Traveling has long been a favorite pastime for retired Americans, but many are now combining traveling with learning. Each year, some 200,000 people attend Elderhostels around the world. The educational programs can last a day or several weeks, and they cover topics ranging from folk art to cooking to wilderness recreation. The Peabody Institute trains some of the world’s most[Read More…]
This column explores the changes in financial, employment and leisure issues facing baby boomers, a generation that’s become an economic powerhouse. NEW YORK — When she felt a dull ache in her left hip 3 1/2 years ago, Sarah Jane Francis knew instantly what lay ahead. Osteoarthritis had forced her to have her right hip replaced in 1998 and doctors[Read More…]
KEN DYCHTWALDIn your opinion, what have been the most significant consumer trends among Boomers over the last 25 years and why? Please discuss at least three. Include in your answer reference to any personal research or experience with studying these trends.Throughout 99 percent of all the years during which humans have walked this earth, the average life expectancy was less[Read More…]
HIGH on the list of economic factors wheeled out to depress us is the savings ratio. According to experts, we are not saving enough. Some bright spark in government – there’s a contradiction – has worked out we are short to the tune of £27 billion. Interestingly, that’s roughly the total tax taken from our pension funds by the government[Read More…]
Baby boomers, like most mature adults, defy attempts by marketers to label and put them in boxes. As a leading-edge baby boomer, I am quite different from the trailing-edge boomers who were born the year I graduated from high school. These kids were in kindergarten when I left for Viet Nam. As the business community discovers the maturing market, a[Read More…]
The impact of population aging on consumption is often overlooked. Yet it is real and can already explain some activity declines. By Frédéric SERRIERE These phenomena are currently hidden in large part by the economic crisis, explanation often “partial” to reductions or variations of activities. Now this is a profound consumption’s restructuring that we are seeing with the population aging[Read More…]
Early this year, a new website was born. The site – BabyBoomerTrips.com – was the first portal dedicated to helping baby boomers find travel deals. Since the launch, the owners have received thousands of email messages regarding their site. Some of the common messages they are receiving are as follows : 1. Baby Boomers still love to find a good deal.[Read More…]
Young, old, or any age group in-between, understanding your target audience is the key to developing any marketing campaign. ; Knowing what appeals to them, their media consumption and retention habits, and attitudes serve as the precursors to and foundation of your campaign. ; It is no secret that young-adult audiences easily identify and respond to marketing programs aimed toward glamorizing their peers. ; Now let’s[Read More…]
50 is the new 30 Time was when 50 year olds had their minds on sensible things like retirement savings, garden mulchers and bran cereals. But as Chrissy Hynde, of The Pretenders, famously said : “50 is the new 30.” Today’s Baby Boomers are refusing to age gracefully. They’re rejecting many of the traditional associations of old age and are making[Read More…]
The report from the charities International Longevity Centre-UK and the Merck Company Foundation found Europeans were generally living longer and better lives, but more vulnerable groups, such as ethnic minorities and the economically disadvantaged, were at greater risk of ill-health. James Goodwin, head of research at Help the Aged, said: “There are differences in the way some countries organize access[Read More…]
