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Rocking the Ages Preface 1Why aren’t women wearing girdles any more? Because girdles are uncomfortable, confining, and stodgy. The new generation of women did not want to be confined. It’s interesting that women don’t feel that way about high heels. Ch. 1, The Power of Generations " Members of a generation are linked through the shared life experiences of their formative years - things like pop culture, economic conditions, world events, natural disasters, heroes, villains, politics, and technology - experiences that create bonds tying members of a generation together into what social scientists were first to call ‘cohorts.’" (p. 3)What goes in generational marketing? Life stage - the physical reality of how old you are, whether you are married, have kids, etc. Current conditions - economic conditions, technological innovations, etc. Formative cohort experiences - joint experiences with others around us that formulate our perception of the world. Generational Differences Babyboomers have a very different view of the stock market than people born during the Great Depression. Everyone who watched the OJ Simpson trial has a very different view of the legal system than those who formed their opinion of the legal system earlier, and those who will form the opinion of the legal system later. Generational Markers Older generation (matures): Depression, the New Deal, World War II, and the GI Bill. Babyboomers: Great Society (war on poverty), economic prosperity, suburbia, Nixon, color TV, sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Generation X: divorce, AIDS, Sesame Street, MTV, crack cocaine, Game Boy, and the personal computer. Who are the Matures? Born between 1909 and 1945, 68 mil. This was a time of economic upheaval, common enemies, and America’s role as emerging superpower. Matures had a more constrained set of expectations. (Boy Meets World) Core values of Matures: discipline, self-denial, hard work, obedience to authority, and financial and social conservatism. Who are the Babyboomers? Born between 1946 and 1964, 78 mil. "Boomers enjoyed unprecedented employment and educational opportunities. ... The value system of the Boomers, the ‘Me Generation,’ was built on the sense of entitlement created by the presumption of continued economic growth." Boomers born during the last years of the babyboom, "trailing boomers" have been disappointed by unmet expectations as most rewards went to those a few years older. Who are the Xers? Born 1965 to 1976 (47 million). They had to deal with social, economic, and political uncertainty. Many more grew in dual-wage earner or one-parent households. Initially, they were thought to be disgruntled and cynical - but that has proven to be totally untrue. Xers are characterized by a sense of "pragmatic necessity." It’s interesting to note how the last few years of economic prosperity have affected Xers. Xers now share some of the same confidence that characterized boomers.
Ch. 2 Matures: Triumph and Conformity Until Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992, Matures held the reigns of power the latter half of the 20th century. Notable matures: Bob Hope, Joe DiMaggio, Walter Cronkite, Barbara Walters, George Bush, Bob Dole, Ronald Reagan, Sidney Poitier. Their accomplishments: airplanes, NASA, interstate freeways, miracle vaccines, won World War II, engineering and other scientific accomplishments, etc. Values that characterize Matures. Hard Work. Learning a skill was believed to be more important than getting an education. Self-Sacrifice. They were willing to do without in the present, to get future rewards. Teamwork. They felt it was important to conform to the needs of the group. Authority. Looked to authority figures for direction and guidance. Conformity. Fitting in was a virtue. Celebration of Victory. Successes created a sense of righteousness. Wisdom. Their successes (as a generation) have given them self-confidence. Matures feel they know best. Assurance. They do not like to be taken advantage of. Treat Matures with respect. Values Consistency. They are not willing to change in order to "modernize." This group is less likely to adopt new products than younger groups. What are matures doing now? They retired earlier than any other generation. They are richer than any previous generation, have better health benefits, better pension plans, more comfortable lives. Many have moved to retirement communities in Florida, Arizona, and California. Because of concerns about crime, Matures prefer living in gated communities, if possible. Matures don’t like to be looked at as "decrepit or broken down." They like to see themselves a happy, capable and vivacious. Ch. 3 Boomers: The 78-million strong gorilla .Babyboomers are a complicated lot. Chapter 3 chronicles their journey from the optimism in their younger years, to frustration in the 80s, and desire to simplify life in the 90s. Key factors shaping the life of babyboomers. "This generation is much better educated than their parents. Eighty-six percent of Boomers are high school graduates, and more than 26 percent have college degrees. Boomers grew up being told they were special, and were given the advantages of education and training so they could be. Boomers "Rather than harnessing their skills with the yoke of society, Boomers have remained fixated on self-improvement and individual accomplishment." (p. 43) "For Matures ... worth is measured in objective, external terms. Boomers look inward and evaluate their achievements in terms of personal fulfillment." (p. 43) Boomers Irony: This generation that thought they could change their world, is now faced with the reality of their personal limitations. Nevertheless, boomers continue to think of themselves as special. (p. 46) Boomers How did boomers get to feel so special? Besides living in more affluent households than generations that preceded them, and higher levels of education, they were also taught to believe the world would continue to improve (3 day workweek, miracles of science and technology, etc.)
