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By CAROL JEAN BUTLER
Every day another 10,000 of them turn
50, but none of them are getting old.
That may sound like wishful thinking,
until you consider they are the first gen-
eration in history to reach retirement age
Bowling
BoomersA Bowling Center’s Guide to attracting
America’s Newest Senior Citizens

2. 1 1 2 J U N E 2 0 1 0B C M
with the relative certainty that they will be around
for another 30-40 years. These are the Boomers,
born between the years 1946-1964, a population
more than double that of the generation before,
with more money and time to spend it than any
other demographic.
Marketing experts agree it’s time to shift our fo-
cus to those over 50, but be advised, today’s Boom-
ers are most definitely not your rocking-chair senior
citizens of days gone by.
“This has become one of the big age groups of
bowling,” says Laurie Dunlap, assistant manager of
Strike Zone Alleys in Pottsville, Pa. “And the No. 1
thing is the socializing.”
According to authors Matt Thornhill and John
Martin, founders of the research-based Boomer Proj-
ect, now considered the national leading authority
on marketing to today’s Boomers, these “boomer
consumers” put social and physical activities at the
top of their list, and look to focus spending on goods
and services designed to help them stay vital. “I
think that’s why most of our seniors are here,” says
program director Roberta Green of Crosley Lanes,
Wa. “Companionship, a place to meet friends. And
you get exercise.”
Scott Carlson, owner of Country Lanes North,
Minn., notes, “Though a lot of them golf in the sum-
mer time, you’d be surprised by how many of them
are here every week. It’s a big social event.”

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These centers have worked hard to establish pro-
grams for senior bowlers, and it has paid off. “They’re
very instrumental in keeping us going during the
day,” says Carlson. “Great people, and a lot of fun.”
In their book, “Boomer Consumer”, Thornhill and
Martin further the point: “If your company or orga-
nization can help Boomers in their 40-year quest for
vitality, in any way, you will be successful.”
Funding expansions or renovations in today’s econo-
my may be difficult to pull off, but expanding or updat-
ing your senior bowling program doesn’t have to be.
The following insight into today’s most powerful con-
sumers and the “new rules for marketing” can help.
Target Life-Stage
According to the Boomer Project research, baby-
boomers will ignore any sales or marketing message
targeted to those who are “old.” They simply don’t
see themselves that way.
“Boomers have extended ‘Middle Age’ to practically
last a lifetime,” say Thornhill and Martin. They won’t
see themselves as officially turning old until they’re
almost 80.
Now is the time to modify the names of senior pro-
grams positioned to attract this demographic. Success-
ful marketing strategies target “life stages” as a way to
get Boomer attention.
For example, the “grandparent life stage” or the
“emptynesters”offerwordsmoresuitedtotheBoomer
mind-set. When designing posters or advertisements,
use meaningful concepts, positive words and images.
One photograph of someone laughing and enjoying
time among friends bowling will have more of an im-
pact than a list of alley features and league facts.
Boomers do, however, want the full story, and your
website is a good place to give it to them.
According to a recent study by the Pew Internet &
American Life Project, 80% of Boomers search and
find information online, the same percentage as young
adults.
The new seniors are comfortable with computers,
and want easy access to all the facts.

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Customization is Key
Boomers are the group of
people responsible for the over
221,184 possible ways to order
a Whopper sandwich, so a one-
sized-fits-all Senior League isn’t
going to cut it. Today’s retiree
can be at many life stages come
the sixty-five year landmark,
and though alleys with estab-
lished senior programs have
always tried to be accommodat-
ing, today’s Boomer will likely
require even more creative for-
mulas.
“We try to make it flexible for
them so they don’t feel obligat-
ed,” says Carlson, “And 90% of
them are still here every week.”
Country Lanes offers both USBC
sanctioned league bowling as
well as the more relaxed Break-
fast and Lunch Bowls, where
seniors arrive as early as 7:30 in
the morning to sit and have coffee. At Crosley Lanes,
senior league bowlers aren’t charged the lineage fee
if they can’t show up, and at Strike Zone, the senior
programs are run more like socials and are pay when
you come.
“That way they can travel and
not worry about finding their re-
placement,” says Dunlap, “They
can go away for three months to
Florida, and then come back and
still bowl every week.”
However you do it, customiz-
ing packages is a powerful loyalty
builder for today’s Boomers. Ac-
cording to Steve Howard, author
of “Boomer Selling,” once Boom-
ers realize that you can provide a
“package” with benefits resulting
in an experience tailor-made for
them, they won’t go anywhere
else.
Looking Forward
to Volunteer
By the year 2015, all 78 million
Boomers will be over the age of
50, and no one can say for certain
what they will be doing. We do
know that they are accustomed
to being vital, active members
of the professional community,
and that even when employed,
volunteer their time at a rate
higher than that of any other
generation. Give them a way
to give back, such as opportu-
nities to serve as coaches for
youth leagues, and Boomers
will be there.
“The man running our Monte
Carlo program is a volunteer,”
says Green. “He wanted to do
something, so he’s the man
with the microphone, announc-
ing the pins. We give him free
bowling and soda pop when-
ever he’s here, and he really en-
joys it.”
At Strike Zone Alleys, seniors
are sometimes hired as part-
time greeters for busy nights,
and there as well as at Country
Lanes North, seniors help coach the youth programs.
“The tradition of the senior leagues has always been
about building relationships and creating a unique at-
mosphere,” adds Carlson, “And that’s really what the
life-long sport of bowling is all about.”
For further insight into America’s
wealthiest and most influential
generation, Thornhill & Martin
recommend the following as Boomer
required reading:
“Age Wave”
by Dr. Ken Dychtwald. Also producer of
Boomer Century, a 2007 documentary.
For more info: www.agewave.com
or boomercentury.com
“Ageless Marketing”
by David Wolfe.
Download the summary report
“Wealth With Wisdom:
Serving the Needs of
Aging Consumers”
at www.deloitte.com.