We are at the beginning of a new era, a lifestyle revolution that will transform who we are and what we do, as people and as consumers. The predictable linear, chronological life pathways of past generations -- from school, to marriage, to work, to children, to retirement -- made sense when the average human life span was shorter. Now, life expectancy has soared to age seventy-seven and promises to rise further, and we are starting to make decisions based less on age and more on lifestyle and life stage. Maddy Dychtwald, a leading expert on generational marketing, offers a radical new view of how Americans live, work, and buy according to the new freedoms and responsibilities of our shifting age demographics, and the staggering implications for the marketplace, the workplace, and our lives.
Longer, healthier lifetimes have resulted in a dramatic change in the way we perceive our options. Highly educated and independent men and women are finding adventure, challenge, connection, and a sense of purpose at all ages. People now return to school at age thirty-five, have children at forty-five, start new careers at fifty, remarry at seventy. This cyclic approach to life, Dychtwald observes, has begun to replace the old linear path.
Drawing on her studies of demographics, Dychtwald examines how age is becoming less and less of a determining factor in our choices, and less relevant to how we are defined in our own eyes and by society at large. She brings into focus the wealth of opportunities opened up by the new cyclic approach. Providing examples of pioneers on nonlinear life paths, the author explores increasingly widespread phenomena such as lifelong learning, serial careers, the revamped institutions of marriage and the family, expanded recreational pursuits, healthy aging, and "nonretirement."
Based on her years of experience in generational marketing, Dychtwald also investigates how companies might best respond to the ways our new lifestyles are reshaping the workplace and the economy. How can a business satisfy and profit from the new ageless consumer? How can companies benefit from a cyclic workforce?
For individuals and companies alike, Dychtwald's groundbreaking book will open up exhilarating new possibilities.
Industry Reviews
Humphrey Taylor Chairman, The Harris Poll, Harris Interactive, Inc. "Cycles" is a business book which is rich in contemporary anthropology, sociology, and social history. If Rip Van Winkle awoke in 2010, after a thirty- or forty-year sleep, he would be astounded by the revolutionary changes in how we live, work, and play. Maddy Dychtwald's provocative presentation and analysis of these changes will stimulate marketers to discard many assumptions and to think of new ways to meet the evolving needs of 21st-century consumers.
Jeffrey J. Fox Author of "How to Become CEO" If the success of your business depends on getting and keeping the best employees, you must read this book.
Robert Goldman, M.D., Chairman, The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine If you want to be prepared for the new lifecycle revolution -- in your work and in your life -- this is the book to read. Maddy Dychtwald presents a unique and convincing portrait of the cyclic consumer who'll be living longer and pursuing health and vitality with a vengeance.
Robert N. Butler, M.D. President and CEO, International Longevity Center, and Professor of Geriatrics, Mount Sinai School of Medicine Maddy Dychtwald offers a fresh and perceptive view of what life will be like for Americans in the years to come. "Cycles" will help people understand and appreciate the enormous potential of the second half of life.
Ron Christman President, The Concours Group Maddy Dychtwald explains how understanding today's cyclic society is the key to modern marketing. It's time to refocus and stay one step ahead of the ever-learning, multi-careered, ageless crowd.
