After World War II, soldiers came home from war, the economy was very strong, the future looked bright, so it time to start a family. And wow, they sure did. In the next 18 years, 1946-1964 over 75 million children were born in the United States, alone. They were affectionately given the name Baby Boomers. There has never been a full explanation as to why, but it may have been because of the baby boom that occurred right after the war. As this group grew up, they created industries and impacted every industry that they chose. And they chose them as one. If one Boomer thought something was a good idea, almost en mass, they all did. It was as if they were all internally connected some how.
Economic indicators are interesting to follow and taking a closer look at the impact the Boomers have had and still have, sizes up the state of the economy. Some say that this group just followed trends, but in reality, this massive crew not only influenced trends, they created and controlled them. The Boomers impacted industry and challenged every company that they came in contact with to just keep up, with this massive growth. Others say that the economic slow down is a case of the Baby Boomers reassessing their lives and making many changes. We will let you decide.
The baby food industry was the first to be positively affected by this incredible growth. Gerber Baby Foods was well into its 4th decade when all of a sudden they were selling over 2 million jars of food... Every day! As this group got stronger and a little older, they found their way into Toy stores and with some interesting, yet silly toys had sales that skyrocketed. In the 1950's, it was the hula hoop, Frisbee and Barbie dolls, that became the Slinky, silly toy, unless you live in house with stairs, and GI Joe. All of these toys sold like crazy and it was only because more and more Baby Boomers were finding them.
Because this crew were finding more and more things to do and try, there was a new need, into the 1960's. This is about the time that the world started experiencing the huge impact this group would have. Music changed. It was no longer Elvis as the Boomers went International. The British Invasion, with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits and The Dave Clark Five, came to America. The concert halls filled. Record sales were exhilarated and in 1962 when the Beatles hit the Ed Sullivan Show, more people watched them than any program prior. It was because of the 75 million strong new generation.
As they grew into their teen years another phenomenon took place. This crowd was always in a hurry, as they were constantly looking for new and exciting things to do. Hence, they created the fast food industry. Got to eat, got to go! McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and the like, experienced sales unlike nothing that had even been considered! In ravenous numbers over 75 million people were looking for the next great thing and these companies supplied everything that the Boomers needed. They offered good tasting food, at a good price and they had it so you did not have to even get out of your car. This was Heaven on earth!!
College became the next hurdle and once completed, this generation had different ideas than their parents. They wanted to be rich and were willing to do whatever it took to achieve it. Work load increased and this aggressive group found that they could not get everything they wanted done by the end of the day. So, the next multi billion dollar industry was the pager. Now people could work and be contacted outside of the office. But, that was not quite good enough. They still had to stop to make a phone call once contacted on their pager.
There is no doubt that this generation of folks wanted money. They work hard and deserve it. But, as they are now in gaining on being in their 60's, things are changing some. Many of them are sick of working in corporate America. Many of them started very late in setting up their retirement, so there is a greater need to work longer. Remember, this is a creative group. So, if they have not saved enough money to retire, they have decided to live longer! It makes perfect sense. Health Clubs and Nutrition companies are having their best sales in their history. More people are working out than ever before.
Over time, that finally started to wear them down. Most were in their early 40's, had made lots of money, but did not save much, and eventually the thought of getting older started to sink in. What will they do? Well, if 75 million people decide to make more impact they will, and they did. They decided that they were going to live longer and healthier than their parents. So, the new wave became Health Clubs. This makes sense. If you run out of time to earn money, then live longer so that you can catch up and have money to retire when you hit 70 or 75 yrs old. Take a look at how many senior citizens are CEO's of huge companies and they still work everyday. And we are just seeing the first wave of Baby Boomers hitting their sixty's right now. And because of this fight to not grow old, gracefully, the skin care and health food industries are experiencing greater growth than in any other time in their history.
So, as the Baby Boomers approach the latter part of their lives, they want to work less, hence the increase in home based businesses, make more money, as they are tired of working for the MAN, want to spend more time with family, as they were neglected while they were voraciously climbing the corporate ladder and to maybe, just maybe, slow down a little.
So, if you grew up during this time, it has been a life of wonderment. You have seen more advances than any other time in history. You have also seen some of the worst times as well. Assassinations of key figures, controversial governing of the country and more. In the end, as Jimmy Stewart says in the famous movie, It's a Wonderful Life! There is much to do and plenty of time to do it, so have fun. Who will be the first 100 year old CEO? Likely, it will be someone born between 1946 - 1964.
