Generation Reinvention: How Boomers Today Are Changing Business, Marketing, Aging and the Future - Softcover

Green, Brent

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1450255337 ISBN 13: 9781450255332

Publisher: iUniverse, 2010

Synopsis

Mainstream business has been slow to react to dramatic population aging--maybe even in denial. All but a handful of enlightened companies remain fixated on the gold standard of demographic marketing targets: adults 18 to 49.

This is bound to change with Baby Boomers starting to turn 65 beginning January 1, 2011. As the generation that popularized the 18-to-49 demographic in youth begins to reach this landmark age, about 8,000 Boomers will turn 65 daily for the next 19 years. The bellwether birth anniversary signifies eligibility for Medicare benefits, as well as tidal changes in the nation's demographic composition.

What are the implications? Is Boomer aging a problem or opportunity? What can businesses and nonprofits do to take advantage of this historically unprecedented change in the nation's balance of old to young?

Experts in demography and sociology commonly agree that Boomers have shaped every life stage they've occupied. With nearly 85% now over age 50--and millions suddenly heading to 65 and beyond--Boomers are again shaping business practices and institutions.
 
This book gives readers astute glimpses into what it actually means to be part of this generation. An unprecedented workshop included in the Appendix helps readers gain deeper, more sophisticated insights into the Baby Boomer Generation. Readers also discover how their generational values are similar to and different from Boomers, thus opening the door to better intergenerational understanding and communications.

Through a more intuitive perspective, readers can then discover how to improve marketing communications, product and service development, nonprofit value, and public policies. Accurately forecasting the Boomer future has significant monetary implications for many industries, including, and especially, healthcare, education, financial services, housing, travel, and consumer retailing.

A special section of the book examines marketing to Baby Boomer men, including historical, technological and cultural touchstones; underdeveloped opportunities to combine gender and generational nuances in marketing; and, new segmentation research about the Boomer male cohort.

About this title

From the Author:

I am pleased to present "Generation Reinvention: How Boomers Today Are Changing Business, Marketing, Aging and the Future."

I know reading time is very limited today, so I've written a book that can provide you with a lot of helpful information and insights, quickly and in an interesting, nonlinear format.

Here's what you'll discover in this book:

* A nuanced and provocative presentation of the Boomer generation today and how Boomers and Silent Generation members are likely to change many paradigms around aging, including traditional business and marketing practices

* A lucid and well-documented argument in favor of Boomers and older consumers as a continuing market force long into the foreseeable future

* Details about generational sociology and an intuitive model to help marketers better understand generational segmentation and marketing

* An international perspective of the Boomer generation, particularly from the vantage points of Europe and Asia

* Many initiatives being undertaken to rebrand aging and business, with special focus on how Canadians are undertaking an ambitious multi-media, multi-platform initiative

* Strengths and weaknesses of recent marketing campaigns targeting Boomers, from high-profile companies such as Fidelity, GE, Bacardi, Bayer, Mutual of Omaha, REI and Harley Davidson

* The social and business implications of recent cultural developments, from the blockbuster movie "Avatar" to an isolated Kansas community under development as an international center for transcendental meditation

* An in-depth overview of Baby Boomer men, demonstrating how male gender and generational values are shaping business opportunities across many business categories

* Contemporary issues impinging on Boomer men, including their relative (to women) reticence to be proactive about preventative healthcare

* Profiles of several Boomer men, thus helping readers gain insights into this generation of males by reflecting upon a few whose lives have made (and are making) a difference

* A thought-provoking workshop that can help readers gain deeper insights into generational identity and the ways values impact perceptions, both productively and nonproductively, between and among generations

I have dedicated myself to writing a book that is rich with stories and anecdotes while varying chapter length to create an enjoyable reading experience. I hope you agree.
 
I will always welcome your thoughts and comments about this book and, more broadly, your ideas about the future of aging. You can find my contact information easily through online searches.

From the Back Cover:

"Guidance you need to understand and embrace the nation's most economically dominant generation."-- B. Joseph Pine II, coauthor, "The Experience Economy" and "Authenticity"

"The first book about Boomer men to integrate gender and generational insights into a framework marketers can use." -- Marti Barletta, author, "Marketing to Women" and "PrimeTime Women"

"... a masterful job of envisioning how Baby Boomer men are about to transform the cultural narratives about aging and maturity." -- Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., author, "Age Wave" and "Age Power"

Born from 1946 to 1964, Baby Boomers represent 26.1% of the U.S. population. But pervasiveness alone does not capture their story of continuing influence and reinvention.

Boomers have shaped every life stage they've occupied. With the majority now over age 50, they are again changing business practices and institutions, from dawn of medical tourism to later-life entrepreneurialism. They are still shaping popular culture, from blockbuster films to stadium filling rock concerts.

This book gives you astute glimpses into what it actually means to be part of this generation. Through this lens you'll discover how you can improve marketing communications, product and service development, nonprofit value, and public policies.

A special section looks at marketing to Baby Boomer men, including:

* Historical, technological, social, and cultural touchstones;
* Underdeveloped ways to combine gender and generational nuances;
* New segmentation research about the Boomer male cohort.

The next few chapters of western society will include Boomers as influential protagonists, while Generation Reinvention continues to change the meaning of business, marketing, aging, and consumerism. Accurately forecasting the Boomer future has significant monetary implications for many industries.

Some choose to see problems with Boomer aging. Readers of this book will come to see extraordinary opportunities.

About this edition

• Publisher: iUniverse
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1450255337
• ISBN 13: 9781450255332
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 279