men gyrating to the tune of "We Are The Champions," after taking a certain erectile-dysfunction pill. These are just two of many recent ads that Brent feels stereotype and degrade the over 50 population. Brent even coined the phrase "genism," referring to the stereotyping of a particular generation. These negative views of society's seniors could lead to social alienation.

Baby boomers have an estimated $750 billion in spending power, and yet in the media, they are basically ignored or misrepresented. With life spans increasing and "50" being the new "30", there is plenty of room in today's market to reverse the negative stereotypes that have been perpetuated over time, and give baby boomers the respect they deserve.

So, if you see an ad that you find particularly offensive, contact the magazine editor, or advertiser. Bringing the issue to the surface is the only way to initiate social change.