Show r BABSON'S I t AUTHENTIC If STATEMENT Rorer Koen w Special to THE EXPRESS BABSON DISCUSSES CHANGING CONSUMER HABITS BABSON PARK MASS MASS- Consumer markets are being reshaped so fast so dramatically dramatically and on such a wide geographic scale that I some some- sometimes sometimes times wonder how many of my readers recognize the ex extent tent of the revolution The people I most want to talk to about this are of course those of you Involved In man man- manufacturing manufacturing retailing the services ser ser- services vices advertising or promo promo- promotion promotion tion in general I Personal Incomes Climbing Fast FastOne FastOne One of the key reasons why consumer habits are exper- exper experiencing experiencing such a dynamic chance is the unprecedented growth In personal Incomes During 1963 for instance about a million family units were newly raised into the income bracket of a year or better carrying the total for secure economic group of buyer units to an ume au-ume high of million It should be noted In fact that at least leasta a third of these had incomes of over Also Import import- important 1963 knowledge that ant is the a reduction of in saw marketing families earning less than a year The thing I want to stress about this trend is that It does not mean that families simply imply buy more of what they have always bought but that they are learning to look for bet bet- better ter- ter quality ter-quality goods The tendency tendency toward luxuries and to- to toward toward cy ward higher living standards is also strongly on the In- In Increase increase crease More money Is being laid out for foreign travel better automobiles boats and probably most Important of higher all education As a matter of fact the education explosion Is having a tre tremendous effect on buying hab hab- habits its and will continue to do so se over the years ahead Sales Educations Education's Effect on Searching out the latest statistics I have found that while the population of our nation contained only 75 mU- mU lion llon educated college men and women 20 years ago it now has 16 million And this up- up trend Is gaining speed at a great rate In fact govern govern- government government ment observers anticipate that the educated college will total 20 o million by 1970 and will reach as high as 28 million during the following decade Already estimates have It that 20 of our households are headed by at least one parent with a higher education education tion Add these facts to the In- In Increasing increasing creasing personal Incomes and you have a buying public with far more sophisticated d tastes than ever before especially tally when you consider that the educated college people are almost always in the best salary brackets Hence this growing part of the consuming public must be an Important consideration In your plan plan- planning planning ning for future goods promo promo- promotion promotion tion programs packaging and sales attitudes generally Circling Out from this Center Cente Whenever there is a revolutionary revolutionary social trend as in tin the current outburst of enthusiasm for higher education its effects circle out and sweep along those not directly in in-I in WhIle millions are going go- go going ing to college other millions I not college bred are becoming sympathetically Interested in I cultural objectives Self learn ing is strongly on the upgrade as is evidenced by a massive turnover in paperback books bigger attendance at concerts and art centers increased lib lib- library library use more educational TV programs higher record saes Free seminars on science law painting sculpture and even more highly specialized subjects are attracting larger numbers both in person and by way of TV This is true not only in the big cities but throughout virtually aU all parts of the country Summer the the- theaters aters rare and lust just about un- un unknown unknown known not too many years ago now flourish everywhere I hope that my emphasis on this change of f perspective in inan inan an wider ever section of the purchasing public will be tak tak- tak taken en seriously by all connected with distribution Those who pay no heed to the surge will get caught short in the years ahead Women Still Good Sales Salea Target My final word of advice The enormous number of working wives has helped bring up family incomes substantially sub sub- substantiallY and their paycheck pay independence makes them interested in- in interested in purchases prevIously previously left more commonly to the So it would be smart to direct more attention to the women than ever before when you are staging promo promo- promotions promotions for merchandise usually aimed at the nations nation's males |