8: Snapshot of Matures
The author defines the matures as anyone who was born between 1946, though he admits that this is lumping two generations together, the Silent Generation (born 1925-1945, and known for "working very hard and saying next to nothing") and the Veterans or "GI Generation" (born before 1925), the former of which are the parents of most of Generation X, the latter of the Baby Boomers. Today, they number about 45 million in the United States, and are largely in retirement (Silent) or convalescence (Veterans). The Matures are mostly retired or are presently on the verge of retirement, and worked for a single employer throughout their adult life.
(EN: The author seems to be somewhat sloppily munging the two together, and ascribing to the Silent some of the qualities of the Veterans - it's a bit of a mess, actually, and as wrongheaded as putting together the Boomers and Generation X simply because they are both past a certain age.)
The Matures came of age in the early twentieth century, when America transformed from an agrarian nation regarded as inferior to the established nations of Europe into a global superpower that led the world in manufacturing and the technology of the time. As a result, many of them have great pride in their country, feel that they were instrumental in having built it, and cling to the institutions of god and country.
They value the notions of doing your duty, respecting authority, and pulling together for the common good. Getting a job, starting a family, being an active member of the community, and showing deference to authority was the path that everyone was expected to follow. They believe very strongly in "Truth, justice, and the American way" and feel that younger generations have abandoned the basic American values
They also have a sense of national identity: "being American" had a specific meaning, and newcomers to the country were expected to adopt the values of American culture or be treated as outsiders. The same ostracism, persecution, and even prosecution were reserved for any native-born American who questioned the status quo. Anyone representing the government, the military, the church, or business interests were to be trusted without question.
The mainstream society was defined and run by white protestant males. Minorities were relegated to manual labor and the woman's place was in the home, subservient and obedient to her husband. The Ozzie and Harriet show was a blueprint for proper American living, which all were expected to follow.
This generation was largely prosperous, having suffered through the economically desperate times of the great depression and the second world war, then benefited from the industrial boom following the war. They earned much and saved much.
As consumers, they are set in their ways - they expect salesmen to do business on their terms, but don't expect every whim to be catered to with a customized solution. Most of them accept the standard solution, and take comfort as getting "the same as everybody else" - preferably from a traditional name they recognize from their younger life. They are, essentially, conformists in their consumer behavior.
In the present day, this generation is retired or on the cusp: by 2010, the youngest of them will have reached age 65, tough about a third continue to work until age seventy due to the recent economic downturn, and live on until about age 85. They are likely to enjoy traditional retirement, which is largely sedentary and convalescent, though they remain alert and politically active, their sense of civic duty remaining strong.
Formative Experiences
The Great Depression and World War II were defining events for the matures, though most of them were affected by the former in their early childhood and the latter in their teenaged years, they were raised in a culture where working very hard and suffering deprivation to overcome a problem larger than themselves was a matter of pride for most Americans, and the experience shaped the culture of their generation.
After a bleak childhood, the Matures enjoyed the economic boom that followed the war. By the 1950s, rationing was over, there was plenty of work to be had, and American experienced a period of rapid economic growth and great prosperity - though to the Matures, this seemed almost too good to be true, and they remained frugal and vigilant.
For many, patriotism was voluntary, though for others it became compulsory: the "Red Scare" made people afraid of communist spies among them, and even more afraid of their own government's tactics in ferreting out sympathizers. As a result, they are conformists who are reluctant to express an opinion contrary to the mainstream.
In the current stage of life, the Matures are at or past the traditional retirement age. A few continue to work in retirement, out of necessity due to the effect of the recent economic downturn and its effects on their nest eggs. Mostly, they are focused on retirement - travel, spending time with family, and other pursuits that are largely sedentary.
Why Are the Matures Important?
The Matures are an attractive market due to their high per-capita wealth. During their working years, they had the highest average household income of any generation living (adjusted for inflation and spending power) and have been careful stewards of their wealth through most of their lives. As they reach their retirement years, they find they have a considerable amount of money to spend, between their own savings and generous pensions, and little time left to spend it.
