If I like a product and I tell my baby boomer girlfriends, chances are pretty good that they will try the product at least once.  That’s the power of word-of-mouth advertising.  It’s one of the most powerful means of advertising.  Why?  Because a girlfriend’s recommendation is a trusted source.

A new study out indicates that fact.  Prevention Magazine teamed up with the Keller Fay Group to study the influence of WOM.  The study, involving some 14,000 women, found that baby boomer women have a higher quality of WOM than younger women.  This means, what boomer women say is more credible and we’re more likely to pass on each other’s recommendations.  We’re also more likely to purchase based on those recommendations.

Beauty and Personal Care products seem to stimulate the most conversation among baby boomer women according to the survey. The top 10 beauty brands talked about are: 1. Olay, 2. Dove, 3. Avon, 4. Pantene, 5. Suave, 6. Bath & Body Works, 7. Mary Kay, 8. Crest, 9. L’Oreal, and 10. Revlon.   

Another interesting piece of information to come out of the survey was the top 10 packaged brands we supposedly talk about:  1. Kraft, 2. Stouffers, 3. Campbell’s, 4. Lean Cuisine, 5. Kellogg’s, 6. Tyson, 7. Weight Watchers, 8. Gerber, 9. Healthy Choice, and 10. Betty Crocker.

While word-of-mouth advertising is effective, it can also have an opposite impact.  Companies on this list must stand up and take notice as to what boomer women are interested in and they must listen to our voices.  That means making a conscious effort to advertise to us directly and not rely on a survey.  Show us you KNOW us because word-of- mouth can also lead to BOYCOTTS!

If you are a middle-aged woman, this is a fashion no-no:

       Don’t wear tight skinny jeans

       Don’t wear graphic t-shirts

       Don’t wear big plastic jewelry

       Don’t dress like your mother

       Don’t dress like your daughter

Unfortunately, baby boomer women have a tough task in finding age-appropriate clothing that doesn’t make them look like their parents–or their kids. According to a survey conducted by Mintel, a market intelligence firm, more than half of the baby boomer respondents said there is a major lack of retailers carrying appealing merchandise, and one-third said stores catering to their demographic have unstylish clothing.

Why is it so hard for baby boomer women to find a decent clothing line?  Why isn’t someone catering to our needs?  A recent article in The New York Times indicated Boomers spend $43 billion a year on apparel.  So it would stand to reason that some retailer would jump all over the chance to be handsomely rewarded by the millions of baby boomer women who are eager to look good from head to toe. But so far, it’s not happening.

When was the last time you went shopping and found the cutest outfit—only to discover it wasn’t in your size?  Or how about finding a nice suit in your size—but for some reason the skirt (or pants) doesn’t fit the way it ought to.  These are some of the ongoing problems baby boomer women face when it comes to fashion. 

No, we’re not trying to let it all hang out anymore but we’re also not ready to be sent into the convent. We have come into our own and the clothes we wear should reflect that. We’re classy, some of us are a little sassy and we’re sophisticated. If we’re in the boardroom, there’s a certain type of look we should have with clothing material that won’t have us sweating like pigs during a hot flash.  If we’re going out for a night on the time, we want to look stylish and sexy.   

I will admit I am one of those women who is still hanging onto too many clothes that I will probably never fit into again—but I just can’t force myself to give them away.  Besides, with the choices that are currently on the market, vigorous exercise may be my best option.

I hear it all the time: “You don’t look old enough to be a grandparent.” As a 51-year-old baby boomer, I am among a growing trend of women who are not only wives and mothers—we are also grandmothers.

Personally, I don’t mind being called grandma by my two-year-old grandson but there are some baby boomers who shun the notion of being identified as the traditional “grandma” and “grandpa.”

Gone are the days when you saw a silver-haired woman wearing their hair in a bun and a dress near her ankles. They are no longer baking cookies for the grandkids and sitting in rocking chairs. Today’s grandmothers are, more than likely, still in the workforce or entrepreneurs. They are probably also more likely to take an active role in their grandchildren’s day-to-day lives.

So what do you call today’s “new grandma”? Is it acceptable for a grandchild to call his/her grandmother by her first name?

One woman describes her mother’s attitude against being called GRANDMA this way: “My mom is your typical white middle-class suburban Southern Baptist Bible-thumpin’ Dubya-suppportin’ Texan. She has big, puffy, shellacked blond hair and wears T-shirts with three-dimensional objects hanging off them. She believes in Jesus Christ, the Republican Party, craft fairs and spiral perms. She has rebelled against Grandma because it sounds `old’ and she’s only 41. She wants her grandkids to call her Peaches. “She’s even thinking of having a peach tattooed on her toe.” (quote taken from an article in the Houston Chronicle 3/20/04).

DIAMONDS! What else?

Did you know that consumers between 50 and 64 years old have purchased more than 8 million pieces of diamond jewelry worth $6.6 billion—12 percent more than the 18- to 49-year-old segment. That’s according to recent statistics gathered by the Diamond Promotion Service.

I’ve never actually thought about the total cost of the diamond jewelry I own because most of it came in the form of gifts from old boyfriends, an ex-husband and parents.

U.S. residents over the age of 50 control 75 percent of the country’s assets and between 2000 and 2020, the 55- to 74-year-old segment of the population is projected to increase by 74 percent. I guess that means the diamond business will be like the funeral business for us boomers.

Another interest fact is that 39 percent of married boomers and 61 percent of single boomers say do not feel guilty about buying themselves diamond jewelry.

I’m curious what the other 61 percent has to say.

Welcome to Boomer Diva Nation! Come on in and browse around. Check out the interesting articles and be sure to let us know you were here by leaving a comment.

Here is where you’ll find some of the most interesting, talented and diverse baby boomer women on the planet. We’re Divas and proud of it! So what is a DIVA? She’s a baby boomer woman who’s Divinely, Inspired, Vivacious and Anointed.

The Divas are all very talented women who come from very diverse backgrounds around the globe. We come from all walks of life and different races and are eager to share our knowledge and resources. We’ve had a few bumps in the road and some detours but we continue to persevere.

Boomer Diva Nation—a nonprofit organization—provides a variety of resources to assist fellow baby boomer women in their endeavors. It’s also a place where women can network. Please come join us!

Charter Members

Linda Alexander, Pam Archer, Angela Betts, Natalie Cole, Cynthia Frazier, Linda Hall, Donna Maria Harris, Kathy Holmes, Gayle Hurd, Karlyn, Betty Lynch, Heidi Richards; Beverly Mahone; Ginger Marks, Carine Nadel, Kathie M. Thomas Kathy Walsh, Debra Shivelely Welch, Gloria Mount, Ora Stearns-Smith and Vicki M. Taylor.

As someone who spent more than 25 years in the news business, I can tell you first hand that racism and sexism play a factor in how stories get told. No journalist will ever come out and admit their bias but if you watch and listen carefully to the way stories are told, you’ll know. Some so-called journalists go as far as to purposely slant the stories told to further their own agendas. Give a listen to Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson sometime.

In the case of the Democratic Primary, it has been a downright shame to see the stories the media has chosen to focus on when it comes to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.  What’s even worse is the name calling Hillary has been subjected to by so-called journalism professionals. It has gotten so bad that on May 23, The Women’s Media Center launched “Sexism Sells, But We’re Not Buying It,” a new video and online petition campaign illustrating the pervasive nature of sexism in the media’s coverage. Please take the time to watch the video and read further by clicking here: Sexism in the Media