AARP Goes All In on Gen X. NewsWire

NewsWire: 5/14/21

• AARP is trying to market to Gen Xers with a new emphasis on youthfulness and entrepreneurship. But as was the case with Boomers, it’s facing the challenge of trying to get people who aren't joiners to join. (The New York Times)
• NH: This isn’t the first attempt AARP has made to reach Generation X. (See “AARP Focuses on Xers.”) But it’s the most extensive. Gen Xers, along with late-wave Boomers, are the focus of the organization’s new brand campaign--its first in three years. Titled “Wise Friend and Fierce Defender,” the campaign consists of four TV commercials that emphasize the need for long-term planning.
• The tagline? “The younger you are, the more you need AARP.”
• Good luck with that. AARP’s best membership growth years were the late 1960s and 1970s, back when the G.I. Generation furnished the new retirees. The G.I.s were joiners all their lives: In the New Deal, the armed forces, unions, suburbs, civic groups, whatever. And when they retired, they still wanted to be joiners. This generation of confident "senior citizens" never doubted that they were "entitled" to payback by younger generations. And to any young Boomers who objected, their response was simple: We crushed global fascism, thwarted global communism, and built all of your pleasure-palace infrastructure. And your contribution was ...?
• Since then, the organization hasn’t been able to recapture that level of enthusiasm--not with the Silent and even less so with Boomers.
• AARP officials acknowledge here that Xers pose even more of a challenge than Boomers. They distrust large organizations, they don't like to ask for special favors, and they tend to feel that vast chain-letter style arrangements always end up screwing them over. Can you imagine an Xer proudly waving his or her AARP discount card? Or a retired version of Mike Myers insisting, "Yes, we are worthy!"
• AARP is hoping that messaging focused on wealth and entrepreneurship will resonate with Xers. It wants to get the word out about its mentorship programs for small-business owners and initiatives aimed at entrepreneurs over 50. IMO, the generation that would be the most receptive to this kind of programming is Millennials. Alas, the oldest Millennials are merely 40. Is it too early to start marketing to them?