The world according to boomers. I deserve to be successful. I deserve to do things "my way." I am an individual and I should be accepted that way. I can break any rule I don’t like. I know what is right. It is my right and my responsibility to change the world. I deserve to be in charge. I can do things better than earlier generations. I’ve got to look out for "Number One." I do not sacrifice myself for an organization. Life Magazine’s Top 10 Boomers (‘96)Steven Spielberg (b. 1947) Steven Jobs (b. 1955) Bill Clinton (b. 1946) Michael Milken (b. 1946) Oprah Winfrey (b. 1954) Edward Witten (b. 1951) Bill Gates (b. 1955) Bob Pittman (b. 1953) Michael Jordan (b. 1963) Roseanne (b. 1953) Boomer life after 1979 Nuclear disaster at Three Mile Island America is humiliated by the taking of hostages at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Gasoline shortage - long gas lines Stagflation - major obstacles to continued economic expansion How did boomers react? Less confidence in the system. You get ahead by working very hard. To win, you have to become rich. You become rich, by becoming a part of the business establishment. The Yuppies succeeded the Hippies. The 1980s Prosperity did not lead to happiness Boomers are getting older, fatter, sicker. The children of boomers are having more problems than expected. But some things stay the same: boomers remain nonconformist. Boomers are nostalgic about their youth. In the 90s Boomers become focused on their families. More boomers say they want to spend extra time with their children than any other generation before. Need to manage stressful lives. Need to learn to manage their finances. Demanding customers who scrutinize products and business practices. Boomers continue to think of themselves as young, romantic and attractive. Ch. 4, GenX: The New Pragmatists GenX members were born after 1964. They have been described as "fanatically independent individuals, pathologically ambivalent about the future, and brimming with unsatisfied longing for permanence, for love, and for their own home." But, who are they really? Societal Conditions as GenXers were growing up. economic uncertainty divorce latchkey kids homelessness soaring national debt bankrupt Social Security holes in the ozone layer crack cocaine urban deterioration Cynicism about leaders and heroes public scandals celebrity scandals sports heroes who are felons unauthorized biographies reinterpreting history lies, lies, lies materialism that leads nowhere Who are the Xers? "Xers are determined to be involved, to be responsible, to be in control - and to stop being victimized by life’s uncertainties." (p. 84) "Xers are focused on living for today, too, but not because they feel assured about the future, but rather because they can’t count on it." (p. 84) Why are Xers so fascinated by horror movies? Xer Realities Risks are everywhere - have fun while you can. Diversity - not only acceptable, but desirable. Acceptance of technology Desire for building real households Xer Realities - Go Figure Avoid slotting Xers - they don’t like to be pigeonholed.Facilitate diversity - they pick and chose the styles they want (platform shoes and 90s fashions) Learn to surf - provide a variety of images (remember the Generation X Pepsi commercial?) Abandon the hard sell - they don’t like to be pushed, they are cynical of sales pitches Go Figure - continued Get some attitude - don’t show respect for authorityHave some fun - Xers are more interested in having fun than previous generations Emphasize pragmatism - no sugar coating for Xers Protection - be ready for everything, bad things will happen if you don’t protect yourself. Think in terms of enclaves - Xers rely on their peers; they distrust institutions Ch. 5 and 6 deal with technology Read Chart 6.3 on page 160. Why do different generation have a different style of on-line interaction? Use information from Chapters 5 and 6 to answer this question.
