Fifty percent of seniors are not participating on any social network, while 47% of older boomers and 45% of younger boomers are not. So while half of older consumers may have no interest in social media, the numbers who are "reachable" is still in the 35-40 million range.

Combining rational marketing value (price and quality) with human, emotional values is why we think companies like Worthwhile Wines will succeed. Boomers will vote with their wallets, which are now attached to their heartstrings.

A friend of mine was recently in Detroit pitching a medium that targets boomers. A very nice marketing woman who will remain nameless remarked that while she loved the medium and the content, her brand didn't communicate "to people over age 50 because they don't have a lot of buying cycles left in them."

Understanding middle-age brain functions provides important insights on marketing to Boomers during the middle-aged years.

If flawless advertising can't help this category recreate itself in the minds (and shopping carts) of consumers, what can? Should it explore new brand names? What if a package of adult diapers was sold in small packages with a brand name like Hanes?

Logic tells us that there is a considerable gap between Boomer aspirations for the third and fourth quarters of their lives and what they as individuals, supplemented by the federally financed social safety net, can afford. The numbers point to a future of lessened material expectations for Boomers.

Marketing needs to be adjusted to the facts that no two people perceive anything exactly the same way. At a time when such terms as "permission marketing," "customer relationship management," and "online personalization" are widely bandied about, more serious thought needs be given to the uniqueness of each of us and why we are unique.

The next time you are frustrated at your inability to convince the young creative director or media planner or marketing client to include Boomers in their campaign, ask yourself if you are abiding by your own advice.

These women are shopping, but rarely happily, and the suffering U.S. fashion industry has its biggest growth opportunity in meeting their needs.

Basic principles of direct marketing such as the use of data for segmentation and targeting, identifying the right media and offer, and developing the right message to the right boomer will assure the greatest success of any Medicare marketing efforts. Go get 'em!