More than anything, I just wanted to get home. Three hours earlier, I'd wrapped up another two-day Wonderbranding seminar. The individuals that honored me just by showing up were some of the most delightful and insightful participants to date, but now I was concentrating on the reward of a good night's sleep in my own bed for a change.
Judging by the number of people waiting to board, I could tell it was a full flight. I took my window seat and was soon joined by an older woman, probably in her early 70's, on the aisle. Silver hair, huge gold hoop earrings, wearing jeans and a T-shirt that said "I Love Las Vegas."
Shortly after that, a girl of about 15 squeezed into the middle seat. She was definitely an East Coast native -- long dark hair, bold makeup... dressed in a black leather bomber jacket over a skirt that resembled a ballerina's tutu, psychedelic tights from the Jefferson Airplane era, and combat boots. She sat down, stuck the earbuds from her iPod into her ears, and with a sullen look stared straight ahead.
About halfway through the trip, the captain made one of his usual announcements about the weather. When he had finished, the girl removed the earbuds and turned to the older woman to ask what the captain had said. At first, I didn't pay any attention, but I soon realized that the two were engaged in a highly animated conversation. I eavesdropped with fascination for the rest of the trip (I'm good at pretending to read business magazines), as they discussed everything from where they were headed, books they were reading, fashion, makeup, and politics to where the best skateboarding parks are located in San Diego.
I thought it was interesting that the young girl had turned to the older woman to talk rather than me. After all, I am closer to the age of her mother, I mused. Then it hit me - that's exactly why she turned to the grandmotherly figure. These two generations have many more things in common than most people realize. A woman from the Baby Boomer generation who could very well have marched for women's lib and peace in Vietnam, and a girl of the Millennium, the generation increasingly concerned with how to make a difference and preserve the future of the world.
Experts like David Wolfe and Ken Dychtwald have been raising the flag of marketing to boomers for some time now and rightly so, as boomers hold the purchasing power of today and tomorrow. But how about thinking ahead? What are some ways that you can appeal to the lifestyle and core values of Boomer women and, at the same time, resonate with those same core values within the younger generation? What a way to cultivate your customer of the future!
Don't discount the teenage and college-aged women of today, and don't be fooled by the language they use, the color of their hair, or the style of their dress. After all, it seems like only yesterday that society was up in arms over those damned hippies. They didn't wear tie-dyed peasant blouses forever... now they wear T-shirts that read, "I Love Las Vegas." They also carry big, fat wallets.
Stop thinking about marketing to women as a "universal" theory and screw those stereotypical categories like "Soccer Moms." It ain't that easy. But... if you start viewing female customers as individuals and members of a generation with shared values, you're halfway there.
Hah! Brings to mind a joke my (10 years older) brother once told me back in the 80s:
What happened to all the hippies?
They're the stockbrokers who don't wear underwear.
Nice post Michele. I think you're right about boomers, and I disagree with all the monolithic Greatest Generation hagiography. That 70 year old woman has been through a historical vortex leaving her probably far more *outwardly* seasoned than a comparable 70-year old of her 1930s birth year. But not altogether different, inside. That earlier 70-year old would have weathered the after effects of civil war, agrarian/rural to industrial/urban shift, a world war and a depression and New Deal to boot. The only difference, I bet, is not what they learned from their turn on the merry go round, but how openly they shared their seasoning. Hooray for the cultural freedom from sterotype for today's 70- year old.
My daughter tells me "50 is the new 30." hah! Maybe 70 is the new 40.
Fine with this 43-year old.
Posted by: fouroboros | March 21, 2005 at 03:14 PM
Hah! Brings to mind a joke my (10 years older) brother once told me back in the 80s:
What happened to all the hippies?
They're the stockbrokers who don't wear underwear.
Nice post Michele. I think you're right about boomers, and I disagree with all the monolithic Greatest Generation hagiography. That 70 year old woman has been through a historical vortex leaving her probably far more *outwardly* seasoned than a comparable 70-year old of her 1930s birth year. But not altogether different, inside. That earlier 70-year old would have weathered the after effects of civil war, agrarian/rural to industrial/urban shift, a world war and a depression and New Deal to boot. The only difference, I bet, is not what they learned from their turn on the merry go round, but how openly they shared their seasoning. Hooray for the cultural freedom from sterotype for today's 70- year old.
My daughter tells me "50 is the new 30." hah! Maybe 70 is the new 40.
Fine with this 43-year old.
Posted by: fouroboros | March 21, 2005 at 03:14 PM
As a 53 year old boomer(54 is looming just 12 weeks away) I gasped when you lumped the 70 year old in my cohort group. Is that possible? If she were 70 she wouldn't be a baby boomer. At seventy she is 15 years older than me...and I think at least 10 years older than the oldest boomer.
That doesn't take away from the fact that she seemed very cool and hip. She could have marched against Vietnam and for women's lib --- it's just that she probably brought her young children to the marches and made sure she got back home to cook dinner.
Oh, and I love that you eavesdrop it is truly a great past time.
elana
Posted by: elana centor | March 21, 2005 at 07:32 PM
Michele,
I have to agree with Elana. My mother is in her 70s. I am in my 50s. I am a Baby Boomer; my mother is not. Baby Boomers began in 1946, the year after WWII ended. And the reason for the ID? Probably clothes. Both women were a little bit on the "wild side." I bet you were still dressed for the conference or at least in a conservative outfit.
The common denominator was not age or "shared experiences" but rather approachability. The teen probably thought the 70ish person would be more open to her because she was daring and garish enough to wear what she had on.
Since I know you, too, have a "wild side," you might try an experiment the next time, and dress down and a bit nutty. See how you are treated then.
Also you are "reading" business mags...DUH. LOL. People take cues from lots of things. Be good, and be cool, Dudedess.
Pam
Posted by: Pam Hawkins | March 22, 2005 at 09:38 AM
Nice. I enjoyed your perspective. I feel the world likes to put everything into categories/labels, and we end up causing separation.
I know that everyone wants to enjoy life that is the one common denominator, no matter what age or label you have!
Keep sharing..very inspiring!
Jenny
Posted by: Jenny Ward | March 24, 2005 at 05:16 PM