But first, some context and a walk down memory lane.

Rising Numbers of Multigenerational Households

As AdAge notes,

Today 49 million Americans — more than one in six people in the U.S. — live in households with three or more generations, according to the Pew Research Center. The percentage is even higher for age groups 25-to-34 and 65 and older, where one in five, or 20%, live in these extended families.

While much of the increase in multigenerational households can be attributed to the recession, there is also an increased appreciation for the value of family. I grew up with my grandmothers living with us for a combined 10 years.  I know how much I benefited from their involvement in my life. From playing games … to hearing the same stories again and again … to having people who had the time and desire to focus all their energies on a child … to learning to be patient and help my elders … Growing up in a multigenerational household was a gift.

A Trend Already Impacting Age-Qualified Communities

Creating Results has marketed 52 active adult and age-qualified communities in 12 states over the course of 10+ years.  At first the communities were marketed to empty nesters and the vast majority of people who lived in the community were in their 50-70s (Baby Boomers and Silent Generation). Gradually, we began to see parents moving in with their adult children. These moves were prior to the economic downturn and were motivated by a desire to be with family.

Of course, the introduction of people in their 70s-90s had programing implications for our clients’ Lifestyle Directors.  How to make these new residents feel welcome? How to accommodate the desires of these older residents to stay active, even though they frequently had more limited mobility than younger residents?  Lifestyle Directors introduced a new set of fitness activities, outings and social opportunities.

Then, we began to see the younger adult children of older Boomers and Silent Generation residents moving into the age-qualified communities in greater numbers. Previously, it had been a rare exception for a 20- or 30- something to live in the community for anything longer than a temporary basis. But now, these young adults were moving in.

Part of this trend was motivated by the strong value that active adult communities offered even as the real estate market appreciated beyond reason. Parents and their adult (and childless) children purchased homes together and began requesting dual owner suites. It was a small percentage, 6 – 14%, but significant enough to cause changes to product design and programing. Interestingly, this percentage is quite similar to the percentage of multigenerational households in the country as reported by the Pew Research Center.

Many members of the Baby Boomer or Silent Generations are grandparents.  While children are restricted from being permanent residents at an active adult community, a growing reality is that the grandparents are providing the majority of childcare.  One of our clients – Central Parke at Victoria Falls – responded with special activities for grandchildren in recognition of the number of grandchildren who frequented the community.  We also responded with advertising that reflected the extended family.

As multigenerational households have evolved and grown in number, we’ve seen that the marketing, programming and design of communities have been impacted.

What has your experience been?  Do you see this trend as a threat or opportunity for 50+ communities as they exist today?

Baby Boomer Spending on Food

* I really appreciate The Bundle’s infographics that illustrate household spending by age.  Take a peek at their 2010 report and you’ll see that Baby Boomers (aged 50-65) and Silent Generation (65+)  spend more on food and drink than the “coveted” 18-25 year olds – $6,992 and $5,211 respectively.  36-49 year olds are the tops in food and food and drink, averaging $7,487 in 2010 per household.

* Reflecting their lifestage, 35-50 year olds spend the most each year on groceries - $4,322 per Bundle.  50-65 yr old Boomers are in second place, spending an average of $4,001.

* Mature marketing expert Brent Green has called Baby Boomer men the “next marketing frontier,” noting that men are more apt to spend than save (even in a downturn) and more prone to buy national brands at the grocery store. 

* So-called functional foods are predicted to flourish thanks to the desire of Boomers to actively age and maintain energetic lifestyles.

Praise the Lord, and Pass the Google Search

* Gen X , Baby Boomers and Silent Generation Internet users are more likely than younger generations to look for religious information online  (Pew).  42% of younger Boomers (also known as Generation Jones) reported doing so.

* Millennials are not as religious as the four elder cohorts – Gen X, Baby Boom, and generations Silent and Greatest.  In 2010, only 40% told Pew that religion was very important in their lives, compared to 60% of Boomers and 67% of the Silent Generation.

* Attitudes about religion are influenced by lifestage and age.  And attitudes change.   AARP found that Boomers’ confidence in organized religion had decreased from the 1970s to 2002.

Love, Love Me Do

* People often talk about a “health benefit” to marriage.  The 2009 National Health Interview Survey revealed that married adults between the ages of 55 and 74 were less likely to be in fair or poor health than those who had never married or who were formerly married. 

