Academic Research on Boomers & Lifelong Learning

Word’s out that Ann Harwood wowed them with her exhaustively researched dissertation on higher learning and experiential travel at The 2009 Aging in America ASA-NCOA Conference:

Original Academic Research on Boomers & Lifelong Learning
“The findings of this study reveal the threads of interest in social responsibility work by Boomers and older adults. Higher education and lifelong learning institutes are in the prime position to provide leadership, college courses, training and programs that will empower these curious Boomers and hardy elders to give back to society by working in fulfilling jobs for the rest of their lives,” reported Harwood. “Social responsibility disciplines include human services, healthcare, education, environment, arts and culture management, and nonprofit community leadership ..”

I’ve written about these subjects in my book and here in the ether. A handful of related blog posts:

Baby Boomers, Adult Communities, and Education (2005)
Campus Continuum focuses solely on developing, marketing, and operating university-branded 55+ Active Adult Communities that are tightly integrated with their academic hosts.

Selfless baby boomers switch careers (2005)
Study shows majority of boomers looking to make a difference …

Boomers, Vacation, Travel (2006)
Over-50s make excellent volunteers as they bring with them different life skills and a different outlook to younger volunteers.

Me vs. We (2008)
Will boomers really give something back? They already are. Nationally, boomers (33%) have higher volunteer rates than either seniors (24%) or young adults (24%), reports the Corporation for National and Community Service. This is the most schooled and traveled generation in history. It has much to offer by the giving of its time. The number of American volunteers rose to 65.4 million last year from 59.5 million in 2002. It is projected to reach 70 million by 2010, driven by aging boomers who want to make a difference. (USA Today)

Cookie-Cutter Cavalcades (2009)
So you've escaped middle age and are ready for the long calm of retirement. What next? If you spend too much time rocking on the front porch, will your brain droop into autopilot? One antidote for this is educational travel. (AP)

More from Ann Harwood:

“The majority of people in the boomer age group are interested in getting training for work in social responsibility … Eighty seven percent (87%) of The University of Montana and sixty seven (67%) of Elderhostel respondents favor tax credits for training and/or working in public or community service jobs. There is also a segment of volunteer tourism that is growing steadily where some of the program expenses are tax deductible.”

Retiring For The Night

I had a spirited chat the other day with Patricia Frank, a freelance journalist working on a cover story for BedTimes magazine:

Is your Web site hurtful or helpful?
by Patricia Frank
According to quantitative research conducted by the Better Sleep Council in 2007, 60% of mattress buyers conduct research before mattress shopping. Since 1996, the number of people “looking around in stores” and reading newspaper ads has declined steadily, while the number turning to the Internet has risen significantly.

I’ll take a wild guess that the story she’s putting together will be in the June issue:

Editorial Calendar
June 2009
Retiring for the night
The wave of baby boomer retirements is just beginning. Their lifestyles and, in some cases, their health, are changing. How can the bedding industry meet the needs of this enormous demographic group?

Carol Orsborn is also being interviewed for the article.

Henry Stewart Talks: Latest Thinking in Marketing to the Older Consumer

A few months ago Dick Stroud asked me to fashion a PowerPoint w/ narration for a Henry Stewart Talks offering:

Henry Stewart Talks publishes animated audio visual presentations by world leading experts - advanced content in a user friendly format. We cover biomedicine, life sciences, advertising, management, marketing, finance and transnational crime.

It’s now available:

Latest Thinking in Marketing to the Older Consumer
For all those wishing to gain an understanding of the 50-plus market and to engage with this large and diverse group as consumers, including brand owners, marketers and brand managers, media planners and buyers, advertising agencies, media companies and academics and students of marketing.

My presentation is part of this section:

How the older market is evolving internationally
TOPICS COVERED
The status of UK 50 plus marketing |
The Australian perspective | Advertising and marketing to baby boomers in the USA |
Marketing and advertising to the older consumer in the Netherlands

Watch the first 6 minutes of Dick Stroud’s presentation. 

After zipping through the extract you can apply for a free trial – but I’m not sure how that works.  Give it a try.

Further in, Gill Walker features some terrific examples of 50+ advertising and marketing in Australia – and Arjan in’t Veld is fascinating as he unravels what’s happening in The Netherlands.

What extraordinary virtual company I keep.

The Ad is a Fraud

Eagle-eye Ronni Bennett unmasked this ad for a wrinkle cream:

Advertising and Elders
… In addition to being repellent for its message, the ad is a fraud. At first glance, it looks like the lighting is harsher in the “before” photo and the “after” photo has been shot in soft focus. Look again and you can see they are the same photograph; the "after" image has been Photoshopped:

It reminded me of this post and my unmasking:

Guess Which Photo Was Retouched

I received this email message today from Amy Dresser: The photo of the older looking woman is the original.

I apologize for the error.  Chuck: Thank you for doing the digging I should have done before publishing the post after reading those blogs.

Ronni and her readers make astute points about advertising – many I’ve written and spoke about in my book, blog, and presentations:

“While we're at it, what about the advertising?! I don't mind that I get targeted for anti-wrinkle cream and various health care devices as much as I mind how bad the ads are: boring and uninventive.” - Mary Jamison

On The Advertising Educational Foundation web site you can read a chapter from my book all about ‘boring and uninventive’ commercials:

Advertising to Baby Boomers (Classroom Resources)

But the greater disservice, I think, is that old people are missing from other kinds of ads and commercials. Do advertisers think we don't buy pet food, cleaning products, breakfast cereal, cell phones, cars, airline tickets? And you'd think elders would be the obvious target for those Dr. Scholl's gel inserts for shoes. – Ronni

Sounds like my book.  An excerpt:

An interview I did two years ago on Ronni’s blog:

On Advertising and Elders

Was Bill being a Baby Boomer?

Joe Wilcox of Microsoft-Watch.com comments on Bill Buxton’s Keynote at MIX09:

Bill Buxton 'Mix'-es It Up
Bill Buxton, principal researcher for Microsoft research, stormed the Mix stage. What a start! … The 60-year-old showed that excellence knows no age, and that Baby Boomers can teach something to tech-savvy Gen Xers and Net Gen-ers … Bill roamed the stage like a caged cat. He has a stereotypical mad scientist look, and he rambles like one, too … I love this guy.

The 60-year-0ld showed that excellence knows no age! What a revelation!

Joe then makes this comment:

But was Bill being a Baby Boomer or does he understand something essential about the tactile nature of design?

What does ‘being a baby boomer’ mean?  Does it mean that you’re brainy and insightful – or anarchical and wacky?  Can’t you be both?

What do you think Joe thinks he thinks?

To help you decide, here’s Bill Buxton presenting at MIX09:

And here’s someone presenting who (according to Joe, I’m guessing) is simply ‘being a Baby Boomer’: