Valerie Fried, 56, admits advertising aimed at her generation, whether it's music, the model's age or subject, gets her attention.
Some of it is a little insulting, some of it is rather humorous, and some of it resonates with a memory,” Fried said. "I'm not sure whether Led Zeppelin trying to sell me a Cadillac makes me want to buy a Cadillac. But listening to the song sure takes me back to a pleasant time and place.”
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Dennis Hopper, wearing sunglasses and looking hip, strolls on a beach in a TV advertisement for a financial services company.
"Your generation (read baby boomers) is definitely not heading for Bingo Night,” Hopper pronounces on the voice-over. "There's no age limit on dreams,” he says, as lyrics to the classic rock song "Gimme Some Lovin',” ("I'm so glad we made it”) builds in the background of scenes showing active seniors.
If you were born between 1946 and 1964, you're hooked. Either Hopper, on a motorcycle in Easy Rider, resonates with you, or you're dancing to the lyrics in the kitchen scene of the "The Big Chill.”
Marketing to baby boomers is big business these days. At 78 million — or a quarter of the population — boomers account for up to 58 percent of purchases in the consumer product and service categories, studies show. Their spending power alone is more than $2 trillion a year.
It's no wonder Carnival Cruises used the Rolling Stones to sell cruises, or General Motors Corp. tapped Led Zeppelin to sell Cadillacs.
Mallery Nagle, a boomer tail-ender who teaches advertising at the University of Central Oklahoma, points out the phenomena to her students.
"In the '70s, I'd never in my wildest dreams tie Led Zeppelin to Cadillacs,” Nagle said. "My father wouldn't let us watch the Monkeys because they had long hair.”
The music of the '60s and '70s is a natural draw for boomers, said Sybil Overstreet, sales manager of KOMA 92.5FM classic rock radio station.
"Baby boomers may be 55, but they tend to think they're 30,” Overstreet said. "Listening to oldies takes them back to a time when life was fun and they feel good about,” she said. "Woodstock and ‘make love, not war;' tie dye, love beads and Laugh-In TV show.”
The station's advertisers sell products important to baby boomers, including Healthy Incentives/Ultra 90, Cedar Valley and Cimarron National Golf Clubs, Worry-Free Vacations and Quail Ridge Assisted Living.
"When we're targeting advertisers, we think about the whole gamut,” Overstreet said.
For example, boomers may be thinking about cars not only for themselves, but also for their high school or college students, she said.
They may not need orthodontics, but they could be paying for braces for their grandchildren.
Blogger Maureen Rogers of www.opinion atedmarketers.blogspot.com believes boomers share four characteristics: they're nostalgic, care about the future, know they've done well, and want to continue to look good and be active.
Barbara Teague, owner of Club 50 Fitness Center at 3329 S Boulevard in Edmond, taps into those commonalties.
To attract customers 50 and older, she offers hydraulic resistance equipment, which supposedly is easier on joints, and plays nostalgic music.
"My members aren't interested in working out in the big gyms, with loud music and next to nice bodies,” Teague said. But, they are interested in maintaining their muscle tone and mental alertness, she said.
The franchise, which opened in November, has about 60 members, ages 48 to 82.
Apparel companies, such as Kohl's, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Coach, love baby boomers, said Jake Dollarhide, a retail analyst with Longbow Asset Management Co. in Tulsa.
"Baby boomer women have more discretionary income and still want to look and feel their best,” Dollarhide said. "They may go out to eat four to five times a week to places like P.F. Chang's or Outback. They're of the mindset they want to enjoy their hard work and the sacrifices they've made.”
With boomers, life stage means more than age, said Danielle Ezell, principal of 20 Hats advertising firm in Oklahoma City. Of two women the same age and income level, one may be an empty-nester and the second have kids at home, Ezell said.
They may be a grandmother at 47 or 72, but the common age of their grandchildren may prompt them to buy the same kinds of toys and gifts, she said.
According to Fleishman-Hillard public relations firm, just one-third of boomers — the first television generation — say TV advertisements are the best way to reach them about new products and services. Seventy-six percent prefer to get information from multiple sources, including word of mouth and the ability to sample products firsthand.
The Internet is an equally powerful medium.
According to Jupiter Research, one third of Web users are boomers. However, boomers mainly use traditional e-mails, news feeds and electronic newsletters — versus logging onto community networks.
"My father reads the Wall Street Journal online, but he only recently got an iPod,” said Jason Weaver, the 20-something chief executive of Madison, Wis.-based Sway Inc. social media firm.
Because of their clout in numbers, boomers throughout their lives have dictated to society, said Grady Cash, a Nashville-based retirement futurist, who speaks to the aging group. For example, in the '80s, when many boomers were building families, there were no-nonsense, utilitarian mini vans, which gave way to a '90s resurgence in convertibles, colorful cars and today's powerful SUVs, reminiscent of the muscle cars of boomers' youth.
"Baby boomers buy what they want and society has adjusted to make that possible,” Cash said.
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