* We note that the same study revealed that currently married adults between 55 and 64 were more likely to have a hearing impairment than their unmarried peers.  (And I thought it was selective deafness …)

* Boomers and beyond are more open than ever to sex outside of marriage.  10 years ago, AARP found that 41% of Americans over age 45 were opposed to sex outside of marriage; this April, the organization found only 22% opposed.

* 26.7% of those in the online dating pool were over 45 in 2007. (MRI)  Adults over 55 are the fastest-growing group of online daters.

* The divore of Al and Tipper Gore this year reminded us that Baby Boomers are both the most married generation and the most divorced.  “If you look at every single year of marriage, they have the highest divorce rates of anyone born before or after them,” said Professor Betsey Stevenson in Newsweek.  The late Robert Butler noted late-in-life divorces may be an unexpected side effect of the longevity bonus.

Do you have statistics or insights on how Baby Boomers eat, pray and love?  Please share your thoughts below.

Creating Results studies different generations and segments  to help companies connect with mature consumers, but we don’t often get to play with them.  As the round continued, I noticed more behaviors that demonstrated typical generational characteristics, but I also saw that we were individuals rather than stereotypes.  The Boomer easily regaled us with stories about his successful children and the state of his business and the impact of the recession.   He shared a story about when he had come to play with the Silent and GI ten years ago.  He had put his bag on a golf cart and planned to ride around the course.  The Silent showed up and pulled his bag on a hand cart.  The GI, then 79 years old, carried his bag and walked all 18 holes.

The Silent was, for the most part, silent.  He asked questions, helped the others find their balls, and offered suggestions on playing the course.  A course he had helped to design surrounded by conservation areas he had saved from development, but one would never have known that from his actions.  The Silent had organized and funded the entire outing with the only objective being to have a good time with some people he respected and whose company he enjoyed.

The GI was frustrated with the quality of his game and complained at one point, “I need to practice more.”  I asked how often he played and he said, “most everyday, but I need to practice more”.  Despite his “under performance”, he cleaned our clocks.

For the Greater Good

The GI volunteered little information.  But when asked direct questions about his experiences as a member of the 82^nd Airborne in Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, his life after the war, and his children arranging for him to return to Normandy for the 65^th anniversary commemoration, he somewhat reluctantly shared stories that have stuck with me.  Listening to him was humbling.  I had no doubt in my mind that I had the honor to be in the presence of a member of the Greatest Generation.

After the war, the GI lived many lives, but through all of them was a theme of public service.  He devoted much time to volunteering on town councils, creating affordable housing and assisting a multitude of charitable organizations.  For longer than I have lived, he has organized his town’s 4^th of July celebrations.  That meant for years I had seen, and yet not seen, him march with the Veterans.  I was inspired and yet disappointed when I reflected on my comparatively meager contributions to society.

My golf that day was horrible, but it was the best round I’ve ever had.

Word of mouth/referrals are, indeed, powerful with all ages of consumers. As John Jantsch puts it in his description of his new book, “The Referral Engine:”

The power of glitzy advertising and elaborate marketing campaigns is on the wane; word- of-mouth referrals are what drive business today. People trust the recommendation of a friend, family member, colleague, or even stranger with similar tastes over anything thrust at them by a faceless company.

Effectiveness of Referrals in Health, Travel and Financial Services Industries

Referrals have an impact in all stages of a purchase decision, from when consumers decide which products to consider, to when they evaluating options to when they make a decision to buy.

The reality is that there is no way you can “test drive” a holiday to Bali. There are no in-store samples when it comes to choosing healthcare or financial services. The statistics below show the importance of recommendations and word of mouth in those industries where product/service “demos” aren’t easily come by.

• 50% of the 17 million adults who found a new primary care physician in the past year relied on recommendations from friends and relatives. More than 25% used such recommendations as their only information source. (Center for Studying Health System Change)

• At AAHSA in 2008, a presenter shared statistics from Shouldice Hospital which counted 49% of new patients as referrals from past patients. (American Association of Homes & Services for the Aging)

• 34% of UK vacationers told consumer research group Mintel that they chose their destination on the basis of a face-to-face recommendation. Another 27% used online word of mouth sources such as user reviews. (TravelWeekly)

• And, in financial services, an Alliance Bernstein study of people with a minimum net worth of $25 million found that 100% of respondents used referrals when searching for a financial advisor. (Advisor Perspectives)

Are Retirement Communities Leveraging Referrals?

