Bill Novelli - 50+. Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America

50+

Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America

Bill Novelli, CEO of AARP
with

Boe Workman
Foreword by Steve Case

ST. MARTINS PRESS NEW YORK

50+: IGNITING A REVOLUTION TO REINVENT AMERICA . Copyright
2006 by AARP. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever
without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews. For information, address St. Martins Press,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.stmartins.com

The quotation by Ogden Nash on page 96 is reprinted by permission of
Curtis Brown, Ltd. Copyright 1954 by Ogden Nash.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Novelli, William D.

50+: igniting a revolution to reinvent America / Bill Novelli.1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-0-312-35524-1

ISBN-10: 0-312-35524-6

1. Baby boom generationUnited States. Middle-aged personsUnited StatesPolitical activity. 3. RetireesUnited StatesPolitical activity. 4. Social reformersUnited States. 5. Social changeUnited States. 6. Political participationUnited States. 7. United StatesSocial conditions1980-8. United StatesSocial Policy. 9. United StatesPolitics and government2001-I. Title. II. Title: Fifty plus. III. Title: 50 plus.

HN59.2.N68 2006

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

This book is dedicated to
Celeste Novelli and Laura Bickell,
two women who raised families, helped
others, lived long, and left legacies.

Americans deserve a revolution. With people living longer, and the first of the 78 million baby boomer generation turning 60 this year, America is on the brink of another wave of disruptive change. Both as individuals and as a nation, we need to be ready to take advantage of the emerging opportunities that will arise from this change. In 50+: Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America, Bill Novelli offers his vision of how to do that. He clearly identifies the opportunities for change that confront us today and tomorrow, and he shows us what he believes we should do to bring about these changes. But most important, he inspires us to become sparks to ignite a revolution to reinvent America for the twenty-first century... to make it better for all generations.

Revolutions, by their very nature, are driven by people coming together around a common desire to create change. My colleagues and I started AOL twenty years ago with a single, clear vision: to make the power of the online medium available to everyone. The conventional wisdom of that time was that consumers were couch potatoes. But I could see a world where interactivity was ubiquitous, with consumers in control. By challenging the conventional wisdom, we sparked a revolution that brought transformational change and helped usher in an era where interactivity is now a part of our daily lives. We ignited the revolution, but consumers changed the world.

Just as I saw a world twenty years ago where, given the proper tools, consumers would make interactivity a way of life, today I see a world where consumers are put at the center of the health system; where we focus more time and investment on keeping people healthy and fulfilled, as opposed to dealing with the resulting problems (poor health, unfulfilled lives) after the fact, to help people realize the kind of life in the balance they seek; and where we create experiences that truly reflect the uniqueness of their surroundings and the innate desire of people to connectand disconnect. This is the focus of my new company, Revolution, which I launched in 2005. Revolution seeks to drive transformative change just as we did at AOL, by shifting power to consumers. Our mission is to give people more choice, more control, and more convenience in the important aspects of their lives. We dont just aim for a financial returnwe seek to build companies that can bring about revolutionary change in their industries.

Bill Novelli is no stranger to revolutionary change. From his early days of attacking big health and social issues at Porter Novelli (the giant public relations firm he cofounded) to his years at CARE International helping impoverished people across the globe, to battling big tobacco at The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, he has devoted most of his career to leading positive social change. Now, as chief executive officer of AARP, he is tackling perhaps his toughest and most wide-sweeping challenge, yetthe myriad changes America faces as it prepares for the aging of the vast baby boom generation.

Just as I did twenty years ago with AOL, and am doing now with Revolution, Bill is challenging the conventional wisdom. Many people view the aging of the boomers (combined with longer life expectancies) as a huge social problem, but Novelli sees it as a series of opportunitiesthe opportunity to transform health care, to reinvent retirement, to revolutionize the workplace, to build more livable communities, to change the marketplace, to advocate for a cause, and to leave a lasting legacy. While seizing upon these opportunities will not be easy, Novelli firmly believes we can do it. As he writes in the epilogue, We can improve the quality of our own lives, and those of our families, by seizing the opportunities that spring from our increased longevity and our privileged place in the world. But we can also do much more. We can change society and make America a better place for all of our citizens, now and in the future.

I happen to believe he is right, just as Im confident that Revolution will help bring about the kinds of transformational change Novelli talks about in this book. Passionate entrepreneurs are the architects of revolutionary change. Even though Novelli heads one of the largest membership organizations in the world (AARP has over 36 million members), he is an entrepreneur at heart. And he knows, as do I, that igniting this revolution will take entrepreneurs from all walks of life to come forward with innovative new products and services, with new breakthrough ways of doing things, with renewed passion for success and a strong desire to make the world a better place. It will also take much more. It will take all of us doing whatever we can, wherever we are to ignite this revolution. We must all be involved.

Regardless of your age, or where you are in lifes journey, I believe you will find 50+;Igniting a Revolution to Reinvent America bold, enlightening, thought-provoking, and inspirational. This book is filled with the stories of people who are making a difference. All of them, each in their own way, are igniting the revolution. Americans deserve a revolution. And I hope that within the pages of 50+ you will find the spark that will rekindle your passion to do something to help ignite a revolution to reinvent America, not just for yourself, but for future generations.

S TEVE C ASE
Chairman and CEO, Revolution

Just as it takes more than one person to reinvent America, it took more than one person to make this book possible. Many people contributed their talent, expertise, experience, and enthusiasm. While I cant mention them all, I would like to recognize a few.

First, I would like to thank Boe Workman, my colleague and collaborator at AARP, who was instrumental in this project from the beginning. Boe did much of the hard work. We are in this great adventure together. I also thank the talented folks at Wordworks, who helped us frame the book and shape it. Helen Rees was the person who suggested this project in the first place. I thank her for that and for her constant encouragement throughout the process. Also, I am indebted to Michael Flamini, my editor at St. Martins Press. Michael is not just a skilled editor who knows how to make a book better, he also really wanted to do this project and ignited the fire of his colleagues at St. Martins as wellmany thanks to Lisa Senz, Ronni Stolzenberg, Vicki Lame, and all of the design and production people involved in the project.