the new retirement story
TRANSCRIPT
The New Retirement Story in Paris How the Babyboomers Transform Retirement. A Story Worth Trillion Euro’s for Financial Services Companies We remain caught in the grip of a youth fetish. We orient most of our activity as insurers, private banks, banks, pensionfunds, asset management firms, financial advisors … in marketing, in product development, even in strategy … toward the over – coveted 18 to 44 – year – old demographic set.
Catherine Deneuve never retired. We assume, wrongly, that older consumers constitute a stagnant, unapproachable market… and thus we overlook an enormous opportunity. That the babyboomers Redefine Retirement Worldwide. We must understand that the 50+ babyboomer population is growing immensely in terms of numbers, wealth and longevity. And to serve that market we must completely re – imagine the story of our companies.
“Fou, peut -‐etre?”
Julien Clerc never retired. I imagine a stream of new financial products and services designed for the babyboomers new retirement story who seek not to “give in to” the aging process… but rather to confront it and transcend it.
Coco Chanel did’nt retire.
I imagine the development of new marketing approaches and stories of the financial services industry. People that recognize the particular demands and the abundant, fast – growing wealth of 50+ babyboomers.
Charles Aznavour didn’t retire I imagine financial services companies that Strategically Realign their entire organization around serving a population whose members are reinventing the very meaning of “old”, of “retirement”, of “working”.
Ducasse didn’t retire.
I imagine an understanding by financial services companies of all stripes that babyboomers are more than a niche. They are a Gigantic Purse .. where (almost all) the money is. The Babyboomers Myths and Reality Financial Services companies love youth! More to the pointe: Marketing types in Financial Services companies love youth! Implicitly if not explicitly, they develop and direct almost every product or service you can imagine … at grabbing hold of teens, young adults and families, and keeping those consumers as “customers for life”.
Hence the marketing myth ‘It’s 18 – 44’! I have a new story. Reject this myth. Embrace “18 – 44: dommage”!
“We” are getting older. LOTS OF US. Populations in the industrialized world are aging. FAST. And the meaning of “older” and “aging” and “retirement” is changing RADICALLY. An overview of my argument: 1. The babyboomers are numerous. 2. They (we) are astonishingly wealthy. 3. They (we) don’t want the retirement of our fathers 4. They (we) have decades of productive, free spending ‘wild’ years left 5. They (we) are accustomed to being well served by commercial enterprise
6. They (we) are now being ill served by commercial enterprise, the least of which financial services companies. (The older they/we get, it seems the more steadfast, financiel services companies seek to avoid their/our custom.)
This story is big. So must be our respons to it.
Victor Hugo Never Retired
Old Myths About Retirement The Babyboomers New Story of Retirement will rule the 21st century. And we – the financial services industry – is woefully unprepared. It seems that we JUST DON’T SEEM TO CARE MERDRE! LES MISERABLES!
That’s strong language. But I don’t see how the cold logical facts in the matter could lead to any other conclusion. TRILLION EURO’S ARE UP FOR GRABS (in Europe alone) It seems to be a taboo. Getting older. The old myths where a lot of financial services companies fall back on are: 1. 65 is old (or 66, 67) 2. Retirement = Not Working
3. A Life of Ease is the Ultimate Retirement Goal 4. Retirement is an Exclusively Economic Event 5. You have To Wait until Retirement to Do What You Love
Lagerfeld Never Retired. Myths, Myths, Myths.
Do the Math: The New Retirement Story Market If you remember nothing else from this story, please do the math. (you are so good at that in financial services companies). In the western world between 2002 and 2010:
• The number of people between 18 and 44 years of age is DECLINED by 1 percent
• The number of people aged 55 and older is INCREASED with 21 percent
• In particular … and here we face the Ultimate Marketing Grand Tour .. the number of people between 55 and 64 is increased by 47 percent. INCREASE = + 47 % The only proper respons to numbers like this: MERDRE!
“Retirement is the most ugly word in the history of mankind” Ernst Hemingway But what about the money? People of 50+ in the western world:
• Control 70% of all the wealth • They bring in 50% of discretionary annual income
Remember: their mortgage is paid, kids (from first marriage anyways) are out of school, Checks are rolling in from annual retirement income.
Woody Allen didn’t retire at 74 after making Midnight in Paris 80% of them own a home Half of them has a creditcard They buy 40% of all new cars a year and 50% of luxury goods They account for 75% of presciption drug spending and other care. My question: Why are they the target of only 5% of advertising and marketing euro’s in the financial services industry?
Not the Retirement of my Father! In an important sense, the numbers are the least of it. Or, at least, not the most of it. The salient verite about the Babybooomers is this: It represents an Entirely New Story about Retirement Market. Because Babyboomers are … an Entirely New Group of Aging Folks.
Mr. Costes of the Hotel Costes and many other restaurants and hotels in Paris doesn’t retire. They have seen the retirement of their fathers. The future for them? RUN OUT THE CLOCK. NO MORE! NOT THE RETIREMENT OF MY FATHER! The babyboomers in the western world, whose first cohort turned 65 in 2011, have had a Unique Life Story. They have … and THEY ARE THE FIRST GENERATION IN HISTORY TO DO SO … Taken Full Charge of Their Lives. Their attitude, then and now, as summed up in a few simple phrases:
I’m the storyteller of my own life. I create my own legend. I’m in charge. I’am active. I have a lot to do. And I can afford to do it.
Gerard Depardieu doesn’t retire. Babyboomers are not acting their age. And don’t inted do. And the Western World will never be the same. Especially Retirement will never be the same.
My Story: The New Retirement Story There are financial companies in the world who ‘get” this new babyboomer “aging”, “old”, “retirement” story. And they are great cases to tell. But they are just … cases. Isolated events in a … Grand Marketing ILLUSION …that continues to treat Youth as its hero.
They are a far cry from a Strategic New Story. And anything less than a Strategic New Story .. that is, reorienting your company from the ground up to serve the emerging babyboomers new retirement story market, will leave you in the cramped, low – growth world of banking, insurance, pension providing, mortgages, asset management. Review the numbers. If a group controls the vast majority of wealth and discretionary income, then … it IS the market. Which is not to say that my argument here is “about” marketing. Rather: It is about marketing……AND product development AND distribution AND branding AND strategy. In conclusion: Think Babyboomers The Market Think Babyboomers Trillion Euro’s Think Babyboomers The New Retirement Story
“Retirement feels for me like a rejection, being thrown on a scrap – heap”
Was Is Retirement Rejuvenation 65 is old You’re so old as you think and feel Retirement = not working Working for a playcheck You can do what you love Planning your life and living your dreams after you retire at any age you want Retirement is an exclusively Ongoing Portfolio Life Planning Economic event Far more than Economic Event The Retirement Ideal is a Find or create a life and work what you Life of Ease love and never want to retire from Borrowed time Decades to go Old = Miserables Old = The Three Musketeers Marketing Myth 18-‐44 Marketing Legend 50+ Older people don’t switch brands Babyboomers make brands Foutain of Youth Freedom of age Maturity Successful aging: longevity Running out the Clock Re-‐Designing Paris Lost Earning Power New Spending Power I’m starting my poverty I have not yet begun to spend!
Saint Denis: Still Loosing your Head at 90 years of Age. The Babyboomer Saint