Silver is the new gold when it comes to targeting Baby Boomers.
Demographically, the generation remains as attractive as ever to marketers—8,000 to 10,000 Boomers turn 50 every day, while another 8,000 to 10,000 hit 60.
Psychographically, though, the recession has significantly impacted the thinking of this once free-spending generation, particularly the ways in which they approach aging, appearance and buying beauty products.
“The Boomers have always been bifurcated,” says Geoff Meredith, president of Lifestage Matrix Marketing. “They’ve had the selfobsession and narcissism on the one hand, but they’ve also always been about values, goals and causes, on the other.
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“That side is going to come to the fore now,” he says, “and the narcissism is going to recede.” The me generation, it seems, has become we. The implications for beauty are clear. The group that once gulped freely from the fountain of youth has decided that aging gracefully is the ultimate elixir.
“The conversation has changed. It’s not about trying to look young. It’s about trying to look as good as you can for your age,” says Leslie Jane Seymour, the editor in chief of More magazine, which is targeted to women ages 40 to 55. “The recession has made everybody rethink everything and there’s a desire to get back to authenticity and honesty and a realization of what we have control over and what we don’t,” she continues.
As an example, Seymour cites the magazine’s best-selling covers as of late—actress Holly Hunter and swimmer Dara Torres. While each is undoubtably attractive, neither personifies the ideals of conventional beauty—and that’s the point. “There is an authenticity there. People don’t feel like they’re fake or affected and that’s what women are reaching for,” Seymour says. More’s cover-line language has also undergone a perceptible shift. “Antiaging used to be a big word on our cover and we don’t really use it anymore—I can’t tell you that it moves issues,” she says. “Now what does well is a line like ‘How to Be Healthy in 20 Years.’”
“Boomers until now have been characterized by this youth emulating, youth striving in their choices of apparel and notions of beauty and fitness,” agrees Meredith. “That’s going to change. There is a real shift from trying to look and act young to embracing age. Gray has become cool.”
Some companies, such as Kaiser Permanente with its “When I Grow Up” campaign starring women in their 60s, 70s and 80s, and Dove with its Pro-Age brand marketing, are at the vanguard of featuring age-appropriate models in their ads. Because the Boomers are still estimated to have about $2.3 trillion in annual spending power, such efforts are only expected to multiply.
“Women like to have aspirational views of themselves, but they don’t want to be 55 and see someone who is being portrayed as one of their peers and is clearly 30,” says Brent Green, whose eponymous consultancy specializes in marketing to Boomers. “As they become more comfortable with aging, they’re turned off by marketers that improperly present them in an unrealistic, Photoshopped light or ignore them altogether.”
“These women are rewriting the rules,” agrees Daniel Giles, senior vice president of marketing for Perricone MD. “You have to speak to them in a different way. They don’t want to hear that they’re not going to get wrinkles. They have wrinkles. They’re interested in moving on to the next stage of their lives and receiving a message that’s relevant to their lifestyle.”
That’s not to say Boomers aren’t interested in skin care and cosmetics—and the positive effects they can have on one’s appearance. “They still want the benefits, be it to mitigate wrinkles or protect against the sun,” says Green. “But the marketing message is a functional one. The claims are towards the health connotations rather than the glamour message.
“Price is now driving the market over luxury brand image,” he continues. “It is not smart to market a beauty product as an indulgence. ‘You deserve it, you earned it’ is not a good message in today’s marketplace.”
With ever-shrinking 401(k)s and the continued decline of the housing market, the age of accumulation is over. “The recession has had a huge impact on the mentality of people spending money,” says Pamela Baxter, president and chief executive officer of LVMH Perfumes & Cosmetics N.A. “The new mentality is to make a virtue out of value shopping. It’s no longer about keeping up with the Joneses. It’s about outsmarting the Joneses. How can I maintain my lifestyle—or the appearance of it—and spend 50 percent less?”
The attitudinal shift toward value hasn’t killed the luxury market—but it has significantly altered it. In skin care, for example, one brand marketer notes that, while its skin care line priced in the $100 to $150 range has posted double-digit growth this year, its higher-ticket items, with price tags around $350, have experienced a slowdown.
As with many categories, there’s been a perceptible movement toward trading down, particularly when it comes to the basics. “We’re seeing a change from the days of the customer having four or five items in her beauty regime,” says Melinda Wells-DeRocher, President and CEO of Cosmetic Dermatology Inc., which markets Dr. Brandt Skincare. “She’s looking for targeted products, not just a basic moisturizer. She will buy
for problem solution—neck, eyes, the folds by the mouth—these continue to grow, but we’re seeing letup in the very high-end creams.”
Take, for example, the success of Latisse, the prescription-only eyelash growth product produced by Allergan. Targeted to Boomers, the company expects it to reach sales this year of $60 million—despite the $100-plus cost for a monthlong supply.
“As you get older, your lashes get thin and skimpy and you can’t use mascara because it flakes right off,” says Sandy Linter, who is Lancôme’s beauty-at-any-age expert.
“Latisse gave me the lashes of a 35 year old,” continues the makeup artist, who is in her 60s. “We
get excited about products that really work for us.”
Whatever the product, that excitement results in sales. “They’re willing to spend money when the product works and they feel like it really targets their needs,” agrees Tomoko Yamagishi-Dressler, Vice President of Marketing at Shiseido Cosmetics America. “Our message has to be much more targeted.”
To that end, when Shiseido launched Benefiance NutriPerfect skin care, its message centered on nutrition and the vitamin-packed formulas in the range. “We know from market research and focus groups that [Boomers’] primary concern is health and nutrition,” says Yamagishi-Dressler. “We also know that they really value experience and ritual, so from the packaging design to the texture of the product and even the scent, everything was tailored to their concerns and needs.”
