The ignored digital baby boomer

I'm a digital immigrant, as are all Baby Boomers. We grew up with 5 or 6 channels of TV, black phones with cords, and 8 Track tapes. Defined as people born between 1946 and 1964, Baby Boomers are the largest segment of the US population, have the most wealth (despite the setbacks of the last few years), and should have more available time to spend online given their kids are grown and some are approaching retirement (ok, maybe not so much given the economy). For the first time in history, there are more people over the age of 65 than under 5. But reading about technology and business, it seems that the Baby Boomer generation which got so much attention in the 1980's and 1990's has disappeared. They're not on Foursquare, they don't tweet. They've learned to text, at least those with teenagers, and they like iphones but still don't use the mobile web very often. They watch TV on, well, a TV. And the vast majority of startups don't seem to be targeted to them.

Fact is, Facebook only became big when the baby boomers started going on and using it. Zynga's games, particularly Farmville, took off when 40 and 50 something women became obsessed about getting a tractor. The growth of Flash Sale sites (and to a lesser extent daily deal sites) have been driven by boomers. And LinkedIn's valuation (and value) is a direct result of baby boomers connecting with one another. Baby boomers drive the Internet economy, but there is still a dearth of products and services specifically targeted to support them. For example, a recent report indicated that the most expensive keyword to buy on Google is Insurance. Think Gen X or Gen Y is driving that? Boomers have been distracted for the last decade dealing with paying for kids in college and aging parents, with little help from the Internet. Where is a a one stop resource for elder care? A good financial planning site besides Mint? Advice on funeral preparation to help with dealing with lost parents. When marketers start to figure out products and services for Baby Boomers, you'll see another step function jump in E-Commerce and Internet advertising revenue.

Great uses of Mobile

I've struggled with smartphone versus desktop Internet for a while, but now I'm seeing some great uses of mobile that truly address customer needs. My new favorite is a simple SMS txt service - CooCoo (266266) - offered by Metro North. You txt where you're going (for example, Grand Central or GCT to Larchmont), and it gives you the next four trains to that station (departure and arrival). When you're in New York and on the run, its a lot better than fiddling with a paper schedule. They now offer cross-street information through the same service. Now wouldn't it be cool to offer plane and Amtrak information in the same way? How about movie times (for example, Clearview Cinema, Mamaroneck and back comes the next two showings of each movie. Or do it by movie through Fandango by just inputting the movie).

Another good one is "Skip the Line", a trivia game created by Ask.com in conjunction with Six Flags (http://bit.ly/imaQAy). Game does just what you'd expect - you answer some trivia questions successfully, and you get to move up the line at a Six Flags ride. Great use of geolocation to solve a customer pain point. Of course, you have to have an iphone and download the app to play.

These two, plus seeing my daughter's friends obsessively "check in" via Foursquare to get local coupons and freebies, have made me a lot more bullish on mobile.