Baby boomers audience profile
Introduction
The term Baby Boomers is used on a daily basis in the
professional and popular press. It is used so often in fact, that
its meaning
has become obscured. The term was coined to describe a demographic
cohort that was born following World War II (1947–1966). The
“boom” refers to the extraordinary size of the cohort, which includes
those currently aged approximately 39 to 58. Due to their size,
Boomers' needs have commanded a great deal of attention from
governments to ensure that appropriate services are provided, as
well as from private companies selling all manner of goods and
services.
Though Boomers are most commonly referred to as a single
mass, doing so obscures the variations within the group. The fact
that Boomers
were born over a twenty year period means that they are much more
diverse than they are often portrayed.
One good example of a misleading
generalization about Boomers is their penchant for luxury goods
and services. To some extent this
description is logical given that a large part of the Boomer population
is in their peak earning years. At the same time, this generalization
does not acknowledge the significant portion of Boomers for whom
these luxury goods are far out of reach.
Some efforts have been
made to segment the large Boomer group. For example, the term Generation
X was originally used to differentiate
the late/younger Boomers from their older siblings. The now famous
Gen X angst stemmed from the fact that the early Boomers were occupying
all of the plum jobs. Some writers have started using the term
Gen X to describe a stage of life following university but preceding
the purchase of a house and starting a family.
The variation among
subgroups of Boomers made it challenging to develop the audience
analysis that follows. While there are some
unifying features of the group, the most important message we would
like to send is that they are a very large group and any communication
effort should be preceded by efforts to segment the audience further.
The
sandwich generation
Boomers have been called the "Sandwich Generation," referring
to their responsibilities for both their children and their parents.
Like
caring for children, caring for seniors can bring significant consequences
for the caregivers, including scheduling challenges and
work disruption. While almost equal proportions of men and women
give care to a senior, the negative consequences associated with
this commitment, such as reduced income, are born more heavily
by women.
Stress is a common theme among all age groups, however
older Boomers are among those who report the highest levels of
stress.
Apply It! Consider Boomers as channels for reaching
seniors and children.
Apply It! Acknowledge
the presence of multiple care-giving roles and their role in increasing
stress when developing
health messages
for Boomers, particularly women.
Younger Boomers tend to commute farther than any other
age group. This generally results in higher levels of stress and
less time for
healthy lifestyles.
Apply It! Consider
the amount of time spent commuting, the location of work, and the
total percentage of the target population
that commutes
when deciding on a method for reaching Boomers. For example,
radio may be more likely to reach boomers who spend most of their
time
outside of the community of interest than local bus ads.
We deserve
it!
Baby Boomers are very savvy consumers of advertising
and products. They have significant buying power and are not afraid
to use it.
Apply It! Contrary
to long-held views on advertising to the over-50 set, efforts
should be made to find innovative messages
and executions
to reach this group.
Conventional wisdom held that retirement was
a time to scale down. Many older Boomers are choosing instead to
upgrade in their retirement.
They are voluntarily taking on mortgages and borrowing to pay for
some of the "finer things."
Apply It! Incorporate
the idea of “deserving rewards” and “upgrades” into messages aimed
at this
group. At the same time, balance this
with an understanding of the ongoing financial commitments many
Boomers, particularly the younger ones, still have (e.g., children
in university,
parental health care).
Shaping our communities
Between 60 and 70 percent of
Boomers (depending on their age group) follow politics and public
issues closely. However, they are equally
divided on whether they feel that government should play a greater
or smaller role in the lives of people.
Apply It! Boomers
may be easier to engage in political issues than other groups.
When raising
awareness about or otherwise trying to
advance a public policy agenda, craft messages that consider
their outlook and life situation (i.e., other parts of this audience
analysis)
and collect data about their opinions on the specific issue.
Boomers
are not big church attendees. Their lack of church attendance,
however, is not the same as lack of interest in spirituality. If
anything, Boomers may be at a stage of life where they are particularly
interested in finding meaning in life.
Apply It! Using
religious figures as spokespeople or using churches as vehicles
to reach Boomers may only work with select audiences.
A general "finding meaning in life"’ theme may have broader appeal.
While
younger Boomers express greater pride in Canada's multiculturalism
than older Boomers, they are far outpaced by 18–30 year olds.
Apply It! Younger Boomers may be more receptive to multicultural images
than older Boomers.
Feelings of connection to community increase
with age.
Apply It! Consider using images associated with a particular
community or prominent community members as spokespeople in campaigns
targeting
older Boomers.
Apply It! Consider
appeals based on "doing it for the community" with
older Boomers.
Many media options
Approximately 60 percent of Boomers read a newspaper daily. This
is substantially higher than other age groups.
Apply It!! Consider
advertising in newspapers to reach boomers, especially older
boomers.
On average, Boomers listen to between 20 and 22 hours
of radio each week. Radio format preferences vary considerably
based on age and
gender, however Adult Contemporary is the most popular category
of radio for Boomers, particularly women. Examples of Adult Contemporary
stations in Ontario include K-lite FM, CHFI, CHYM, and CJUK. The
code words for Adult Contemporary are easy rock, light hits
and
listen at work.
Apply It!! Consider
using radio to reach Boomers, in particular Adult Contemporary
stations.
In general, Internet
use decreases with age but over 60 percent of households headed
by a Boomer report using the Internet.
Apply It! Don’t
discount the Internet as a suitable tool for reaching Boomers,
in particular
younger ones.
Although overall Boomers are well educated and
better educated than their parents, it is important to remember
the variations within
the Boomer group. Nearly 1/5 of younger Boomers and 1/4 of older
Boomers have less than a high school education.
Apply It! Consider
the literacy level of the boomer audience.
In general, television
viewing increases with age (over 18). On average, Boomers watch
at least 20 hours of television a week. Females
over 50 watch closer to 30 hours.
Apply It! Consider
television as a way to reach Boomers, especially older female Boomers.
About This Profile
This profile was created after reviewing numerous documents and
books identified in a literature and web search.
Although the search revealed some
proprietary data that may be relevant,
our budget did not allow us to acquire the documents. For references
backing up the generalizations you see above, please download one
of the following documents:
Baby
Boomers Audience
Analysis Data (Excel file, 128kb)
Baby
Boomers Analysis
Data (PDF File, 27kb)
This summary is only a beginning in terms of understanding the audience.
This information should be complemented by primary formative research,
collected using techniques such as focus groups, interviews, or surveys.
This profile is a work in progress and will be updated as new information
becomes available. Please send any current research, focus group
data or suggestions to
Jodi Thesenvitz
Resource Consultant
j.thesenvitz@utoronto.ca
Tel: (519) 763-8961
Copying
Permission to copy this resource is granted for educational
purposes
only. If you are reproducing in part only, please credit The Health
Communication Unit, at the Centre for Health Promotion, University
of Toronto.
Disclaimer
The Health Communication Unit and its resources and
services are funded by Health Promotion and Wellness,
Public Health Branch, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term
Care. The opinions and conclusions expressed in this paper
are those of the author(s) and no official endorsement by the funder is intended or should be inferred.
Acknowledgements
For their input and assistance in the development of this resource,
THCU would like to acknowledge Brian Kreps and Jodi Thesenvitz.
Version 1.0
June 16, 2005