Economic indicators are interesting to follow and taking a closer look at the impact the Boomers have had and still have, sizes up the state of the economy. Some say that this group just followed trends, but in reality, this massive crew not only influenced trends, they created and controlled them. The Boomers impacted industry and challenged every company that they came in contact with to just keep up, with this massive growth. Others say that the economic slow down is a case of the Baby Boomers reassessing their lives and making many changes. We will let you decide.
The baby food industry was the first to be positively affected by this incredible growth. Gerber Baby Foods was well into its 4th decade when all of a sudden they were selling over 2 million jars of food... Every day! As this group got stronger and a little older, they found their way into Toy stores and with some interesting, yet silly toys had sales that skyrocketed. In the 1950's, it was the hula hoop, Frisbee and Barbie dolls, that became the Slinky, silly toy, unless you live in house with stairs, and GI Joe. All of these toys sold like crazy and it was only because more and more Baby Boomers were finding them.
Because this crew were finding more and more things to do and try, there was a new need, into the 1960's. This is about the time that the world started experiencing the huge impact this group would have. Music changed. It was no longer Elvis as the Boomers went International. The British Invasion, with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Herman's Hermits and The Dave Clark Five, came to America. The concert halls filled. Record sales were exhilarated and in 1962 when the Beatles hit the Ed Sullivan Show, more people watched them than any program prior. It was because of the 75 million strong new generation.
As they grew into their teen years another phenomenon took place. This crowd was always in a hurry, as they were constantly looking for new and exciting things to do. Hence, they created the fast food industry. Got to eat, got to go! McDonalds, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken and the like, experienced sales unlike nothing that had even been considered! In ravenous numbers over 75 million people were looking for the next great thing and these companies supplied everything that the Boomers needed. They offered good tasting food, at a good price and they had it so you did not have to even get out of your car. This was Heaven on earth!!
College became the next hurdle and once completed, this generation had different ideas than their parents. They wanted to be rich and were willing to do whatever it took to achieve it. Work load increased and this aggressive group found that they could not get everything they wanted done by the end of the day. So, the next multi billion dollar industry was the pager. Now people could work and be contacted outside of the office. But, that was not quite good enough. They still had to stop to make a phone call once contacted on their pager.
There is no doubt that this generation of folks wanted money. They work hard and deserve it. But, as they are now in gaining on being in their 60's, things are changing some. Many of them are sick of working in corporate America. Many of them started very late in setting up their retirement, so there is a greater need to work longer. Remember, this is a creative group. So, if they have not saved enough money to retire, they have decided to live longer! It makes perfect sense. Health Clubs and Nutrition companies are having their best sales in their history. More people are working out than ever before.
Over time, that finally started to wear them down. Most were in their early 40's, had made lots of money, but did not save much, and eventually the thought of getting older started to sink in. What will they do? Well, if 75 million people decide to make more impact they will, and they did. They decided that they were going to live longer and healthier than their parents. So, the new wave became Health Clubs. This makes sense. If you run out of time to earn money, then live longer so that you can catch up and have money to retire when you hit 70 or 75 yrs old. Take a look at how many senior citizens are CEO's of huge companies and they still work everyday. And we are just seeing the first wave of Baby Boomers hitting their sixty's right now. And because of this fight to not grow old, gracefully, the skin care and health food industries are experiencing greater growth than in any other time in their history.
So, as the Baby Boomers approach the latter part of their lives, they want to work less, hence the increase in home based businesses, make more money, as they are tired of working for the MAN, want to spend more time with family, as they were neglected while they were voraciously climbing the corporate ladder and to maybe, just maybe, slow down a little.
So, if you grew up during this time, it has been a life of wonderment. You have seen more advances than any other time in history. You have also seen some of the worst times as well. Assassinations of key figures, controversial governing of the country and more. In the end, as Jimmy Stewart says in the famous movie, It's a Wonderful Life! There is much to do and plenty of time to do it, so have fun. Who will be the first 100 year old CEO? Likely, it will be someone born between 1946 - 1964.
About the Author:
Following world trends and how they are affected, one consider Baby Boomers, so where are they now and what are they doing? For one thing purchasing super grand Callaway Golf Bag .
No comments:
Post a Comment