FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Nancy White
The Natural Marketing Institute
215.513.7300 ext. 225
Nancy.White@NMIsolutions.com

NMI Presents New Research at NCOA/ASA Conference: The Baby Boomer From A to Z

Chicago, IL. (March 9, 2007) –  Steve French, Managing Partner of The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI), presented key findings from its recent survey of American Baby Boomers at the NCOA/ASA Joint Conference in Chicago, IL on March 9, 2007.  Also presenting were Sandra Timmerman, Director of MetLife Mature Market Institute and Rosemary E. Riley, Section Manger of Innovation, Science and Education from Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories.

NMI’s presentation, “The Baby Boomer from A to Z” focused on 26 different aspects of healthy aging relative to Boomers and highlighted all-encompassing insight into this influential portion of the American population.  The 26 aspects covered were:

Excerpts from NMI's presentation include:

Areas of Concern: As Boomers age, the issues that they are most concerned about are personal, rather than societal, in nature.  The top two -- their personal health and financial situation --  are issues for more than half of all Boomers, while the third, terrorism on U.S. soil is a concern for less than 4 in 10.

Brain Health: Almost two out of five Boomers feel their memory has gotten worse compared to 10 years ago and eight out of 10 Boomers (significantly more than younger generations) feel brain fitness is THE most important driver of healthy aging.

Doctor Involvement:  Three quarters felt that their doctor understands their needs and they typically communicate well -- but only a quarter are very satisfied with getting good advice.

Financial Health: The majority of Boomers feel their financial situation will be better in 10-20 years and feel they have met most of their financial obligations. Yet, almost three-quarters of all Boomers fear that a major illness will destroy their financial security.

Healthy Lifestyles: The top drivers of a healthy lifestyle are to live longer, lose/manage weight, prevent disease and look better. Boomers also believe that advances in healthcare are going to extend their lifespan and cure any diseases they may get.

Job and Finances: Two-thirds of Boomers indicate a desire to get a part-time job they really enjoy after they retire. And with many stating they will have part-time or full-time jobs AFTER retirement, this will have a dramatic impact on the employment market and the definition of retirement itself.

Marketing to Boomers:  Boomers show strong brand loyalty to products and services they use and prefer advertisements which capture the flavor of their generation that understand their uniqueness. They also prefer to purchase from socially and environmentally responsible companies.

Old Age:  Boomers feel that old age begins at 66 (up from 65 last year) and half of Boomers want to live to be 100+ years of age. This has implications for retirement savings, health insurance, disease prevention, social security, housing and employment opportunities.

Quality of Life:  Boomers do not want to be defined by their age and are fighting it every step of the way. Three out of five Boomers are maintaining a healthy lifestyle to not be a burden on loved ones, avoid going to a nursing home and not have to take prescription medications.

Segmenting Boomers: NMI has identified five Boomer segments: ARRIVERS (most financially prepared and accomplished), STRIVERS (youthful, active and more likely to be searching for the “fountain of youth”), BEWILDEREDS (not financially well off, disease managers), WORRIERS (female skewed, fear illness, preventive oriented), and PETER PANS (male skewed, life for the day, youth oriented).

View of Themselves: The majority of Boomers view themselves as loving, a family person and intelligent. As compared to younger generations, Boomers are more likely to think of themselves as independent, confident and spiritual.

Rx: When it comes to prescription medications, 81% of Boomers would rather use nutritional supplements (rather than Rx) to stay healthy. Thirty-percent sometimes don’t take Rx the way their doctor prescribed and 65% are concerned about negative side effects and are looking for alternatives.

According to French, “The Healthy Aging/Boomer Database™ was created by NMI to allow us to examine one of the most influential segments of our society, both economically and ideologically. The research is used to identify drivers of shifting Boomer paradigms, determine unmet Boomer needs, explore underlying Boomer attitudes, and identify marketplace opportunities.”

Conducted in January 2007 among 3,000+ general population adults, including 1,112 Boomers aged 42-61, the data is nationally representative, balanced to the U.S. Census, and has a margin of error of +/- 2%  For more information on NMI’s Healthy Aging/Boomer Database™, visit NMI’s website at www.nmisolutions.com/healthy_aging.html or contact us at 215-513-7300.

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NMI is a strategic consulting, market research, and business development company specializing in health and wellness. For more information on NMI’s other proprietary research reports and services, visit NMI’s web site at www.NMIsolutions.com.

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