Photos: Communispace Unwraps Complexities and Market Implications of the 'Sandwich Generation'

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(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20091103/NY04052 )

One of the most significant findings to emerge from Communispace's research is that the sandwich generation is more of a situation than a quantifiable age group. Members range from their 20s to their 60s, and the challenges they face span income and geographies. Communispace learned that sandwiched people view caring for their children as a natural and rewarding aspect of life, but feel that caring for aging parents is a stressor that is unexpected, unpredictable and incredibly frustrating. Despite these findings, sandwiched people are overwhelmingly more likely to sacrifice to help their parents, even at the sake of their own children:

    --  58 percent said they would give a spare bedroom to an aging parent over
        their young adult child
    --  65 percent said they would move in with an ailing parent, even if it
        meant a longer commute and/or a new school for their children

    --  77 percent would change their purchasing behavior to accommodate their
        parents; for example, choosing a car with a larger trunk to hold a
        parent's walker over one that is comfortable or gets good gas mileage

"We were struck by how strongly members felt about off-target marketing messages," noted Julie Wittes Schlack, Communispace's SVP of Innovation and Design and a lead researcher on the project. "Advertisements that relied on fear-mongering and sugar-coating were absolutely repellant to people; but messaging that was realistic, reassuring and empowering was seen very positively. Marketing messages have to strike that balance between reassurance and realism, innovation and tradition."

The study also revealed a need for products and services targeted specifically to this unique market segment.

    --  47 percent would like the ability to carry both their parents and their
        children on their health insurance, and 45 percent highly ranked a
        flexible long-term care policy that would cover their parents and
        themselves at different points in time
    --  26 percent liked the idea of a service to dispense or remind their
        parents to take their medication
    --  22 percent liked the idea of a service to install webcams in their homes
        or that of their parents

    --  26 percent liked the idea of airline packages that would provide
        discounts on multiple trips to the same location or offer a reduced rate
        for children

Caring for elderly parents is not a concern limited to boomers; 83 percent of the Millennials participating in this study are already thinking about how they'll handle this challenge.

"Not only did participants suggest ideas for the product categories you'd expect, such as insurance or healthcare, but they talked about the brands and services they rely on across many other domains, such as personal care, cleaning products, and food and beverage," Wittes Schlack continued. "For Millennials and boomers alike, the need for products providing comfort and reliability suggests new opportunities for brands not usually associated with caring for the elderly."

To learn more about Communispace's sandwich generation research, and download a copy of the report, please visit: http://www.communispace.com/research/abstract/?Type=Cultural%20Context&Id=69.

About Communispace

Communispace Corporation is the leader in helping major brands generate game-changing customer insights via online communities. Founded in 1999, the company has created more than 350 customer communities for industry leaders such as Kraft, Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab, Hallmark, Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline and Hilton Hotels Corporation. Headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, the company has offices in New York, San Francisco, London, Chicago, Atlanta, as well as Sydney, Australia and San Remo, Italy. For more information, please visit: www.communispace.com.

SOURCE Communispace

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