December 31st, 2009 
admin Baby Boomers have always enjoyed a privileged position in society, and they are used to being catered to by others around them – whether the others were parents, teachers, or merchants and advertisers.
Having started life in affluent post-World War II nuclear families, and having worked for many years to establish their own personal financial security, they’ve already satisfied the basic levels of Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy: physiological needs, safety needs, and many of their social needs and self-esteem needs. But, in doing so, many Boomers had to spend years working in corporate America where they had to subjugate their true underlying passions to the day-to-day needs of the business world and the financial needs of their growing families.
Consequently, as they approach retirement, they want to make up for any opportunities, dreams or goals that they missed out on during their working years. They now have different motivations than they did during their younger years. As increasing numbers of Boomers move into retirement, they are most focused on meeting their self-actualization needs. They are interested in “being” who they really are, and developing (or expressing) their full potentials in life. In other words, they are primarily interested in self-actualization.
This means that they are more intrinsically motivated than extrinsically motivated. They are self-directed and self-driven. They will happily undertake activities, and make choices, that many would have avoided in their younger years for fear of what others might think. Many of the things that would have bothered them – or even stopped them – in earlier years, don’t even register a blip on the radar screen anymore. They’ve mellowed, and they’re happily traveling the road to inner peace.
For many Baby Boomers, that path to self-actualization may mean starting their own business, going back to school to get an advanced degree, globe trotting around the world, or pursuing a variety of other artistic or cultural passions.
Smart advertisers will recognize that Boomers are still an incredible force in the economy, with enormous purchasing power, and will tailor their products and services – as well as their advertisements and marketing campaigns, their websites, and their social networks to the Baby Boomer generational cohort in ways that help them achieve their dreams and goals, save them time, and/or provide them with interesting life experiences.
One way to expand your horizons and increase your finances is by starting an online business – but, don’t put the cart before the horse! Get some training in online marketing first! Check out the Online Success for Beginners course. (Not just for beginners!)
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