Goldman points out that in fact large companies including Intel, Microsoft and Apple are racing to capture market share. The Boomer market, with its disposable income and increasing eagerness to embrace easier-to-use technologies, is growing.

In our next series of research we will be looking at Boomer’s adoption of technology, and what it will mean for consumer electronics makers. Goldman does not just talk about toys, but real tools specifically geared to this market that could make life easier and healthier. With this value-added approach, success awaits for the tech companies trying to tap the lucrative Boomer market.

To read Jim Goldman’s article, Boomer Technology is Booming Business, visit: cnbc.com.

The countdown is on—2 weeks to go: Be sure to watch (or at least set the DVR!) “Tom Brokaw Reports: Boomer$!”, Thursday, March 4 at 9pm ET on CNBC. The program will also air Saturday, March 6 at 7pm ET; Sunday, March 7th at 9pm ET; and Monday, March 8th at 8pm ET.

I think the network did a horrible job of pairing ads in the breaks. Did we really see two spots back to back with men in no pants? Seriously? And neither very good. And back as a theme – hen-pecked men/bad men: Teleflora, FLO TV and the Dodge Charger. It all makes me want to stuff Doritos and finish my Bud.

The International Builders’ Show is the largest annual building industry tradeshow in the country, and the National Association of Home Builders is holding the 50+ Lifestyle Central Suite at IBS. This is a new addition to the 50+ HC offerings at IBS in intended to be a way to engage with the leaders and influencers in the Active Adult Builder community including the associate members of the industry. The 50+ Lifestyle Central should be the hub of activity for IBS attendees that are actively involved in the 50+ Housing Segment of the market. I am looking forward to seeing how this new format works.

If you’ll be at IBS next week, come participate in our panel “Networking Using Facebook, Blogs and New Media to Market Your 50+ Communities Panel”: Social media is gaining a foothold in the housing industry – find out how to make it work for your business. Social media, like signage to your active adult community, steers prospects to your web site and builds awareness and credibility. In this interactive session, find out how to use these new tools and technologies to connect to potential 50+ buyers, get them talking about your community and build your sales. We will be sharing our research on how different mature consumers are using social media.

We have learned over many years of experience that naming is a tricky business. First, it is hard to find a great name that isn’t already in use, with intrinsic meaning, that is memorable to the target consumer. And like any creative endeavor, naming is subjective. Like many organizations (AARP included) Elderhostel had the challenge of moving away from a name that means “old” to something that will resonate with the large Boomer demographic.

The new name has great brand connotations – it is smart, vibrant and says more about the program than “elderhostel” did. But change is hard. Older consumers have very few premium quality product and service offerings that are targeted directly to them. And so there has been backlash – not about the name per se, but what it might mean to program. Older consumers are concerned that programs once dedicated to their style and pace of travel and learning will be overrun by younger consumers who will change the brand experience. Clearly Elderhostel has done an excellent job of defining their brand experience.

James Moses has used the new web site to address these concerns upfront. “Elderhostel has been, and Exploritas will continue to be, a program created for and attractive to older, primarily retired adults. . . Before 1975, older adults had very few organized ways to learn, grow, and experience adventure. When Elderhostel was founded, it was exclusively an organization for adults 60 and over. It was something special, almost a rite of passage, because it provided opportunities that weren’t previously available. Later the age limit was changed to 55, and this change had no impact on the average age of participants. When we launched Road Scholar in 2004, those programs had no age limit (other than the requirement of being legally an adult), yet the average age of participants was still over 60. For years we’ve allowed, even encouraged, people over 55 to bring along their younger spouse or partner, or for that matter, their adult children. . . we all need to remember and remind others that there is a huge difference between “actively seeking” and “not turning away.” Our goal as we relax the 55 age limit is not to change the atmosphere of our programs, but to adopt an open, welcoming posture. We don’t want to turn away any adult who has a genuine thirst for learning, affiliation and meaning, and I believe that anyone who looks beyond the sound bite will agree that this is our proper position and the right decision.”

Very well said, and certainly in the spirit of ageless marketing. Read more at: www.exploritas.org.

The new agency, founded by Lori Bitter, former President of JWT BOOM, is the only completely integrated agency focused on consumers 40+. She is joined by three partners, also from JWT BOOM: Patrick Mercier, EVP Interactive; Amy Ruff, EVP Client Services; and James Wood, EVP Operations; plus an experienced staff of mature-market professionals.

“Maiden Lane is a fantastic location for our crew – it is a stimulating environment without an ounce of corporate underpinning,” laughed Bitter. “You have the beauty of the boutiques like Hermes, Chanel and Marc Jacobs, plus the people-watching at the cafes and bistros. It is as though someone dropped a little European street into heart of San Francisco’s Union Square. When we were moving in, there was a classical opera singer performing at the Gates in the Lane.”

Find Continuum Crew at 111 Maiden Lane, Suite 540, in San Francisco, or online at www.continuumcrew.com.

The Gold Award was announced at the Best of 50+ Housing Awards Gala at the National Association of House Builders’ national 50+ Housing Symposium in Philadelphia, PA. The site, www.trilogylife.com, bested entries by national developers Del Webb and Brookfield Homes.

