• by Karl Greenberg , October 2, 2008

How is the economy affecting baby boomers? Depends on which boomers, according to Chris Murphy, chief strategy officer at Focalyst and Millward Brown.

Speaking at the Focalyst Executive Forum in New York on Thursday, he said common themes of optimism and accomplishment and financial well- being that typified the firm's 2006 baby-boomer survey are gone. Now, he says 70% of boomers are struggling to make ends meet, are thinking short-term, spending more on private-label products, and trading down. "Lower-price retailers have a lot to gain," he notes.

To demonstrate, he flashed on-screen some quotes from respondents to Millward Brown's latest boomer survey: "We are scum in the eyes of the world"; "This has been a big mess since 2000"; and "I am embarrassed to be an American" were typical, per Murphy, who punctuated the point with a grab from Jon Stewart: "I don't know if you've paid much attention to the past eight years, but it has been a shitburger supreme."

Murphy said the firm did its latest study of 324 boomers via both online survey and one-on-one qualitative interviews by Greenfield in August and early September.

Uncertainty is up. Ten percent of respondents to Millward Brown's 2006 boomer survey said they were uncertain about the future; in the latest survey, 20% of respondents in last month's survey were uncertain. Also, in the latest survey--which was completed before September's game of falling dominoes on Wall Street--58% said they have less expendable income than they did two years ago; 77% said they are cutting back on expenses; and 41% are dipping into savings.

Still, Murphy said, one can't generalize. The firm parses the boomer segment into three broad, if whimsically titled consumer categories: Yesterdays, Todays and Tomorrows.

Murphy says Today types retain pre-meltdown optimism, spending and celebration of self. Murphy says these consumers--about 30% of the boomer population--have a higher stable income, feel accomplished and fortunate in life. "They feel they can do anything, are planning well for retirement but are still willing to pay for higher quality," he says. "They are still risk-tolerant and their health is good. And they have a vanity streak to which marketers can appeal," says Murphy.

He says Yesterday consumers--25% of the boomer population--are pessimistic, have lower incomes and health issues, and are "disconnected and disengaged. When you look at their spending patterns, it looks like the other two segments," he says. "If I'm P&G or Unilever, I should be paying a lot of attention to them, too. They buy with clout." He says the right advertising to these boomers should encompass reinforcing and validating messages that they aren't alone and that "most average Americans are just as concerned with making ends meet." And messages, per Murphy, should talk about price and value.

Tomorrows have lower and middle incomes, are "spiritual" with a generally up-tempo view of life, per Murphy. "They feel--even now--that tomorrow will be better than today," although one-third have suffered recent declines in health and are struggling financially, he says. Murphy adds that Tomorrows--some 45% of the boomer population--are community and volunteer-oriented and self-directed, particularly with regard to health care. "Three-quarters of this group go online for health information."

"The key to this group is spirituality and connection: to community, to religion, to information." He said the resonant marketing message for this group is hopefulness and optimism bearing themes such as "A new day is coming" and "Buy local." Murphy says messages that tap into their aspiration for a stable future will be more realistic than the "retire rich" themes of yore.

Per the research, 69% of Yesterdays, 60% of Tomorrows and 39% of Todays are cutting back on spending--principally on clothing and apparel, dining out and driving. "If you are in the apparel or casual dining industry, it's going to be a tough short-term road," says Murphy.

The two areas that none of the three groups are cutting back on are cable TV and beauty. But the survey found that boomers, regardless of group, feel that advertisers aren't speaking to them: only 25% of boomers say they find ads geared to their age group insulting; 46% have trouble relating to people in ads and 53% said ads don't speak to them.