Ha! There Is A New Name for Us

I never admit my age because of rampant age discrimination and for other reasons, but I'll say in this post that I’m older than the current President and younger than the previous two.  I'm in the Baby Boomer group.

But now there is a name for this segment of baby boomers … alpha boomer. I heard this term a few weeks ago, laughed at it and didn't pay much attention. Then this week I read an advertising trade website article that points out something I've been saying for many years … we have buying power and we listen to radio a lot.

Here is the quote:
"With the 50-65 segment of the U.S. population projected to grow by 70% over the next 15 years, radio and TV broadcasters have been working to show advertisers the unprecedented buying buyer of a new generation of 55-64 year-olds known as Alpha Boomers. The evidence continues to build."

This interests me because I work in radio advertising but I am more drawn to the idea because I still believe we rule the world. That’ll change in our lifetime, of course; every generation is replaced by another one. But mine still dominates and the snot-nosed 23-year-old media buyers and others who think 50-somethings don’t spend money and are stuck in all their old habits need to start paying attention. In fact they should be concerned because, uhhh, we’re spending their inheritance.

Another interesting observation (written by a 44-year-old in a London publication):
"the very generation that invented the cult of youth might also be the cohort to debunk it."

And this one (from a New York Post online article)
"They make up half the population and spend more money on goods and services — nearly $2 trillion — than any other age group. They buy more technology and gadgets — 40% of the market — than any other demo."

Many of us boomers are a bit too ‘tree hugger’ but for the most part we earned our place in history and are responsible for most of the good things everybody enjoys (cell phones and civil rights, to name two). Many Gen X and Gen Y folks feel entitled. Sorry, you’ve got to earn your place too. The ones who are succeeding are the ones who already know that and put it into practice. You don’t have to do things the way we did; just learn from it. Fix our mistakes and put your own stamp on the world.

But wait till tomorrow. We aren’t done yet.