Commercial Products and their relation to Baby Boomers and Management

Trend Report

            As Boomers approach mid-life and beyond, their focus rests not on getting older but on how to stay young. Across America, Boomers revitalize the health and beauty industry with an endless quest to hold onto the vitality and looks of their youth. From Botox to Viagra, Boomers will spend billions on anti-aging products this year. “For the 78 million Americans between the ages of 38 to 56, the struggle to cling to their youth has moved from a private war fought in front of the bathroom mirror to a very public, generational obsession.”12  Through this obsession, Boomers have not only created, but are also putting a new, younger face on aging in general. 
            Baby Boomers spend massive amounts of time and money analyzing and perfecting the image they see in the mirror. It is from this social trend that the concept of the True Mirror was born. We designed the True Mirror to help Boomers find comfort in their aging reflection by emphasizing the beauty of their natural, or as the case may be, cosmetically enhanced bodies. Boomers have proven that they will go to any lengths in order look into the mirror and feel confident. The True Mirror is just one way to help complete that goal.

Marketing Mix

Product

The modern styling of True Mirror with its artistic base and curved sides make it an attractive asset for any home or business.  We also promote the mirror as providing a slimmer reflection of one’s self than a standard mirror provides.  Because our mirror has the same slimming ability as mirrors in retail stores, consumers will look just like they did in the mirror when they bought that dress or suit at the store.  We further describe our product strategy through our product line and differentiation.
Product Line.  We will sell two sizes of mirrors.  Customers can order a two-foot wide or three-foot wide model.  Each mirror will be seven feet tall and echo modern fashionable furniture.  Stores can carry our standard colors for the base of black and silver.  For special orders, we will customize the mirror bases with pine, oak or mahogany.
Differentiation.   We bring the mirrors used at high-end retail clothing stores to the home or business.  True mirror creates a more pleasing reflection than current home mirrors because it makes viewers look thinner and taller.  We achieve this through concave technology.  This technology curves the mirror away from viewers and bends light to produce a more flattering view.
We also differentiate our mirrors through their contemporary appeal.  The artistic iron base, lack of frame and curved mirror shape create this contemporary style.  The high quality properties of our mirrors make them unique.  We weld our iron bases to last and use only the highest quality glass. Lastly, because the True Mirror is freestanding, purchasers can place it in any space in a room.

Price

We will sell our mirrors at a price between $120 and $150.  The price range reflects the choice of frame.  Baby boomers have more money than any other demographic.  We price our mirrors less than designer mirrors, but more than the common wall mirror or freestanding mirror.  The price of our mirrors emphasizes the high quality and contemporary design.

Place

We plan on selling our mirrors through a broker.  This broker will target stores such as Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, Z Gallery and Brookstone.  These stores offer quality, fashionable products at prices most Boomers can afford.  The broker will also sell to furniture stores to capture the more traditional market.  We plan on having our product in the all these companies’ catalogues.  We could also sell in the Sky Mall catalogues.

Promotion

In-Store Displays.  At each store, we will have a modern informational display that emphasizes the points of difference between regular mirrors and the true mirror.  The display will contain our three by seven foot mirror with a black stand.  Boomers will walk in front of the mirror and be impressed by their appearance.  We will also have a pamphlet showing the wood bases consumers can special order to customize the True Mirror for their homes.

Catalogs.  We plan on buying premium placement within the catalogs that display the True Mirror with a concise description of its points of difference.