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The Boomer ‘Agequake’ Is Coming, Marketer Says
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Brent Green | Brent Green, the author of “Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers,” will speak at the Building for Boomers & Beyond: 50+ Housing Symposium 2007 in Denver next month about how the boomer generation transformed business and marketing at every life stage. His session, “From Youthquake to Agequake: The Transformative Future of the Baby Boom Generation,” will be on Friday, June 1.
Nation’s Building News recently spoke with Green about his symposium presentation and the factors that will drive 50+ housing as the companies adapt to meet their needs.
What are some of the ways that boomers have "transformed business and marketing?"
Boomers dramatically changed marketing and built huge business opportunities for companies at every life stage.
When they were in junior high and high school, they created a "youthquake" that helped propel the fast food industry by fueling the growth of companies like McDonalds. This continued as they grew a little older, started families and had children.
Nike is another company whose growth was fueled by boomers when they started a strong fitness fad that continues to this day. It’s the same with Starbucks. Gourmet coffee was a niche business. Now it’s a mega empire — with a heavy reliance on boomers.
Boomers will continue to transform industries. What they choose to do will dramatically impact the housing industry. Their preferences are leading to a reinvention of what constitutes an active adult community.
In my session, I’m going to talk about who the boomers are, what makes them unique and why they can be reached as a generation through a marketing perspective.
I’ll present plenty of insights into what the near and not-so-near future is going to look like.
The “agequake” they will generate, like an earthquake, will have a jarring impact. Some industries stand to lose, some will gain.
What are the values that motivate the boomer generation?
One is a pronounced sense of individuality. Their parents were a dutiful, team-oriented generation. The boomers are the opposite.
They were brought up to maximize their unique potential. And, as a generation, they have a strong work ethic.
At this stage in their lives, most don’t picture themselves as having or enjoying a traditional retirement. Builders already understand that boomers want home offices for the work and second careers they’ll pursue after their first career is done.
Being anti-authority and fighting against “received” authority is nothing new to boomers. They’ve been that way since the 1960s. Of course, now, they are the ones in power, particularly if you look at how heavily they are represented in Congress, and of course, the White House. This has implications for their being able to accommodate CCRCs (continuing care retirement communities) where there’s a lot of regimentation.
Boomers also are very adaptable to change. Their lives have been about adapting to changes in technology, the economy and more, so boomers will continue to reinvest themselves in change.
What will their values affect the most in the housing industry?
Builders will have to focus on mass customization.
Boomers will demand more housing choices. I also believe they’ll influence niche communities built around lifestyle interests — like the first gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community under development in Santa Fe now. There is a community in New York for women who spent their careers in the arts.
Essentially, you’re going to see a movement towards gathering around lifestyle interests, rather than just stage-of-life.
Brent Green’s session, “From Youthquake to Agequake: The Transformative Future of the Baby Boom Generation,” will be on Friday, June 1 from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Building for Boomers & Beyond: 50+ Housing Symposium 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Denver.
His book, “Marketing to Leading Edge Boomers,” is available at www.builderbooks.com. NAHB members receive a discount on all Builder Books titles.
To Register for the Symposium
Advance registration for the 50+ housing symposium is available online until Friday, May 11. After that date, attendees must register onsite.
To register, or for more information, visit www.nahb.org/build4boomers.
For more from Brent Green, visit his blog at http://boomers.typepad.com.
 ‘Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers’ Available at BuilderBooks.com
“Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers,” available through BuilderBooks.com, delivers all the insights and strategies you need to achieve extraordinary business success as you determine what uniquely motivates boomers and how to communicate with them in meaningful and mutually beneficial ways.
To view or purchase this book, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
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