A new bottom: More good news for Boomer boosters, part IV

At age 50 and beyond, the demographic we refer to as Vibrant Women have progressed through what was traditionally thought of as the bottom of the adult development pyramid. In my last blog entry, we observed that the majority of women in our demographic have achieved the stage we refer to as “The Self-Interested Spender.” Our research shows that this more advanced level of maturation clocks in at a whopping 48 percent. This is the woman who has finally progressed through the self-indulgent stage of knee-jerk reaction to her originally programming in order to make original, independent choices. She doesn’t want to be taken care of (Other Pleaser) or manipulated by marketers into making expensive, trendy choices (Experiential Indulgers.) She is, in fact, the new bottom to the development pyramid.

But if she has made so much progress, where more does she have to grow?

The answer is in the next two segments of the Vibrant Woman market that our research study revealed. These are the segments we have named “The Simplicity Seeker,” comprising 20 percent of the demographic as a whole; and at the peak of actualization: “Value Endorsers” at 14 percent. At 48, 20 and 14 percent, the demographic does, indeed, lay out on the pyramid model. However, we can’t help but assume that just as the least evolved segments that used to form the bottom of the pyramid have dropped away to form this new bottom, so will the majority segment of The Self-Interested Spender ultimately drop away as the women in this demographic continue progressing towards the peak.

As Maslow and others hypothesized, the upwards trend is characterized by the progressive move from concerns about “me” to “other,” not in the needy and childlike way this woman once put other’s needs before her own. Rather, it is a move towards increasing altruism, where the good of the whole is not about protection of one’s self, but rather of the willingness to defer gratification and make sacrifices in service of higher values such as meaning and purpose.

As independent as the Self-Interested Spender may be, her considerations still center solidly on what she wants, her needs and interests. As she elevates into the segment we refer to as “The Simplicity Seeker,” her personal needs and what is good for society converge. This is the woman who seeks quality and simplicity to explore a more authentic life. She says things like: “I am putting quality over quantity” and “I’m making smarter decisions on brands and products that I need and that will last.”

Tell this woman that “you deserve it” or “more is better,” and she will run the other direction. For her, aspirational advertising holds the promise of balance, simplicity and a stress-free life.

And with this, we arrive at last at the peak of the pyramid. For the 14 percent who fit the profile of “Value Endorsers,” it is no longer even about the convergence of what is good for her and for society. Rather, making societal values-based choices trumps all else. This is the woman who says: “I only buy what’s good for the environment and the world” and “I’m freer to support manufacturers with social policies similar to mind, and simply don’t purchase goods if I couldn’t find manufacturers that meet my approval.” To appeal to this segment, the smart marketer will make it clear that they do more than talk shared values—they embody it. We have now come full circle from brands who promise “to take care of you” to brands who ask for her support.

While at 14 percent, this segment is the smallest (and therefore the peak) of the Vibrant Woman developmental pyramid, it is a far heftier percentage than the 2 percent of actualized individuals that psychologist Maslow postulated when he first proposed his model of adult development.

While our own research took place when the recession was already in full-swing, we have already seen evidence that the current economic and societal crisis that impacts our demographic is having an effect. As I noted in an earlier blog entry, it is crisis that has the greatest potential to move individuals upwards on the pyramid model. We have already seen that the least developed stages of development, Other Pleasers and Experiential Indulgers, have become statistically unimportant and that the Self-Interested Spender is now the majority of the demographic, comprising what we term “a new bottom.”

But if history holds true, we can expect that over time, this “new bottom,” too, will have had its day and in fact, I will go out on a limb to predict and advise that marketers in search of the new aspirational motivator look towards “The Simplicity Seeker” as the new up and coming norm. And at a surprisingly hefty 14 percent, “Value Endorsers” are not far behind.

This is not only important news for marketers, but for the world. And what’s more, I think Abraham Maslow would not only be surprised–but pleased.