Boomers in the Spotlight
By Mark Mills
We at Boomers TV are constantly scanning the headlines, clicking around the dial, and surfing the net for news and information about the Boomer generation. These days, it’s becoming a full-time job.
Last week ABC’s Good Morning America weighed in with an excellent story about the Boomer zeitgeist. Claire Shipman’s report, Boomtimes for Boomers, wove a variety of Boomer trends around the story of Suzanne Somers turning 60. The story looked at sexuality, health, work, travel, volunteerism, and the Boomers’ abysmal lack of retirement savings.
The report highlighted the growth in products designed for and marketed to Boomers, including a high tech bed that keeps track of your vital signs, and a computer phone that displays who you are talking to and reminds you what your recent phone calls were about.
Boomers are getting more attention from marketers these days. Uber commentator Ken Dychtwald noted, “It turns out young people are kind of broke; it’s their parents who have the money.”
The GMA story even cited our public TV program, Boomers! Redefining Life After Fifty, as an example of heightened media interest in Boomer trends.
Punch the term Boomers into Google’s news search engine and you’ll find links to dozens of stories about Boomers reshaping markets for everything from home building and automobile design to medical devices and cosmetic surgery.
While marketers have traditionally jettisoned 50+ Americans to the “dead zone,” they are waking up to the fact that Boomers are aging actively...that we want to stay fit, keep in style, accomplish new goals and take in new experiences. We have money to spend and a willingness to try new products.
We may not be as tech savvy as our kids, but we are buying iPods, downloading music, emailing photos, publishing blogs, and Tivo-ing our favorite shows when we go out dancing.
Boomers have broken the rules and broken new ground at every stage of our lives, and we are at it again. If the media are any indication, the world is starting to figure that out.
We at Boomers TV are constantly scanning the headlines, clicking around the dial, and surfing the net for news and information about the Boomer generation. These days, it’s becoming a full-time job.
Last week ABC’s Good Morning America weighed in with an excellent story about the Boomer zeitgeist. Claire Shipman’s report, Boomtimes for Boomers, wove a variety of Boomer trends around the story of Suzanne Somers turning 60. The story looked at sexuality, health, work, travel, volunteerism, and the Boomers’ abysmal lack of retirement savings.
The report highlighted the growth in products designed for and marketed to Boomers, including a high tech bed that keeps track of your vital signs, and a computer phone that displays who you are talking to and reminds you what your recent phone calls were about.
Boomers are getting more attention from marketers these days. Uber commentator Ken Dychtwald noted, “It turns out young people are kind of broke; it’s their parents who have the money.”
The GMA story even cited our public TV program, Boomers! Redefining Life After Fifty, as an example of heightened media interest in Boomer trends.
Punch the term Boomers into Google’s news search engine and you’ll find links to dozens of stories about Boomers reshaping markets for everything from home building and automobile design to medical devices and cosmetic surgery.
While marketers have traditionally jettisoned 50+ Americans to the “dead zone,” they are waking up to the fact that Boomers are aging actively...that we want to stay fit, keep in style, accomplish new goals and take in new experiences. We have money to spend and a willingness to try new products.
We may not be as tech savvy as our kids, but we are buying iPods, downloading music, emailing photos, publishing blogs, and Tivo-ing our favorite shows when we go out dancing.
Boomers have broken the rules and broken new ground at every stage of our lives, and we are at it again. If the media are any indication, the world is starting to figure that out.
posted at 12:33 AM
2 Comments:
>Boomers have broken the rules and broken new ground at every stage of our lives, and we are at it again.
That's exactly what I say in my book, Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex after Sixty (Seal Press, 2006)! I join you in rejoicing at the media's sudden new attention (finally!) to the fact that Boomers and beyond are living actively, zestfully, and passionately. I wish we could bash those tired stereotypes about aging more quickly, but we're beginning!
Joan Price
Advocate for ageless sexuality
www.joanprice.com
Thanks for what you are doing, Joan. It is right on. Please see our website www.babyboomerssocialclub.com as we are in the process of redefining aging and getting boomers actively engaging in life through social activities and living healthy active lives. We believe dancing is good for the heart and music is good for the soul. Our motto is Dancing Boomers Are Forever Young. As far as sexuality, that improves greatly with our social events.
Thanks again
Julie Dahlman
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