Retirements jump and then fall, what brands might be impacted?

Among other topics, Chapter 3 covers social and demographic trends that are relevant to marketing managers. An interesting Washington Post article, “Millions retired early during the pandemic. Many are now returning to work, new data shows,” (May, 6, 2022) describes this trend. The number of retirees in the United States was growing steadily, until the pandemic hit. That caused many older Americans to retire earlier and lead to a spike in the number for retirees. Recent economic conditions (another subject of Chapter 3), including higher inflation and falling stock prices, has reversed that trend.

Scott Galloway used that article to motivate a short video (see below) that you might show in class to stimulate discussion. Questions you might ask could include: 1) What products or brands might have benefited from the rise in retirees? 2) What about the recent falloff in retirees referred to in Scott Galloway’s Chart of the week? Will those products see a decline? 3) What product categories could benefit from retirees returning to work?