The men and women of the boomer generation who can be categorized as Self-Actualizers are those who come to realize that the messages they received earlier in their lives are not always in sync with their own innate or developing beliefs and values. Often, this departure from their original programming comes about through a move away from their home and family, the influence of higher secular education and/or some kind of crisis, such as a divorce.

As Self-Actualizers, they begin to throw off the messages and beliefs they had taken on early in life to claim their lives to be their own creation. This is a state of dynamic and often uncomfortable trial and transition, as during this stage, the boomer is literally “dis-illusioned,” not only about the people and messages that had previously determined their reality—but about the way they had always pictured themselves to be: the good daughter, the faithful wife, the community leader, and so on.

Even if intellectually and emotionally they have a sense of what a healthier belief for themselves might be, there is going to be a period of unrest and mourning over the loss of their original direction, identity and worldview. At the same time the old conceptions are passing away, signs of new beliefs and behaviors formed in reaction to them begin to emerge. Many begin to energetically explore other conceptions of spirituality and meaning, rebelling against the belief system in which they were raised.

As you may guess, the very messages that worked with this consumer at an earlier stage of adult development “The Believer” are the last thing this boomer man or woman wants to hear now. These boomers are not looking for an authority figure—be it a conception of God in white hair and beard in heaven, or a doctor in white coat issuing reassuring words from behind his desk. Rather, they are looking within for guidance. The smart marketer will know that the central message here is that “you are empowered; we believe in you; you can do it.”

This is the group who is apt to respond to cleverness, cynicism and kitsch when spirituality is embraced overtly in advertising, but only if they are “in” on the joke. The State Farm ad, Insurance is Bliss, would appeal to this group. So would Thierry Mugler’s ad for the new fragrance “Angel.” In the ad, a long-haired angel, part divinity/part stripper, comes face to face with her mirror image—only this one has her hair cropped short. Definitely an image for women gone wild—willing to turn the sentimentalized image of angels drawn from their youthful encounters with religion on its head.

The final archetype is what we refer to as “The Initiate.” This category includes the leading-edge boomer woman we described several blogs ago: the Jean Houstons and Barbara Marx Hubbards who have made serious advancement in their lifelong quest for meaning.
This is the man or woman at the peak of the developmental pyramid who senses the awe possible in the every day. They are learning that the key to a meaningful life lies not in ignoring, forgetting or rebelling against their past programming, but by making peace with their history.

Marketers would best connect with this small but growing segment of the boomer population by extending to them respect. This segment may laugh at cleverness or kitsch when it comes to marketing messages, but what really motivates them is relationship with others and leaving a legacy for generations to come. Green marketing—not as fad but as prophetic movement—gets at this sense of mature spirituality. The trick here is that she will see right through lip-service or superficial attempts to merge spirituality with marketing. Keep it real, and you’ll win her respect, in return.

An example: U.S. Trust gets it right with this woman with their tagline: “She owns a house in Palm Beach, a villa in St. Barts, a condo in Sun Valley, yet, a piece of her still lives on a cul-de-sac in Ohio.”

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D.