Ch. 7, The Modern Media Babylon Matures want everything summarized. They grew up at an age of much less information. (This group is also less educated than the generations after them. Instead of reading full length novels, they used to read Readers’Digest). Strategies for presenting information to Matures: a. don’t antagonize their values b. use advertising as information c. summarize all the pertinent information in one source. Modern Media Boomers consume huge amounts of news media. They are satisfied with passively receiving a lot of information in broadcast and print. Xers are used to interactive media. They are not content to passively sit and consume. Xers are less interested in "packaged" story lines. Stories do not need to have a happy end. Story lines need not be linear. Xers prefer nontextual information. Experiencing is better than reading. Strategies for reaching Xers: a. make it participatory b. make it visual c. no touch ups are needed leave reality as is d. don’t make diversity a political issue Ch. 8, An Economy Built on Dreams Most people in America want to achieve the "American Dream," but Matures and Xers are most likely to be focused on "material things." Xers are willing to be more entrepreneurial. Xers use education as a tool for advancement. Xers plan ahead. However, since 1985, everyone has become less interested on prestigious items (p. 202-3) Ch. 9 - Making It Fitting life and career together are a major challenge Women are accepted in the workplace Struggles to meet family and work responsibilities for men and women Desire to simplify life - Casual Fridays Labor-less leisure - Matures and Boomers have fun doing less strenuous activities, Xers are different. Will Xers change? Will they do extreme sports when they are 30 or 40? Fun To Do Fun Without Peril - Very true for the Matures - mall walkers Off-Peak - Matures are big users Home Too - Matures and Boomers spend a lot of time at home New Rituals - the book talks about the new orientation programs at Universities - intensive activities vs. entertainment. New Rituals arise all the time. Notice the increased popularity of Halloween. Beyond the Booster Seat - need to accomodate kids Ch. 10 - Good Health is a Good Day at the Office The "big" point of this chapter is that people view health not simply as eating right and exercise, but as emotional well being. The chapter spends a lot of time focusing on how different generations view health. Matures had to change their views about healthy eating and exercise. Examples: they like white bread because that was the "expensive" kind in the old days. Physical exertion was something you did for work, not for fun. "Boomers grew up in a world of antibiotics and inoculations." They just did not worry about incurable infections until the late 1970s, and even more so in the 1980s and 1990s. Xers grew up in the shadow of superviruses. The book has an interesting chart on p. 214 on the number of sexual partners people have had by age group. Personally, I am stunned at how high those numbers are. I’m sure fear of AIDS has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of sexual partners. People want relief from stress. Fifty-nine percent describe the 90s as stressful. Only 39% described the 80s as stressful. In 1985, 58% described life as too complicated, in the 90s the figure is up to 73%. Stress appropriate communications: for matures stress reassurance, boomers need to come to terms, but Xers seem to have more resilience at the new health realities (they may become more concerned as they get older). Ch. 10 - Staying Healthy People want to use shortcuts to eating healthy - low fat, fresh, ethnic. Think "Away" - now most food dollars are spent away from grocery stores. Fast food restaurants, take outs, delivery restaurants are proliferating. Other new developments: restaurants and take-outs at grocery stores, take outs at fancy restaurants. Focus is on lifestyle - people try to figure out the "mystical" part of staying healthy. Your book mentions like "The Celestine Prophecy." I read the back cover to that book and I’m amazed that people take its spiritual advise seriously. There are also many books by "spiritual" health gurus. The link between "spiritualism" and physical health has become big business. Ch. 11 - Generations at Home This chapter deals with how different generations view their home. Boomers have a comfortable view of home derived from childhood experiences - mom cooking in the kitchen, kids playing on the swing set, etc. Early boomers were lucky because they entered the housing market before the huge price increases of recent years. Xers are finding it harder to afford the house of their dreams. By necessity, they are focusing on function rather than aesthetics. Boomers want homes that appeal to their sense of nostalgia. Remember the earlier videos - we are all living the dream. Matures look for security - access to medical facilities, security from crime. They look for technology that makes life easier. They avoid unnecessary gadgets. Xers want convenience, access to high technology, and privacy. Ch. 12 - Brand Land, Where Reciprocity Rules This chapter examines how different generations view branded merchandise (Coke, Levis, Nike, etc.) "Brands enhance a consumer’s personal image by signaling status, exclusivity, or cachet to others." (p. 281) Xers are most likely to agree that "brands tell a lot about the type of person you are." (p. 281) During the inflationary years of the 70s and 80s, the power of brands decreased. In the 90s brands are back. "Fifty-six percent of all consumers say they will decide to purchase something because it is ‘made by a company I trust.’" (p. 285) Price and Brand most important - followed by service Ch. 13 - Bringing Generations to a Close This chapter tries to look to the future. They examine what has shaped people’s lives until now and try to project to future trends. Their trends: a) age will be beautiful b) comfort will be beautiful c) beauty will be polychromatic (many colored) What do you think will happen in the next 5, 10, 20 years?
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