Like many health-related businesses, our CCRC clients note that referrals are their best sources. Prospects who are introduced to them through current or past residents are most likely to purchase.

So why aren’t more CCRCs taking better advantage of good ol’ fashioned referral marketing?

It’s not because retirement communities or assisted living facilities are failing to earn fans.  McKnight’s Long Term Care News reports that most nursing home workers would recommend their facility to others – as would 85% of the residents of these homes and their families.

It’s not because older adults are stingy with praise. In fact, they are asked for their recommendations with great frequency. Here are some Baby Boomer statistics to consider: A 2007 Weber Shandwick studyfound that 57% of 50+ers were asked to recommend a product or service nearly twice a week. And recommend they do – 89% of Boomers surveyed had given advice on products or services.

What do you think?

Are businesses in general – and retirement communities in particular – spending enough time on generating referrals?

Please share your thoughts … or examples of groups effectively using personal referrals from Boomers and seniors in their marketing … below.

And don’t feel sorry for your local cable TV provider, because television viewing increased 1.5% over the last year. It seems that no matter what size the screen, we are all becoming even more avid consumers of video.

For those marketing to Baby Boomers and 65+ seniors, here’s a quick overview of the types of online video and how they can help you meet your goals.

Types of Online Video

Daniel Sevitt, video expert and regular blogger on the EyeView Digital Blog breaks down online videos for businesses into three types: Viral Video, Conversion Video, and Educational Video. Each has a distinct place and purpose.

1.  Viral Video is hosted off-site and shared as widely as possible (think YouTube). Multiple goals: Brand awareness.  Hopefully bring traffic to your website.

This is a local commercial gone viral, and one of Advertising Age’s top picks for YouTube commercials of all time. The humor and honesty are great.

Keep in mind that no business can say “I’m making a viral video.”  You can make a video and hope it goes viral.  Also, there is a growing trend away from viral videos towards more practical applications in the business world. Eloqua’s Joe Chernov recently called this a “smarter and more sensible use of video.”

2.  Conversion Video is on the homepage or landing page. Goal: Delivers a call to action that is focused on increasing conversion.

When the Complete Monty Python Collectors Edition was released on Amazon, free videos of entire sketches from the show were posted on the landing page, with the statement “We’re letting you see absolutely everything for free. So there! But we want something in return. None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years.”

Visitors spent more time on the page, ‘clicked through’ to more related products, and the video collection shot to #2 on Amazon’s best seller list.

3.  Educational Video is not usually on your homepage. Multiple goals: establish trust and thought leadership; FAQ support; provide tutorials and walk-throughs for processes; increase brand loyalty.

One of our clients, HunterLab, uses educational video for “how to” content.  But an educational video on your web site doesn’t have to be about what your company does for your clients, it can offer other resources that are helpful and relevant. For example, tips on how to properly tie a tie  are found on a variety of websites – Brooks Brothers, Jobseekers Advice and more.  While Brooks Brothers’ slide show is nice, the content might be more effective as a video like this one.

Growing Numbers of Older Online Video Viewers = A Marketing Tool for Today

41% of users age 50-64 are online video viewers; 27% of Internet users age 65+ watch video online. Both percentages are lower than younger market segments, but both show significant increases over 2008, when the 50-64 year old segment was at 34% and the 65+ segment was at just 19%.

When it is used well, video can tell a story, grab attention, and bring ideas to life in an emotionally powerful way, more fully engaging the web visitor. An engaged online visitor will spend more time on your website, giving you more chances to connect and ‘convert’ them to customers. eCommerce group Invodo lists some statistics on how video on web sites increases sales and decreases returns.

Whether your site features video will increasingly give visitors an idea of how modern and helpful it is.  The early adopters of online video have already blazed the trail and taken the brunt of the upfront development costs.  What do you think? Have they proven the marketing value of online video?  Do you plan to incorporate video into your Boomer or senior marketing efforts?

Highlights from AARP’s Social Media Research

* 47% of Boomers and seniors originally heard about social networking from a family member other than their spouse. 

* 70 percent of 50+ers first heard about social media from a child or grandchild.

* 24% of Boomers and seniors who are active in social networks were introduced to it by friends.

* Women were more likely than men to be introduced by family members (60% to 29%).

* Among adults 50+ who use social media websites, 73 percent are connected to relatives other than children and grandchildren.  62% are connected to their children.  36 percent are connected to grandchildren.

