Responding to the Baby Boomer phenomenon, Les Mills International has created a new group exercise program BODYVIVE™ to help fitness facilities meet the needs of this highly influential, aging generation.
Everyone knows that the Baby Boomer generation (born between 1946 –1964) is a rapidly expanding market to service. You only need to look at a few statistics to get an accurate overview:
- Over the past 15 years the defining characteristic of [fitness] industry change has been in the population of older health club members(1)
- Taking the USA as a barometer for the rest of the western world, “As of January 1, 2006, this enormous cohort, almost 80 million strong, ranged in age between 43 and 60....Totaling 31% of the US population."(2)
- This market segment in relative percentages is now growing 4 times as fast as young adults 18-34 and twice as fast as adults 35-54(2)
- The majority - 68% - of fitness club members are aged 35 or older, up from 43% in 1988(2)
- a projected 78% growth in available programs is required to meet the needs of the aging population(3)
Yes – it’s big. Yet in the largest western market in the world, Baby Boomers are not being given the attention they deserve when it comes to designing and marketing products and services. Consequently, 10% of the marketing dollars are spent targeting people over 50 years old, while they account for half of all consumer spending in the USA(3). So what do Baby Boomers want and how can the fitness industry help?
A snap shot of the target market
In their current life phase, a large proportion of Baby Boomers are redefining retirement. Many retire early and view retirement as an opportunity to enjoy the fruits of their labour instead of it being the end of their productive lives.
Consequently, they are a group who measure themselves by what they can accomplish rather than how old they are(3). Their goal is to enjoy more for longer and the fitness industry can help them do just that.
This market is aware of the benefits of physical activity. The International Council on Active Aging notes that 98% of 50+ adults surveyed by the American Association for Retired Persons, know that getting enough exercise is important. They are also being incentivized to exercise as health insurers offer lower premiums for more physically active clients.
Further, 45% of adults aged 50-79 are interested in attending exercise classes for people in the same age group and 71% of people aged 55 and older feel that advertising does not reflect their life nowadays(3).
This group is also well placed to prioritize their health and well being. As they grow older they will have more time for physical activity when their children leave home. Baby Boomers are also more stable with an annual house move rate of 2 or 3 times less between 40 – 60 years old than their younger cousins in their 20s and 30s. And from an economic power perspective, they are considered by many to be the most affluent demographic group in the history of western civilization(2).
Attracting the target market
As David Cook states in “The Pig in the Python, How to Prosper from the Aging Baby Boom”, ‘any company that can tap into the health worries of this generation will land a guaranteed and large market.’
As people get older they become increasingly conscious of wanting to maintain their health and productivity. These are the ‘sensible and responsible years’(2) where what you eat, drink and how often you exercise takes up much greater ‘mind space’.
This means that fitness providers need to offer programs and services to keep Baby Boomers well in three ways: physically, mentally and nutrionally.
Group exercise and Personal Trainers are two likely services to help Baby Boomers feel successful in staying active and healthy. Group exercise creates a sense of community and positive reinforcement, which can be enhanced by information on nutrition and in-center seminars on health management. Similarly, Personal Trainers are well placed to foster improved fitness with person-to-person coaching and can share information on critical health elements such as eating well and optimal physical activity.
Marketing to Baby Boomers also needs specific attention. Many images of Baby Boomers range from George Clooney look-alikes to fragile and physically restricted individuals. These visuals do not carry an appeal that resonates with older adults who prefer images of normal people in comfortable clothing(3). It’s clear that marketing imagery needs to include everyday, healthy looking people in relaxed clothes in order to communicate the right message for this market.
It’s also worth reviewing ways to encourage Baby Boomers into fitness and wellness centers by offering different membership options. Program specific memberships or user-pays options have both been used effectively for this market.
Market benefits for the fitness industry
If you were to design an ideal set of attributes for a member, they are likely to look something like this:
- Doesn’t move around too much so they stay with the facility long term
- Have sufficient time to visit the facility at least twice per week
- Can afford the fees levied
- Are results focused
- Want to live their lives to the full
- Enjoy a sense of community
- Are part of a growing market
Such members would enhance retention and hence profitability with the additional benefit of contributing to the sense of community in the facilities they visit.
And these attributes also describe Baby Boomers as a target market.
It can be a win-win for fitness providers. They can be passionate about helping to transform the health and well being of a generation, while receiving the benefits of servicing an affluent growth segment.
A new program from Les Mills to help service Baby Boomers
Responding to this growing demographic need, Les Mills created a new program for this target market. As of early 2007 the first facilities worldwide will launch LES MILLS™ BODYVIVE™. It is a low-impact, 55-minute class, incorporating aerobic exercise for heart fitness, resistance work for strength and stability, and stretching and mobility work.
It is particularly suited to active adult gym members in their 40s, 50s and 60s and will also appeal to group exercise beginners.
Like all the LES MILLS™ programs, BODYVIVE™ is constructed around results-oriented choreography and delivered by motivating instructors to popular music familiar to participants. In addition to taking a great class, attendees will also receive LES MILLS™ nutritional information to help them on their path to being ‘fit for life’.
The program also reflects independent research conducted for Les Mills, which indicated a strong preference for a program for mature adults among club owners and instructors seeking a new Les Mills offering.
Created by a Les Mills program development team headed by Creative Director Emma Barry, BODYVIVE™ has already been trialled over six weeks in 12 clubs in five countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand. Per AC Nielsen compiled feedback, 81% of responses by triallists over 40 years of age showed they were either "satisfied" or "very satisfied" with the class and, importantly, 86% of responses indicated they would recommend, or strongly recommend, the program to others.
BODYVIVE™ has been reviewed by an international Review Panel of industry experts, whose feedback was invaluable in shaping its final form. Among the panel members were Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging, Peggy Buchanan, Spokesperson on Older Adult Fitness for IDEA and Cedric Bryant, Chief Science Officer for the American Council on Fitness.
Endorsement for the program has come from U.S. fitness industry leaders and Les Mills distributors Sara Kooperman and Lynne Brick (who were also members of the Review Panel).
A principal of Maryland-based Brick Bodies and a member of IHRSA’s Board of Directors, Brick says: “BODYVIVE™ combines Les Mills’ world-famous ‘exertainment’ factor with intelligently integrated exercise options".
“This program is just what clubs need to service their growing baby-boomer memberships.”
Renowned fitness education and convention provider Sara Kooperman agrees that: “BODYVIVE™ will be received with open arms by clubs who want to stay in tune with changing club member demographics.”
Should you have any queries about BODYVIVE™, please email info@lesmills.com
(1) 2004 IHRSA Profiles of Success reported by Active Aging in America
(2) Plan for Growth, John McCarthy 2006 – IHRSA
(3) International Council for Active Aging