The site was produced under the direction of Patrick Mercier, EVP Interactive, of Continuum Crew and former Senior Producer of JWT BOOM. The trilogylife.com site has also been awarded an Addy and Outstanding Achievement for Web Site Development by the Web Marketing Association.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumer > 40 is the nation’s only fully integrated communication firm focused on the mature consumer. The Crew has more than 15 years’ experience specializing in new ways to capture the imagination of older consumers, earn their trust and influence their purchases. They are located on Maiden Lane in San Francisco.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumers > 40 has announced that Shelby Jones has joined the firm as a Media Buyer, managing both online and offline campaigns. Jones is the former Assistant Media Buyer for JWT BOOM in San Francisco, and the Media Intern for JWT’s Technology group, also in San Francisco.

Jones has a Bachelor of Science degree from San Jose State University, majoring in advertising and speech communications. She was the President of the Spartan Ad Club, a Dean’s Scholar, and served as the Advertising Director of the Spartan Daily.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumer > 40 is the nation’s only fully integrated communication firm focused on the mature consumer. The Crew has more than 15 years’ experience specializing in new ways to capture the imagination of older consumers, earn their trust and influence their purchases. They are located on Maiden Lane in San Francisco.

The report says that there have been rumors that “younger users are being alienated by their parents joining the service. And this data seems to prove it.”

All jokes aside, my grad school stats text “How To Lie and Cheat with Statistics” seems apropos here. At the very least, this is opinion-bending—at its worst, it is faulty analysis and logic.

Media Bistro chose to headline this article, “Next for Facebook: Early Bird Specials?” While my initial response is some sort of primal scream, this really is “everything old is new again.”

Apparently Facebook’s key advertising demographic is age 18-24. That demo is now outpaced by 25-34 (60.8% growth) year olds and 35-54 (190.2% growth) year olds, and then there is the dreaded 513.7% growth in the 55+ demo.

“That puts a damper on Facebook’s 70.8% overall growth, which looks good on its face but doesn’t bode well for advertising.” (The site also experienced 142.4% growth in Atlanta, but we aren’t blaming the South for its demise!)

Could Facebook go the way of say, radio or network television? Horrors. Not to be trendy, but OMG! When did 513.7% growth in any demographic, in any medium, spell demise? Why are we still having this conversation with brand and marketing managers? Shouldn’t the advertising dollars follow the growth?

The article goes on to say that this growth in older consumers may explain why Facebook is “passing its prime as the preeminent social network.” (As opposed to reaching its prime?)

So, to Media Bistro – do your research. Early Bird Specials are the creation of businesses catering to the WWII cohort. Not relevant to anyone under the age of 75. Read AARP’s research. Or the Pew report on Internet usage. Beware of generalizations or perpetuating ridiculous stereotypes.

Boomers are an almost 20-year cohort, today ranging from 45 to 63 years old. There are nearly 80 million of us, the largest demographic cohort ever. It was only a matter of time before mature consumers discovered Facebook as a tool (not necessarily a social network) and began to join.

Those numbers had nowhere to go but up! (And conversely you would expect younger demos to level off or begin to decline, as they were early adopters or are moving on to the next “big thing.”)

So I ask you, what is the next big ruin for our generation?

The past 15 years have been an uncharted journey. I started learning about the demography of our country and particularly the mature population as I was launching the original Medicare HMO programs.

My grandparents raised me, so speaking to seniors in a relevant, respectful manner was second nature. All the while we were talking to clients about the wave of Boomers who would be moving through the Medicare system. Little did I know I would be working for Ken Dychtwald’s team at Age Wave Impact – the author of the books that informed our client strategies.

Age Wave Impact, and now JWT BOOM, are history. The team at Continuum Crew steadfastly believes in the power of research-informed strategy for engaging mature consumers across all available media. No one does this better than experienced mature market experts.

While seniors and even Ikes, or the Silent Generation, seemed “knowable” for many marketing professionals, the Baby Boomer generation has presented a far greater challenge. Without ongoing research, a thorough understanding of generational influences, life stages, cultural anthropology and developmental psychology, we are a 20 year cohort of endless contradictions. Even knowledge and expertise cannot always explain the hairpin turns taken by the different segments of this population on their way through the aging process.

So when our clients ask, “What are Boomers like?” we stifle a smile. They are both like and unlike generations aging before and after them.

What is surprising to us is that brand and marketing managers forget that the Baby Boomer “boogey man” is everywhere around them every day. Boomers are the people working next to them—in the aisle of the store, in their book club, on their “friends” list. And to know them is to observe them in their natural habitat . . . not just through a mirrored wall in a focus group.

So we dedicate this blog to an anthropological approach to the “pig in the python.”

We are observing Boomers au naturel and interpreting these observations with the help of our research and trend monitoring tools. Join us, and help us, as the journey continues!

Boomers in the Wild is an important part of the expanded services provided by Continuum Crew, which includes consulting, product development, and trend spotting in the boomer and senior space, in addition to the full complement of agency services provided by this team at JWT BOOM. We continue to offer a complete suite of research services, and now have expanded that to listening, observing and monitoring trends in the mature consumer market and reporting those to our clients and followers.

Watch for a new trend report from The Boomer Lab on the top trends for 2010. The Boomer Lab and The Senior Lab at Continuum Crew are also currently focused on 40+ consumer user studies in online media, and our proprietary approach to helping clients analyze their sites to maximize the results of their campaigns.

Join us in a virtual celebratory toast!