Archive for June 16th, 2009

The Boomer Effect

Five years ago, Honda introduced a new SUV the Element. This boxy car had an ad campaign targeting people in their twenties that featured the young generation cruising down to the beach with their own personal “dorm room on wheels” . However Honda’s appeal to youth missed the mark, instead it triggered the interest of a much larger group, the baby boomers. During its first year the Element had an average age of buyers of 42. Several other cars made to target younger generations have been stolen by the baby boomers including the Toyota Matrix, the Pontiac Vibe and the Dodge Neon. But who are the baby boomers? Starting with a long period of decline in birth rates that had been down since the Industrial Revolution, a generation began to grow immediately after World War II. They are the baby boom of about 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 that have molded the world we know today.

Childhood for the baby boomers took place in a changing world. They experienced huge economic growth, job reform with more white collar work becoming available for men and woman, the looming Cold War and even the anticipation of space travel. With total economic growth during the 1950’s and early 1960’s there was a sense of competitiveness and the hope for individualism that grew in the boomer child even when I came down to who had the best toys. Inventions like the Credit Card, Video Recorder, and even the Crayola Crayon began an age of discontentment for the boomer child and a search for the best new thing. Just like their wartime mothers, postwar moms began finding jobs outside the home. With the assumption that kids were living in a safe neighborhood, many were left to fend for themselves. The boomer children became known as “latchkey kids”, because they were the first generation to come home to a locked house with no one home. Television and the media became a surrogate parent and fostered the idea of limitless possibilities within the children.

The boomers were the only generation to be raised under the perceived threat of Armageddon. During the Cold War Era, many families built bomb shelters in their own backyard. Boomer children were taught in school to “duck and cover” when air-raid sirens sounded. Sometimes sirens were tested after school when mothers were not yet home from work which was scary to a boomer child. Across the country all children in public schools knew how to stand clear of the chimney and go to the nearest door frame for safety, during the occasional siren test . The lack of family values and togetherness changed the boomers and throughout childhood taught them to be independent and open minded.

The mind set for the beginning years of the baby boomers is very important to the adults they will become. Children came up with their own ideas of how life should be that had never been acceptable before in western civilization. They were the first kids that had both parents working and came home to an empty house, Mommy didn’t always make dinner every night, and most children were raised thinking it was okay to question authority because they weren’t cared for as well as they needed to be. Growing up even in their first 15 years of life seemed to lack love and support they needed to build character and essentially grow up.

In the early to mid-seventies, as the leading edge of the baby boom generation was coming of age, America was undergoing another huge period of dynamic change. The Vietnam War had been raging for a number of years, the struggles for civil rights and women’s rights were at their peak, and conservative values regarding everything from religion to sex were being questioned like no other time in history. The leading voices in all these debates were young people, baby boomers that were insisting to be heard. The deaths of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., the Vietnam War, the landing of Neil Armstrong on the moon, the Watergate scandal and President Nixon’s resignation all left ideas in boomers’ heads. These ideas were to be mad at authority, and challenge everything, the same ideas they had developed throughout childhood with the lack of attention from their parents.

As teens and young adults, many boomer activists pushed for new federal legislation to bring back the dreams of the Bill of Rights and FDR’s ideas. Most important of the American turmoil were the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements. One accomplishment the Boomer generation speaking up can take credit for was their encouragement for increased representation of women and minorities, especially in higher education and the job world. Boomers believed that a boost for new legislation would help equalize access to the American Dream. Among other things, times were turbulent as a result of many civil rights marches, “free love,” rock music, drug experimentation and the Vietnam war.

Now disappointed by authority the boomer generation turned to what they knew, themselves. Some with all of the political drama turned back to their childhood dreams and became “hippies.” They came in groups, many having dropped out of school and hitch hiked across the country listening to music that fed their thoughts of a perfect life. Such music came from performers like Bob Dylan, the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd.

Basically they changed the world to something we had never seen before and became a generation of  people that raised a generation of entitled people who want to change the world.

Flashionista.com – A Guide To Fashion, Lifestyle And Well-being Launches

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Launched in response to a lack of interesting content for the self-aware, style-conscious, female boomer demographic, The Flashionista Report delivers fresh and appealing content to women 45 and older.  Marino came up with the idea for The Flashionista Report after realizing that the fashion and lifestyle news she was receiving in her own inbox seemed irrelevant to her age and interests.

Designed for the modern, fashionable and worldly woman, she created The Flashionista Report in celebration of “our wisdom, wit, and awareness!” said Marino.  Filtering information that is relevant to this market, Marino delivers a quirky perspective, eclectic glance and entertaining voice in each Flashionista Report.

Twice a week, subscribers receive The Flashionista Report, which includes coverage of hot topics and cool information, interesting news to sharpen, empower and motivate new thinking, introductions to new products, cutting-edge services and the latest ideas.

“The Flashionista Report is all about delivering ‘hot flashes’ you’ll enjoy”, added Marino.  “Our news flashes offer up real news in an honest format for an audience interested in becoming even better versions of themselves.”

Today, the website serves as a base for subscribers and for access to archives of previous Flashionista Reports.  There are plans to roll out a more enhanced website to include expanded content and resources in 2010.

Subscriptions to The Flashionista Report can be obtained at www.Flashionista.com; they are free and require only an email address.

About Flashionista.com

A free bi-weekly email newsletter and website, www.Flashionista.com is the first email newsletter targeted to modern boomers, which delivers relevant must-read content about beauty, wellness, fitness, nutrition and fashion from the inside out.

The Flashionista Report publishes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Please visit www.Flashionista.com to sign up for a free subscription.

# # #

AvantGarde Communications Group is a full-service communications firm with extensive experience in PR, marketing, new business development, promotional counsel, branding and creative solutions.

# # # + Share This Article

Email to a Friend Visit Press Room Previous News Next News