For certain categories of products and services, Matures are the key demographic: anything related to their age group, which includes travel and leisure activities, retirement homes, health care, and other products. They are an especially appealing market for any product that is tailored or adapted for use by those with age-related limitations.
In terms of age, they should not be written off as convalescents: modern medicine has extended the human lifespan, and many expect to be alive and reasonably active until they reach their mid-eighties.
They also tend to cling to the products of their time, even while the reset of society has moved along. Products that have long-standing brands and anything "made in America" do well with Matures, and they are the vast majority of the remaining audience of newspapers and magazines.
Matures are also loyal customers - if they find a company or a salesman that appeals to their core values, they develop a sense of loyalty across all product categories and keep going back so long as the quality doesn't degrade too much.
Matures are also reachable through the traditional marketing and retail channels: they read magazines and newspapers, watch television, and even take the time to read direct mail fliers before throwing them away. They prefer the brick-and-mortar channel and are comfortable dealing with personal selling, many regarding clerks and salesmen as official representatives of a company that is in business to help and serve them. They are responsive to traditional sales pitches and tactics, as they were the generation for whom these antics, now regarded as trite to younger consumers, were originally designed.
They are also influential within their communities and families. Younger generations, such as Generation X and the Millennials, formed a stronger bond of respect for their grandparents and approach them with reverence and deference that they rarely, if ever, show for their own parents.
Characteristics of Matures
The life experience of the Matures has instilled in them a strong sense of duty, of community, of self-sacrifice, and conformity. The last of those has long been a standard of the Matures - anyone who did not conform to what is considered to be normal is considered an outsider and not a "real" American, and as a result, virtually all members of the generation can be expected to conform to the same basic qualities with little variation.
Matures are used to deprivation, and years of not having much has made them more acceptant of whatever they get. If a product doesn't come in the exact color they want, if it's not quite the right size, if it's subtly imperfect, or if it takes a month to deliver, they will still buy it and be happy with what they get.
Loyalty is also an essential quality - specifically, loyalty toward long-standing institutions such as old companies and traditional brands. Loyalty is an absolute value, and they will remain loyal unless they are severely and repeatedly disappointed. They expect the same loyalty in return: they expect that a verbal promise is binding, and a handshake is as good as a written contract.
They also like standard products: they do not believe that anyone, including themselves, deserves "special treatment" ad a product designed for the masses should be good enough for anyone. Where a product doesn't meet their needs, they will adjust their needs to meet the product.
At the same time, they value product quality, though their definition of quality comes down to two things: it works, and it will last. A product that does both is a quality product. Period.
They are also patriotic and cling to traditional values: to be an "American" is not an accident of birth, but something that was earned by sweat and blood. Citizenship is a duty and a privilege, and they believe that everyone else should feel the same way about it.
For Matures, experience is the best teacher. They are not a very well-educated lot, and college educations are rare, but feel that they have a lot more common sense than "educated folk" and tend to rely more heavily upon experience and distrust anything that seems sophisticated. A high-school drop-out with twenty years of experience is more trustworthy to them than a person with a graduate degree and a few years on the job - though if you have both education and experience, all the better.
Matures are strong conformists - they don't like to rock the boar and think poorly of people who do. Everything in their upbringing, particularly the military culture and the Cold War, encouraged conformity and obedience to social institutions. As a result, they are not individualists and are distrustful of anyone that is - a person who is "out for himself" is an enemy of society.
Matures are set in their ways. While it is often taken as a stereotype of old people, for Matures, it is entirely accurate. They have specific beliefs about the way things ought to be - and if reality differs from their opinion, then reality is wrong and needs to be changed. They have a strong sense of manners and protocol, the way that people ought to interact with one another in any given situation, and there are no exceptions to the rules of engagement.