By Chuck Nyren
Universal Design, originally developed for people with disabilities, has become a major player in the housing industry.
But there is still a stigma attached. If not for the disabled, Universal Design is for old people – and Baby Boomers (at least according to popular myth) eschew anything that smacks of ‘old’ or ‘senior.’ For them, UD is patronizing, condescending – as if we’re babies again and in need of playpens so we won’t hurt ourselves or get into much trouble.
As home builders, you know the truth: UD is a great blueprint (as a metaphor and in reality) for planned communities, individual units, and any combination thereof. However, a delicate touch is needed when marketing Universal Design to a healthy, vital demographic
ERGONOMICS. That’s not such a negative word to Baby Boomers. We’ve been the fodder for the ergonomic revolution. We almost feel as if we invented it. The concept resonates.
But an ‘ergonomically designed home’ sounds rather cheesy. Using the word sparingly (but using it) in any marketing/advertising collateral is a good idea. For example, ‘ergonomic’ works when describing kitchens, but not bathrooms. Everybody wants a simple-to-maneuver-in kitchen. It makes cooking and entertaining easier. But not too many healthy, active over-fifty folks want to hear about ergonomically designed bathrooms – until they’ve seen one.
Less is More
The way most Baby Boomers plan on designing their future is an important ethos to consider when selling Universal Design. Whether they know or not, a majority of Boomers would appreciate the benefits of UD. Here’s why:
"Baby Boomers think they never will get old,” said Myril Axelrod, president of Marketing Directions Associates in New York. "This self-image will have a lot to do with their future housing choices…Boomers are not considering retirement housing. Instead, they call it next-stage housing.” (Building for Boomers Is Seen as a Growth Market, John Handley, Chicago Tribune, 2004)
The first part of the above quote is a bit tongue-in-cheek. Unfortunately, advertising agencies often interpret this as ‘Baby Boomers want to be eighteen to twenty-five again.’
This is another misconception. That’s because most copywriters and creative directors are twenty or thirty-somethings, and see everything through their own eyes. They think Baby Boomers want to be their age. Advertising creatives have problems understanding that they are merely doing what comes naturally to them: marketing to themselves. If you have employed an agency, be diligent.
What Baby Boomers are really doing is redefining what it means to be the ages they are.
The second part of the quote, “Boomers…call it next-stage housing”rings true. If you analyze how Baby Boomers think about what they want in future housing, you can learn some valuable lessons.
Past generations tended to get excited about modern conveniences that would make their lives easier. They'd walk into a planned housing unit and exclaim, "Look! It's got this and this and this and this!" The more features, the better. The more 'planned,' the better. It was time to start a new life. Time to be rewarded for all the hard work, and relax.
Not so with Baby Boomers. We take most modern conveniences for granted. And we don't want to start new lives, but continue the lives we already have.
Baby Boomers will be anticipating a seamless transition. Instead of "Look! It has this and this and this," we'll be sniffing around for friendly, useful spaces. You'll want us to say, "Look! There's a perfect place for my pottery wheel," or "There are plenty of windows and sunlight. My house plants and indoor herb garden will do fine in here," or "Good. I can put up big, deep shelves for my books and CDs," or "Here's the perfect room for our side business on Ebay," or "Here's a place where I can soundproof a recording studio or entertainment center," or "This oversized back door is great because I can roll my bicycle in and out without squeezing and jerking it around - and the extra-wide hallway means there's plenty of room so I can just lean it against the wall and we won't bang into it every time we walk past it."
These will be the selling points. Less is more. Sound like Universal Design to you?
We've been spoiled. We're skeptical.
And we're a bit jaded when it comes to advertising. Everything is and will be a tough sell. With such a huge emotional and financial investment, convincing us that we should be lugging our lives into a retirement or semi-retirement community will be the toughest of sells.
The common terms used for such places is 'Planned or Active Adult Communities.' However, when presenting planned communities to the public, Baby Boomers will wince at the concept. You know it's planned, we know it's planned (What else could it be?) — but 'planned' may sound too restrictive to Boomers. We don't like the idea of anything 'planned.' We want to do it ourselves, construct our own lives. Let us sustain the illusion - or the partial illusion. Communities are not 'planned.' We do not want to live in prefab theme parks.
‘Next-Stage Housing’ sounds a bit stilted, but at least it’s on the right track.
Some sociology experts predict that semi-retirement and retirement communities will naturally develop personalities based on shared interests. These could be gardening, motorcycles, vegetarianism, the arts, sports-related activities — even a community where the shared interest might be financial speculation.
A truly imaginative marketer will be able to envision for Baby Boomers almost anything in the spaces available. The residents will add the 'more': community gardening, mini-swap meets, fund-raising picnics/BBQs, extra space for RV parking — who knows. Baby Boomers will continue to be a vibrant, creative bunch. Don't try to second-guess us.
What ‘Less is More’ Really Means to Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers do love to read – often chewing on every single word in a brochure, print ad, or web site. They want to know everything about a product. But when all is said and done, they will sit back and wonder if this product or service will complement their lives and help create more choices.
Less is Moremeans more room for choices. When it comes to housing, Universal Design is the perfect template for more choices.
In the next article I’ll talk about my presentation at The National Association of Homebuilders 50+ Housing Symposium last April in Phoenix. What was one of their major concerns? The concept of “aging in place.”
Chuck Nyren is an award-winning advertising video producer and creative strategist, consultant, and copywriter focusing on Baby Boomer demography, sociology and culture. Portions of this article have been excerpted from his book Advertising to Baby Boomers (Paramount Books, ISBN: 0976697319). Advertising to Baby Boomers has been selected as a classroom resource by The Advertising Educational Foundation.
Contact: nyrenagency@gmail.com
Website: http://www.nyrenagency.com
Home
