Aging in place or on Wheels?

Will "Baby boomers' lifelong affair with all things motorized" affect the future sales of home related items?

Some anecdotal evidence shows that fulfilling the lifelong dreams of wheels trumps real estate. I suspect there is a gender divide here, but the article in the Miami Herald goes to great lengths to feature woman motorcycle, RV and sports car owners to convince us that this is more than the fulfillment of males fantasies. There are still more women planning their jewel box retirement homes than buying Harley's, but my guess is there will be extra large temperature controlled garages included.

TheLady GaGa Era

As both a boomer and a marketer, I am endlessly fascinated by Lady GaGa. She is a creature of the times, as surely as Madonna is of her and Michael Jackson was of his respective era. Some of her outfits are an example of the "geometry" trend observed in building material aesthetics that I incorporated in my 2010 trend report. According to the New York Times, today's youth of the City are totally engrossed with her image and likeness. The rest of the country should follow suite, Lady GaGa senses the tenor of the times, not just in her music, but in her dress and staging as well.

Boomers continuing economic impact

According to a recent McKinsey&Company report aging boomers will continue their economic dominance of the economy for this entire decade.

Why Gamma?

We are never told "why" the use of the word "Gamma" which is the third letter in the Greek alphabet, but we are presented with a detailed description of what makes a woman a "Gamma" by the Meredith Corporation, the leading media company that is best know for publishing "Better Homes and Garden." The company may have offices in New York City, but its heart is in middle America, where it is headquartered.

The "Gamma Woman" may be the just another buzzphrase, but Meredith's report: The Gamma Factor: Women and the New Social Currency redefines the consumer precisely for the current economy. The report identifies five key personality profiles within today's Gamma mindset.

· Connector – She believes people can accomplish more together than they can alone. She enjoys sharing her experiences, passions and recommendations with her network of friends and family. Fluent in social interactivity aspects of Web 2.0, her interest stems from a desire to keep in touch rather than simply the love of technology.

· Catalyst – She wants to impact her community, and ultimately the world at large, in meaningful ways. She finds great pleasure in volunteering her time and inspiring others to do the same.

· Family-Focused – These Gammas put their family first; work exists to serve family needs, not the reverse. She looks to family and close friends to stay grounded and considers her loved ones her personal board of advisors. She uses technology to seek out information, but relies more heavily on personal connections for support.

· DIY Creator – She lives life by her own compass and expresses herself by creating. She enjoys sharing ideas and techniques with fellow enthusiasts.

Housing for 55+ market report

MetLife has published an extensive report entitled "Housing for the 55+ market: trends and insights of boomers and beyond" The report has found that most are choosing to "age in place" and planning to continue to work in greater numbers than previous generations. - in fact, many are opting to downsize into homes that are closer to work. Only a slightly larger percentage are planning to move into age restricted developments, with the current economic climate affecting their ability to sell their current home.

Pregnant ladies and Brooke Shields

Hilarious, offensive, dumb, irrelevant...just a few of the words used to describe the recent advertising campaign featuring Brooke Shields and lots of pregnant ladies.

Even after just reading the reviews for Buyology, I understand what bothers me about this campaign- it is not the product you remember, it is just Brooke Shields and pregnant ladies. In fact, having seen these commercials at least 20 times, I still can't remember the name of the car that is being introduced. (Although I do remember that it is a VW product, but that could be because I drive one rather than the ad being memorable for that fact.)

As one reviewer of Buyology mentioned, the brain research behind this book informs us that using sex to sell a product sells sex rather than the product. I have to assume that is why I remember only Brooke Shields and pregnant ladies from this advertising campaign. Could it be that this is actually a subliminal campaign by the government to create more future worker bees and taxpayers to support the upcoming retirement of the boomer generation? I am looking forward to reading the book.

Marketing to the IKEA Generation

If your are marketing interior finishes or furnishings to the demographic that IKEA serves, (Generation X and Y and second home owners) spend some serious time online with Design Sponge to see how this generation lives and what they love for their homes. This blog speaks volumes in this generation's language. Design Sponge is immediate, authentic, candid, personal and entirely delightful.

Gender Roles coming into Focus

The days of defined gender roles have come to a screeching halt. When I came home to my neighbor and her daughter building a concrete block wall, I knew the world had changed in some inexorable way. (It is totally beside the point that I stripped my own roof 30 years ago - I was-after all-invincible, I was one of Bob Vila's sidekicks on This Old House and we were a little wacky and way ahead of the curve.) 30 years later, we have PINK suede tool belts and steel toe work boots for "her" available at Home Depot Canada and Porsche Design Kitchens by Poggenpohl for "him." Trends in the construction industry take a long time to establish themselves, but who would have guessed 30 years?

Day 1 - Mark Moves Into IKEA