* Facebook was most popular among AARP’s respondents – 23% of their 50+ social networkers used this site.  LinkedIn was #3, with 4% and Twitter clocked in at #4, with 3% of respondents using or visiting the microblogging service.  Interestingly (and most likely driven by grandchildren) 4% had MySpace accounts.

We note that 73% of the 1360 older adults contacted reported they do not use social networks at all.

For tips and more insights about social media marketing and Boomers and seniors, here are some related articles:

- The Age of Social Networks? Mature
- From Social Media Socialites to the Socially Awkward (why one size doesn’t fit all for marketing)
- Untangling the Web: Social Media and Boomer, Senior Homebuyers
- Marketing to Gen X and Baby boomers via LinkedIn
- The Face(book) in the Mirror is Getting Older

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“Reaching a broad audience is still important for advertisers of a wide variety of products, including cars, electronics, household products, restaurants and others,” said Jeff McCall, a professor of media studies at DePauw University. “The need for these products reaches across wide demos and broadcast television still brings those. And the older demos likely have a few more bucks to actually spend.”

Facts about Baby Boomers, Seniors and TV

* The  median age of prime-time television viewers is now 51. 

* Nielsen’s “Three-Screen” report for the fourth quarter of 2009 found that 35-49 year olds watch 35:40 minutes a week of traditional TV.  50-64 year olds (Baby Boomers) watch 42:38 minutes, and “seniors” age 65 or better watch 47:21 minutes.

* The average viewer watches 2,223 minutes of video in a week, and all but 1% of their video viewing is on a traditional television.  (AdContrarian) As the Ad Contrarian puts it, “TV viewership is at its highest point ever and continues to grow.”

* Most viewers don’t leave the room or change channels during commercial breaks.  (Council for Research Excellence)  No reports on how many mute because of the ridiculously loud volume of TV ads …

* A mere 5-6% of ads are being skipped on DVRs.  (DVR Research Institute)

* The median age of nightly TV news viewers across the “big three” (ABC, CBS, NBC) was 62.3 years in 2009.  The median age of morning news viewers rose to 55.2 last year.  (State of the Media)

Is advertising on broadcast TV part of your marketing mix?  Why/why not?

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I’m not saying Boomers themselves are slow.  Baby Boomers and seniors live in Godin’s fast and specific world.  (In fact, Godin is a boomer himself.)  This cohort was adopting new technology at early ages during the rapid spread of television in the late 50s/early 60s.  Seth’s Blog is delivered to me via email, which was itself invented by a Boomer.

The nation’s 46-64 year olds are still at the forefront of technology adoption.  As we’ve noted on this blog, they’re actively involved in social networking and are willing to invest in items that help them continue to enjoy their quality of living.

That said, I believe most members of the Baby Boom and Silent Generation would agree that a fast-paced world does not mean everything in it has to be at the speed of a texting pre-teen. 

Seth asked if anyone read general news magazines like Newsweek anymore.  While it’s true circulation is declining, there are still many loyal readers.  The majority of news magazine readers are older and wealthierthan readers of subject-specific mag.  The typical Newsweek reader is 46.8 years old (a younger Boomer).  Chuck Nyren has described magazines as a “warm and nourishing” place to fly away from the chaos of our days.

Why?  The world may be specific but studies show that as we age we look at things in context, we look for opportunities to stretch ourselves and our imaginations.  It’s one of the reasons why retirement communities affiliated with universities are so popular.  Lifelong learning is general.  

Each week, I watch (or Tivo) the CBS News Sunday Morning program.  Long form stories are the norm.  I’m frequently exposed to topics I’d never thought of – like that guy who creates art out of bugs, or the explorer who found the lost city of Z in the Amazon. 

4.73 million people watch Sunday Morning with me each week.  Entertainment Weekly recently put the show on its must list.

It’s a welcome break from the fast and specific.  And sorry to disagree, Seth, but I think that in our fast world, slow and general will definitely have its place.

“According to the Del Webb survey, nearly a third of older Baby Boomers plan to move in retirement, with more than 50 percent planning to move to a different state, about 25 percent of them planning to move to a different city within the same state, and less than 20 percent of older Boomers planning to move within the same city.”

So, are we going to see a great movement of Boomers criss-crossing the country in the coming years?  The definite answer is: It depends.

