Marketing to Boomer Women: A Radical Generation, a Radical Opportunity

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Baby Boomers, as a generation, have entered PrimeTime- most of them are 50-70 years old. This peak of life presents new opportunities as they reach the heights of their careers and, typically, the end of their child-rearing. For women, though, this is the very first PrimeTime generation. Boomers are the pioneers of PrimeTime women, and they will set the stage for all the PrimeTime women to come.

So why are Boomer women the first? They represent a true inflection point in history, and from now on women will never be the same. Striding smartly through the doors of opportunity opened by their mothers, Boomer women came of age during the radical 1960s and ‘70s, during the height of the Women’s Movement. They have had choices and made decisions that their mothers only dreamed of.

Baby Boomers, as a generation, have entered PrimeTime- most of them are 50-70 years old. This peak of life presents new opportunities as they reach the heights of their careers and, typically, the end of their child-rearing. For women, though, this is the very first PrimeTime generation. Boomers are the pioneers of PrimeTime women, and they will set the stage for all the PrimeTime women to come. So why are Boomer women the first? They represent a true inflection point in history, and from now on women will never be the same. Striding smartly through the doors of opportunity opened by their mothers, Boomer women came of age during the radical 1960s and ‘70s, during the height of the Women’s Movement. They have had choices and made decisions that their mothers only dreamed of. It cannot be overstated how dramatically life has changed for, and has been changed by, Baby Boomer women. They are the first generation of women to have: • College educations: graduating from college at rates that substantially exceed their brethren. • Serious earning power: currently bringing home half or more of the household income in over half of U.S. households. • Reproductive rights: family planning, with the ability to control if and when to have children, which in turn determines if and when to take a career hiatus. • Property rights: as of 1973, a woman could not get a bank loan without the signature of her husband or father. Until 1981, some state laws designated a husband “head and master” of the household, with unilateral control of property owned jointly with his wife. Think about that: in 1981, I was an adult, 27 years old, with a Wharton MBA and a great brand management job. My husband and I had just purchased our first house together, and he was recognized as the only “owner” of everything we had. Whoa. This also means marketers are pioneers in marketing to Boomer women. We’ve never had this amazing opportunity before. And do you have a plan for marketing to Boomer women?

It cannot be overstated how dramatically life has changed for, and has been changed by, Baby Boomer women.

They are the first generation of women to have:

  • College educations: graduating from college at rates that substantially exceed their brethren.
  • Serious earning power: currently bringing home half or more of the household income in over half of U.S. households.
  • Reproductive rights: family planning, with the ability to control if and when to have children, which in turn determines if and when to take a career hiatus.
  • Property rights: as of 1973, a woman could not get a bank loan without the signature of her husband or father. Until 1981, some state laws designated a husband “head and master” of the household, with unilateral control of property owned jointly with his wife. Think about that: in 1981, I was an adult, 27 years old, with a Wharton MBA and a great brand management job. My husband and I had just purchased our first house together, and he was recognized as the only “owner” of everything we had. Whoa.

This also means marketers are pioneers in marketing to Boomer women. We’ve never had this amazing opportunity before. And do you have a plan for marketing to Boomer women?

This entry was posted in Marketing to Boomer Women, Things women care about and tagged on by .

About Marti

To The Huffington Post, she’s “the High Priestess of Marketing to Women;” to TIME magazine, “the Chief Rabbi of the Sheconomy.” Renowned business guru Tom Peters calls her “the First Lady of Marketing to Women” and says she “is one of the best presenters, male or female, I’ve ever seen.” Marti Barletta shows you how to get more customers, make more money per customer and keep customers loyal longer - simply by getting smarter about women. Her first book, Marketing to Women, is available in 19 languages,” and her latest book, PrimeTime Women, focuses in on the market’s high-spending sweet spot - Boomer women in their mid-life prime – and shows marketers how to use this prime segment’s growth, size and buying power to propel their business for the next 20 years. As the go-to authority on marketing to women, women in leadership and women’s growing role in shaping the 21st century, Barletta has been quoted on CBS, ABC, MSNBC and NPR, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, USA Today, Fast Company, TIME, Business Week, Inc., and many other publications worldwide. Ms. Barletta’s consulting clients have included Diageo, Ford, Kodak, Pfizer, Volvo Worldwide and others. A popular speaker internationally, she has enjoyed rave reviews on every continent except Antarctica, including in Australia, Chile, Dubai, Japan and Sweden. She has spoken for hundreds of companies, conferences and associations; and across dozens of industries, including consumer products, financial services, travel and tourism, retail and real estate development, to name a few. She is proud to say that numerous clients have booked her for return appearances. Her dynamic style, command of her subject and passion for her topic make her a popular speaker. Audiences love her practical tactics tailored to the interests of each audience, her lively style and sense of humor, and her memorable stories about men, women and marketing. Specialties:I show you how to attract more customers, keep them longer, and earn more money from every customer simply by getting smarter about today's mightiest market - women.

3 thoughts on “Marketing to Boomer Women: A Radical Generation, a Radical Opportunity”

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