BABY BLOOMER AGING BOOMERS MAY ESCHEW CONSUMERISM, BUT THEIR COLLECTIVE SENSIBILITY IS BECOMING A HOT MARKETING OPPORTUNITY.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

The next time Eleanor Brown goes on vacation, she's not going to stay at a chocolate-on-your-pillow hotel.

Not only is she paying $40,000 a year to put her son through college, but Brown doesn't feel comfortable living in a frou-frou world defined by hoity-toity travelers.

``It's not me,'' said Brown, 50, who decided to ditch the decadence after staying at a posh resort in Mexico earlier this year. ``I was self conscious and thought, 'Why should all of these poor people be waiting on me?'''

Such sentiment is exactly what marketers are trying to tap these days - baby boomers who seemingly shun materialism, but are willing to spend a little extra money to have a good time and perhaps even better the world. The generation is responsible for more than $2 trillion in consumption, forcing marketers to realign their strategies and no longer obsess over the 18- to 49-year-old segment.

During the next decade, approximately 4 million baby boomers will turn 50 every year, according to Boomer Project, a Richmond, Va.-based research firm. Connecting with a generation born between 1946 and 1965 will require socially-conscious campaigns that can also be tailored to higher net worth individuals.

``The current mythology about boomers is that it's a 'me' generation, totally selfish people,'' said Jack Feuer, national news editor at Adweek. ``But that isn't the way they see themselves. Boomers are intensely passionate about the world around them.''

There are essentially five categories that boomer-minded marketers will focus on in the next decade. They include personal well-being, financial services, travel and tourism, home and leisure. Each category can easily be molded to appeal to the collective consciousness of mid-life consumers, Feuer said.

Whether it's an organic approach to medicine, altruistic ways to invest in mutual funds, or a travel group with a Peace Corps-esque program, companies are adapting to what they believe boomers want. Eleanor Brown, a professor of economics at Pomona College, said her baby boomer instincts are leaning toward a funky, boutique hotel, or perhaps a little '`voluntourism'' for her next vacation.

The term incorporates volunteering and tourism, a pairing that's been around for some time without much hoopla. But nonprofit organizations and companies are building on what they believe is the next big trend in travel.

Cross Cultural Solutions is a New Rochelle, N.Y.-based organization that offers ``volunteer programs'' costing between $2,579 and $5,173. The trips, or ``internships,'' place people in Brazil, China, Cost Rica, India, Russia and other exotic destinations. Each country has a home-base city where participants can teach English or take care of children at day-care centers and orphanages.

``Many people reach a moment in their life when they no longer need a towel warmer,'' said John Reid, chairman of the organization.

Though he may sound like a jaded corporate executive, the 54-year-old oozes with enthusiasm on the phone. Reid traded his senior vice president title at The Coca-Cola Company for a nonprofit career. And while he is still a two-million-miler with Delta, Reid hasn't stayed at a Ritz-Carlton in eight years.

``I didn't want to think of myself as a tourist; I felt almost embarrassed in foreign countries, and I wanted something I could sink my teeth into,'' said Reid, describing his motives to fully embrace Cross Cultural Solutions.

Aside from travel, baby boomers are also rationalizing what kind of cars they drive. The generation is fond of the hybrid, which combines both efficiency and environmentally sound technology. But there are those who refuse to spend the tens of thousands of dollars on a hybrid. So for the unaffiliated there's TerraPass, a company that funds clean energy projects to offset the carbon emissions from your car.

Lucia Miltenberger, 57, wanted to buy a hybrid, but it didn't make economic sense. She settled for a Toyota Highlander, a car that gets low gas mileage, yet spews the same stuff that ``makes it difficult for us to see the mountains in the summer time,'' said Miltenberger, who lives in Claremont.

To compensate, she sends TerraPass $79.95 a year, and in return, TerraPass utilizes the money to fund reductions in carbon output elsewhere.

But not all baby boomers are interested in eco-consumerism. For them, it's about relating to products that don't require digital downloads or fancy ring tones.

``This is the year when people like Kevin Costner are going to get their AARP cards,'' said Matt Thornhill, president of Boomer Project, who noted that music by Led Zeppelin is now finding its way into car commercials, specifically for Cadillac.

Even Pillsbury is offering cooking recipes for two, trying to capture the now empty-nesting boomer market. The General Mills company devotes at least five recipes on its Web site to couples. Among the items is ``grilled margarita shrimp for two'' and ``rolled pork tenderloin and sweet potatoes for two.''

Mutual fund managers are also attempting to relate to baby boomers. Last year, WellSpring BioCapital Partners introduced VIOLTs, or Vertical Investments of Life Sciences Trusts. The financial products hold shares in companies that are searching for treatments to combat Alzheimer's, prostate cancer, breast cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

The emotional connection boomers have to these diseases is unlike any other generation. And it's no secret that marketing to emotions is one of the oldest methods employed to target consumers.

``And that certainly applies to investments - baby boomers get attached to what they spend money on,'' said David Carson, manager at Finance 500 in Redlands. ``But sometimes people invest too much money in what's hot. And right now, I'd say baby boomers should be looking long term.''

Evan Pondel, [phone]

evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

photo, chart

Photo:

(color) Lucia Miltenberger, an official at Pomona College, drives a Toyota Highlander yet sends money to TerraPass to offset its emissions.

Adam Omernik/Staff Photographer

Chart:

THE BOOMER CONSUMER

SOURCES: Consumer Expenditure Survey, 1984, 2001; AARP

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