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Design Products for Ageing Boomers

December 19, 2005 Graeme Codrington Boomers RetYrement, Generations, Innovation 2 Comments

Today I had a meeting with one of my favourite Boomers: Pete Laburn, business leadership development guru of note! He was boasting about his new phone. The coolest feature, you ask? The answer: That he could read the numbers without putting his glasses on (see photo)!

Pete has joined the ranks of the fashionably grey streaked Baby Boomers, born post Wolrd War II, and into the 1960s, who are now heading towards retirement (or should that be retyrement). But no matter how much fame, fortune or prestige you’ve accumulated, you can’t stop the rampage of old age through your system. Marketers and product developers need to work this one out – and quickly. Because these are the youngest, richest, healthiest and hippest old people the world has ever seen. And they’re prepared to spend money to have the good things in life.

Yes, even just being able to see their cellphone screen.

And PS, he also suggested that any phone company which kept the interface (buttons, menus, functionality) exactly the same when updating to a new model would also be one that got his attention. Food for thought?

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Currently there are "2 comments" on this Article:

  1. Keith says:

    I couldn’t agree more with Pete’s thinking on this one…extra Christams pudding for him! Give me a phone that is easy to see, use and has technology that works for me rather than the other way round and I am as happy as a pig in mud.

  2. [...] wanting to connect with Boomers should stop innovating, and start listening to their customers. Read that post here. Thanks to Pete Schumacher, my mate at Net#work BBDO, here is a company that was listening… [...]

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