That level of detail is a given when dealing with Boomers. Their spending patterns may be decreasing, but that hasn’t lessened the litany of age-related appearance concerns—wrinkling, discoloration and pigmentation issues, pore size, radiance and hormonal-related problems top the list. Efficacy expectations have increased exponentially, as well, particularly as ingredient technology has become more sophisticated. “Years ago, women in this age group wore makeup and were in the mode of hiding things,” says Fredric Brandt, a celebrity dermatologist whose skin care line helped kick off the doctor-brand phenomenon. “Now people want a natural look and don’t want to feel like they have to put on heavy makeup.
“People are looking for new ingredients and better results,” he continues. “Technology is driving demand and the bar of expectation is set higher.”
The Internet has also proven to be a huge influencer for Boomers, particularly within the last couple of years. “This is a much more educated consumer. They don’t take anything at face value,” says Perricone MD’s Giles. “They’ll take the information you give them and Google it or buy a book. They’ll do the extra work to find out what they want to know and develop a point of view.” That interest is manifesting itself in both e-commerce sales as well as information dissemination. In his online Q&A forums, Nicholas Perricone, the dermatologist behind the brand, receives between 500 and 800 questions—weekly—according to Giles.
“E-commerce to this group is really important,” says Baxter. “They are spending more time online than they are watching TV, almost 13 hours a week. They spend $7 billion online annually. They are time starved and comfortable with the Internet.” In the spring, Dior will introduce an e-commerce site for beauty—and not a moment too soon, says Baxter. “Boomers are not getting older, they’re getting younger,” she says. “And we are used to being catered to, used to feeling special and used to wanting something just for us.”
Beauty marketers have answered the call with a slew of fall launches targeted toward the 50-plus group (see below). And despite the continuing precariousness of the economy, most agree that such products will continue to drive the entire skin care category. “We’re continuing to see an infl ux of antiaging treatments,” says Yamagishi-Dressler. “The interest from this generation will drive the growth of the category in different price points, different textures, different formats. Going forward, this generation will have more choices than even now, which is great for overall growth. The more choices people have, the more apt they are to purchase.”
SONIC BOOM: THESE POTENT ANTIAGING TREATMENTS CREDIT NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND NATURAL INGREDIENTS FOR THEIR ABILITIES TO TURN BACK THE CLOCK.
LA PRAIRIE CELLULAR RADIANCE NIGHT CREAM
A moisture-binding complex works with soothing nightblooming flowers, skin tightening oat kernel extract and a five-ceramide complex to prevent enzyme damage and help rebuild the skin’s lipid barrier. Liquid crystals and mica add a luminous effect and a subtle glow. $570 (Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks)
SHISEIDO FUTURE SOLUTIONS LX NIGHT TOTAL REGENERATING CREAM
Harnessing the potency of plants, this cream utilizes protective green tea, skin tightening super yeast extract and super bio-hyaluronic acid to give older skin a surge of hydration. The vitamin packed formula also contains extracts of protective star fruit, mineral-rich okra and microcirculation promoting angelica root. $260
(Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom)
LANCASTER RETINOLOGY TOTAL AGE SOLUTION HIGH EFFICIENCY CREAM
A potassium-rich formula that uses special technology to deliver nutrients and wrinklereducing retinol deep into the dermis. The complex also promises to firm and brighten with micro particles of mica and titanium dioxide and micro rock crystals to minimize imperfections. $260 (Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom)
LANCÔME ABSOLUE PRECIOUS CELLS ADVANCED REGENERATING AND RECONSTRUCTING CREAM SPF 15
This antiager promises a denser, more supple complexion, reduced wrinkles and increased radiance. Key ingredients include apple lystate to protect from UV damage, ceramide to reduce brown spots and soy and chestnut seed extracts to firm. $145 (Lancôme counters & boutiques)
DR. BRANDT TIME ARREST CRÈME
A new platinum delivery system carries the active ingredients for facial restructuring and diminished sagging into the dermis. The hydrating treatment can be used morning and night to improve elasticity and counteract skin’s loss of firmness. $100 (Sephora)
SENSAI CELLULAR PERFORMANCE WRINKLE REPAIR ESSENCE
This lightweight serum’s star ingredient, moon peach leaf extract, works to restore and balance collagen levels
in sagging skin. Extracts of shilan, derived from purple orchid, and koishumaru silk optimize epidermal turnover and add moisturizing properties. $180 (Bergdorf Goodman)
SHU UEMURA RED:JUVENUS INTENSE VITALIZING CONCENTRATE
This gel features the ancient Japanese herb amalaki, as well as pomegranate and tomato-derived lycopene,
to combat the aging effects of UV rays and environmental aggressors. The red ingredients work in tandem to increase activity within cell membranes and stimulate nutrient flow. $85 (Shu Uemura counters)
PERRICONE MD COLD PLASMA
This powerful cocktail of brightening amino acids, protective DHA and a neuropeptide technology slows the aging process and promises an immediate lifting effect. A patented ionic suspension carrier system delivers vital nutrients into each cell, according to the company. $150 (Nordstrom, Perricone MD, Sephora)
ELIZABETH ARDEN PREVAGE ULTRA PROTECTION ANTI-AGING MOISTURIZER SPF 30
The antioxidant idebenone is the hero in this lotion that purports to neutralize free radicals and provide superior hydration and sun protection. It also claims to diminish existing sun damage, and has been endorsed by the Skin Cancer Foundation Seal Recommendation Program. $125 (Bloomingdale’s, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks)
GUERLAIN SUCCESS AGE SPLENDID DAY CARE
With the promise of restoring hormonal balance and natural stability to aging skin, this magnolia-rich face and neck cream purports to make cells behave as if they were younger. The jasmine enriched formula also has SPF 10. $155 (Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks)