Customer Reviews

Generation Reinvention: How Boomers Today Are Changing Business, Marketing, Aging and the Future

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Finally a book not only about Boomers but also for Boomers. This book combines facts with solid insight that Boomers can use to help guide the part of their lives that is now vibrant for many years to come. Brent Green is a fantastic writer and this book is a perfect Christmas gift for that Uncle, Mother or Father, or friend who has everything. I highly recommend this book for its clarity and it fully lives up to its great title.

It you are interested in selling to (or just understanding) Baby Boomers, it's hard to imagine not making "Generation Reinvention" one of your must-reads. Green has dedicated much of his life to the topic and is undeniably one of the country's leading experts on it. He's also an extremely good writer and states his case clearly with thorough research on each point. At some point the purchasing power and outsized influence of this cohort will begin to wane. However until that happens (and as Green makes very clear do not expect a swift decline under any circumstances articles in Brandweek notwithstanding), then marketers are advised to keep up on the the wants and interests of this complex generation.

As a member of the Silent Generation, I do not completely relate to all of the Boomer experiences. However, Brent's book provided me with a more integrated insight into their lifestyle and culture. I agree with his premise that both of our generations are indeed changing many antiquated perceptions about aging. We will create new opportunities for businesses and governments to respond to meet our demands and needs.

If you ever sat through a live presentation by Brent Green at a conference like I have, you can not help coming away feeling like Wow! I really learned something important here today -- and that his presentation alone was worth the price of the conference fee.

What are his takeaways?: Useful tips, marketing techniques, and best practice strategies for better understanding Baby Boomers that you can immediately put to effective use no matter what segment of the Boomer space you currently occupy.

Pretty straightforward stuff! Really. Brent presses you to think about and examine your current brand strategy, and what you need to change in order to move your business to the next level of success.

Of course when Brent asked that I lend my voice and review his new book, I accepted without a moment of hesitation. But as I soon found out, it was a more difficult task than I had imagined.

Brent's new book Generation Reinvention: How Boomers Today Are Changing Business, Marketing, Aging and the Futureh is so thoroughly researched, written, and annotated that you almost get a sense hefs delivering a personal presentation prepared just for you.

Generation Reinvention: How Boomers Today Are Changing Business, Marketing, Aging and the Future is so rich with vital information that I found it difficult to decide what points are the most essential to convey.

Should I place emphasis on the chapter Boomer and the Future of Luxury Brands and then delve into the Cultural Creatives and the Boomer Mindset? Or perhaps I should touch upon how boomers are impacting the future of technology, and how Boomers will be impacting medical tourism? Or should I discuss his thought-provoking analysis of generational sociology and theory and implications for marketing?

Replete with case studies drawn from large and small brands alike, which case study do I dare omit, I am thinking. Then again I can play it safe and focus only on the special section Marketing to Baby Boomer Men.

Fact is, there so much great stuff between the book's covers.

So my goal of this review is simply to prompt you to learn more about the book and judge for yourself. You can find a synopsis of the book here, accompanied with a host of detailed reviews from some of the most influential luminaries in the Boomer marketing space.

A statement of disclosure! It is both a pleasure and a privilege to know Brent Green professionally and as a friend. Thus in part the positive review. But I offer no apology. Brent is the real deal. And there are precious few truly authentic marketing pros out there today. Brent Green happens to be one of them.

Martin Diano - CEO, Boomer Authority Association

[...]

Through the double lens of advertising and marketing, Brent Green reveals the influence and determination of Baby Boomers - a diverse and unwieldy group whose time is far from over.

The book is an easy read - deceptively so. And there's a special section about marketing to Baby Boomer men - a subject that doesn't get much play, but should. Most advertising campaigns targeting baby boomer men are insulting, simple-minded, and patronizing. Madison Avenue seems to think that ED, Cholesterol, and gray hair is all we care about. (That's like saying all twentysomethings only care about tattoos, iPods, and video games.) Mr. Green corrects these misconceptions.

Generation Reinvention should be read not only by marketers - but sociologists, historians, and journalists.

If you're concerned about the state of the world and are looking for a book that not only offers a clear vision of where we are, but where we're going, this book is for you. It tells you a whole lot of what you need to know if your are a Boomer, if you are trying to help Boomers, or if you have products or services that you want Boomers to buy. The section on men is insightful and informative and offers a window into the world of guys you won't find anywhere else. Enjoy your reading. You have a real treat in store.