03.14.2007

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Baby Boomers

CHANGING FOOD CONSUMPTION AMONG BABY BOOMERS

Today, health concerns brought on by their aging bear new economic and cultural resonance that cannot be ignored by tomorrow's competitive food manufacturers. The Hartman Group takes a "deep dive" into Baby Boomers' dietary priorities, as expressed and as lived today, in order to predict their consumption habits in five years' time.

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For more Hartman Group articles on BABY BOOMERS, click here...

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Bringing Up Baby Boomer

Boomers have been dissected, segmented and looked at under a microscopic lens since they were born. While acknowledging them and gathering stats on their every purchase is one thing, understanding their behavior is quite another. To that end our newly completed syndicated study, Baby Boomers: Changing Food Consumption among Baby Boomers (1946-64), takes an unprecedented immersive look at the group of people behind the numbers-based research that first spawned the notion of generational marketing. The voice of Baby Boomers speaks clearly and loudly on what they want: health food vs. junk food, dining in vs. dining out, to snack or not to snack. In our study Boomers speak openly and honestly about their food orientation, consumption patterns and the factors that influence them.

Leaving their mark wherever they go, Boomers are now changing our approach to age and aging and turning their current lifestage (45-60) - what used to be called "middle age" - into an unprecedented new life chapter. This chapter is comprised in part, of an increasing interest in health and wellness and a closer attention to food choices. Boomers have evolving tastes and eating habits that match their changing health and wellness needs. For this reason alone, food and beverage manufacturers, marketers and retailers need to pay close attention to Boomers and travel with them down this new path for glimpses into the future marketplace of products and services for aging consumers.

Change on the horizon

"I see my life changing because in the next five years my four children should be all self-sufficient, and I hope to be able to pursue new interests and to travel more."

-Female, Boomer Consumer

Boomers are complex and their new chapter is replete with transitions. To understand them as consumers today, is to understand how their lives are changing: their hair is turning gray, their kids are leaving home, and they are entering retirement and becoming grandparents. As a result, Boomers are forced to redefine their age, their lifestyle and their culture. They are no strangers to change; they were either participants or witnesses to some of the most significant changes in the past century - witness to at least the impact of the 1960-70s protest era, got big jobs and big cars in the 1980s, centered their lives around their families in the 1990s, and now, trying to keep themselves abreast with life in a new millennium.

Although Boomers have always been at the leading edge of many health and wellness trends, they are now seeking to gain in an even greater fluency in what has become a culture of healthy living. As they are able to incorporate health and wellness strategies into their lives, they are more likely to seek changes and be open to abandoning previous habits; a product or service they value today may be forgotten for another tomorrow. While conventional understandings might expect Boomers to be nostalgic for times past, it is important to acknowledge instead their constant state of change - their interest in evolving - and to change along with them.

Staying young

"If you wanted to capture a picture of the best way to encapsulate the way we Boomers view aging - you would see us all hanging on to all the trappings of youth with all of our arms and legs, sliding down the walls with hands like claws clinging"

-Male, Boomer Consumer

Boomers do not perceive themselves as "getting old," but work hard at "staying young." Staying young takes great effort on the part of Boomers and living a healthy lifestyle is of utmost importance. This is in part due to the experience of being between eras, and of being saddled with the unprecedented care-taking responsibilities of both their children and their parents. They are "sandwiched" between two generations, allowing them to be connected with the old as well as the new.

"I am taking care of my 87-year-old mother and my 3-year-old grandson and everyone in between."

-Male, Boomer Consumer

For Boomers, part of understanding their age is by comparing themselves to their parents; they most certainly do not want to get old like their parents did. They cannot be defined as seniors because their parents are seniors, and they most certainly aren't young like their children and grandchildren. Instead, Boomers aspire to avoid "being old" by remaining engaged with what is new and vital.

An active Boomer is a healthy Boomer

"It is a good feeling to keep up with someone 20 years younger in age."

-Male, Boomer Consumer

Boomers feel they are more active, stronger and, therefore, healthier than their parents were. They pursue physical activity as they age and believe strongly that it is essential to leading a healthy lifestyle. Where in earlier years, staying fit may have had to do with looking attractive or being strong and energetic enough to meet certain goals, as aging occurs, Boomers describe different sorts of concerns: The cost of health care and medicine looms large for consumers and is accompanied with the view that staying healthier might minimize healthcare expenses later. Others speak longingly of the interest in staying alive to watch children and grandchildren grow up, to be there for them, or to be there for others who need them. And there is a nearly universal chord of concern in minimizing the pain and discomfort of a long disease, a miserable and immobile old age, or a slow and painful death.

"Hopefully I'll still be in control of my health and still very active. This way my mind will stay young, too."

-Female, Boomer Consumer

Boomers see the value in actively learning about living healthy lifestyles. As a generation that grew up with the media, they are taking advantage of the resources at hand to build their "health knowledge." As they gain "health knowledge" they are able to strategize a more concerted and conscientious regimen to fight the "traditional" aging process.

Boomers and food

"I hope to have taken the right healthy stuff so I do not have to deal with any disease. I am learning how important it is to care for oneself."

-Female, Boomer Consumer

When it comes to food, Boomers are likely to make conscious choices when it can potentially affect their lifestyle. They eat foods for their function - whether it be nutritional value or emotional well-being - and they avoid certain ingredients and foods that are believed to undermine their health. They are no longer able to be carefree with their indulgences and are seeing firsthand the consequences for unhealthy lifestyle choices. Indulgences are still seen to be part of a healthy lifestyle, but they are more likely to be carefully chosen and higher in quality, and more worthwhile. They don't want to eat something that they will "pay" for later unless it is beneficial in some other way.

Paying attention to "bad" ingredients, and higher quality products also includes paying attention to packaging. Some express making choices based on unusual design, messaging that is more resonant or targeted, simple design or even lack of packaging altogether (with a lack of waste goal in mind). Additionally, Boomers associate food with occasions that have meaning. To strike a balance, they plan ahead for special events, cutting back on what they eat in anticipation for a special occasion or feast. Boomers also counteract their eating habits with exercise, taking a walk to "work off" that brownie or in preparation for the hamburger they want to have for dinner.

Boomers in the future

As they look ahead, Boomers are redefining their lives and seeking out experiences and foods that are worthwhile and meaningful. Keeping an open mind is clearly a key component of staying young and remaining open to trying new foods, new cooking methods and new foreign cuisine is part of this. As time becomes increasingly important, they are more reflective of what they have done in their past and conscious of how to plan for their future. Making careful choices that express values and their aspirations is part of this.

As Boomers continue to be on the lookout for ways to better themselves or improve the quality of their lives, they will have an impact on the health and wellness marketplace like no other group of consumers in history. Their shifting and evolving behaviors and purchase decisions will continue to redefine and reshape the brands, products and services they are most willing to pay for and invest in. They will continue to challenge any of the traditional stereotypes on what it means to grow older.

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