Is Personal Care Geared For Boomer Gadgets?

Boys love gadgets. Girls say they don't but they do. Do either boys or girls want a straight edge in their hand that vibrates like a razor with Parkinson's? Let's go beyond the Fusion and move to Mach 50.

The number of US Boomer Consumers over age 50 is going to increase 25% from 89 million to 111 million by 2016, while the number of 18-49 year old consumers is going to remain flat at 135 million.

Have you seen those razor studs electronically trimming those whiskers like a hot knife through melted butter leaving their skin soft and smooth to their woman's touch? Or the women enjoying a glide as smooth as Botticelli's Venus rising from a sea shell?

Well, that's just fine if you want to target your product development and advertising to a consumer segment that is flat and your real goal in marketing is to steal share.

The last time I figured it men and women over 50 still shave, but who is taking the time to understand the changing dynamics of older skin care or older teeth or older hair.

Now there's a growth market that can be targeted by

- understanding the physical dynamics of body change
- adapting product performance to deliver superior benefits
- using built-in technologies to provide performance feedback
- offering clear, simple, "readable" directions
- creating design that excites and delights.

Every day 10,000 Boomer Consumers turn 50. If you captured those newly minted birthday boomer boys and girls via a promotion at Wal-Mart or Walgreen's, you would be thrilled with the incremental sales.

But if you gave them an small personal electric product that truly met their needs, looked good and felt good, they would be thrilled.

Now that's consumer satisfaction.