What I find fascinating is that the results are different from the MetLife Mature Market Institute (MMI) / National Association of Home Builders 55+ Housing study which was completed just last year. It could be that the samples and questions are different, but Del Webb concludes that the Boomers are more mobile than MMI found.

Creating Results has spent more than 15 years of marketing real estate to older, more affluent homebuyers, including a large number of premier active adult communities. What we have found is that – absent the high cost of living states and escape from urban areas – only a small percentage of people are willing to move more than 100 miles.

Most people don’t want to move at all and would prefer to age in place.  In 2009, this desire helped turn active adult housing from a sweet spot into a question mark.  Boomers and beyond stayed put.

National studies can provide insights into broad trends, but it is generally not helpful (and even potentially dangerous) to apply the findings to individual communities. Motivators  vary significantly.  It is important to conduct specific research to develop target markets profiles for each community.

We also caution people against making assumptions about grandchildren and children.  For many Baby Boomers, this is a critical motivator.  However, for others it’s just not that important.

We wonder what percentage of the respondents to the 2010 Del Webb study were single.  In our experience, that is a growing market in which prospects often are not as concerned about proximity to grandchildren. In some of the active adult communities we market, 1/3 of the buyers are single and they complain that a focus on grandchildren makes them feel excluded.  They are concerned that they won’t fit into the commuinity.

What do you think of the 2010 Del Webb Study?  Share your thoughts below.

Kevin, a marketer based in Surrey, UK, was responding to the findings we shared about generations and their interaction/support of charities. And he was talking about the need to see that individual members of Gen X, the Baby Boom or the Silent Generation are truly individuals. Better to ask for and respect their individual preferences than assume that one way is the only way for everyone in a cohort. This is a philosophy that Creating Results shares.

But Kevin could easily have been talking about the members of different types of audiences, the regional and national groups I speak to on a regular basis.

For example, last week I made a presentation on “Social Media: Risk and Rewards” to the members of The Coalition for Human Services (CHS) in Prince William County, VA. (A copy of this presentation can be found on SlideShare.) The audience was made up of non-profit organizations and government agencies which serve area residents. I’ve talked about social media marketing with other audiences as well – entrepreneurs with early-stage start-ups, builders and developers, small businesses.

Each time I present this “Social Media 101” program, I find there is a wide range of ages represented. And a wide range of experience and comfort with social media. The CHS audience included:

• Mark Bergeron with Northern Virginia Family Services, whose organization is actively using Facebook and YouTube to campaign for a grant from Pepsi. (Vote for NVFS! http://www.refresheverything.com/nvfs)

• Betty Dean of Didlake, Inc., which connects people with disabilities to training and business opportunities. Didlake hasn’t established a corporate presence on any of the social networks, but they are working on it.  In the mean time, they have been encouraging team members to post updates on fundraising via Facebook. Their last resulted 17% of web site traffic to come in through Facebook.

• Several folks who confessed they are afraid of setting up an account on Facebook because they believe (incorrectly) they’ll have to provide their social security number.

• And staffers from a senior center who worry that their clients will become victims of identity theft if they become active on social networks. (Personally, I see that as patronizing. Why would seniors suddenly begin to overshare online? In fact, studies have shown that elders are typically LESS likely to fall victim to online scams, because they are cautious.)

One size communication indeed does not fit all. But there are some common questions among all the audience members – no matter where they fall on a spectrum of social engagement. The first is ROI. Will this investment pay off? How will they measure success?  What site will give me the best “return”?

To help people understand and sort through various options, Creating Results distributed two handouts. One is a Social Media Cheat Sheet that provides descriptions and data on popular Social Media websites. The second is a Social Media Survival Guide that lays out a five step program for becoming socially engaged. If you’d like copies, please email social [at] creatingresults.com.

Another frequent question is personal responsibility. At the CHS luncheon, we had a lively conversation about the blurry boundaries between your activities as an individual on the social Web and if or how you represent your organization.

Didlake isn’t the only group asking staff, volunteers or even donors to be “foot soldiers” in the battle for attention of social media users. When you’re depending on others to carry your message, how much control can you exert? Should you even try? Where is the boundary between your personal social media presence and your professional one?  Please share your comments/thoughts below.

P.S. Many of the attendees asked for guidelines or help with social media policies. Public Relations expert Mark Ragantweeted this week about a new tool: http://socialmedia.policytool.net/. It is supposed to help generate policies that “respect the rights of your employees while protecting your brand online.” If you try it, let us know what you thought.