Advertising to Baby Boomers

Fun and very wise issue of Smithsonian Magazine for August.

I’m guessing anybody breezing through it will stop and thoroughly read at least a dozen or more of the 40 Things You Need To Know About The Next 40 Years. 

Two that will have a positive effect on business and advertising:

The Age of Peace
Maturing populations may mean a less violent future for many societies torn by internal conflict
By Carolyn O’Hara
Demographers have found that developing nations with “youth bulges”—more than 40 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 29—are 2.5 times more prone to internal conflict, including terrorism, than countries with fewer young people …

“If we know that youth bulges are a big source of violence, including terrorism, it’s good news if these youth bulges are receding…”

All this isn’t new.  I’ve blogged about it many times:

The world might become a better place
The longevity revolution affects every country, every community and almost every household. It promises to restructure the economy, reshape the family, redefine politics and even rearrange the geopolitical order over the coming century. (Washington Post, Fred Pearce)

While a few industries might disagree, it’s generally acknowledged that peace is good for business. Many companies around the world are gearing up for the needs and wants of an older demographic.  A good resource: The Silver Market Phenomenon.

Sabiha Al Khemir on Islam and the West
The museum curator and author predicts that relations between the United States and the Muslim world will improve
By Amy Crawford
… I believe things are changing, on both sides. The East is no longer far away. Also, this new generation, in various parts of the Islamic world, they are modern in thinking and modern in seeing the world. With all the communication that’s happening and all the opening of boundaries, the connections are there …

… People want to know, because they realize quickly enough that the way Islam has been represented by a certain minority, extremism, et cetera, is not necessarily Islam the way it is.

I experienced the above when in Istanbul last March. 

Take a look at more future ‘things’ from the August issue of Smithsonian Magazine.

As readers of this blog know, one of my favorite activities is WOMing WOMM:

The Latest WOM On WOMM (2009)
Wouldn’t it be nice if this were my last post about WOMM?  I think it will be, since prattle marketing won’t be much of an issue from now on…

I guess sometimes NostraChuckus gets it wrong.  Since the above post I’ve WOMed WOMM a few more times. 

And this post is even another WOMing.

Manipulation of the Crowd: How Trustworthy Are Online Ratings?
By Michael Moyer
… The philosophy behind this so-called crowdsourcing strategy holds that the truest and most accurate evaluations will come from aggregating the opinions of a large and diverse group of people. Yet a closer look reveals that the wisdom of crowds may neither be wise nor necessarily made by a crowd. Its judgments are inaccurate at best, fraudulent at worst.

Pulled from the comment section:

This article does not mention paid shills who do the reviews. As a freelance writer, this is one of the more common things that I am paid to do. Yes, you heard that right. I get paid to write articles about "products". You should try going to freelancer.com and see for yourselves the prices of reviews, articles, tweets, blog posts, facebook friends, etc. Your world is a highly manipulated one.

No kidding.

Add to all this the fact that users just love all the marketing and advertising on social networking sites:

Social Sites Lag in Customer Satisfaction
by Mark Dolliver
… In drawing thematic conclusions from the data, the report suggests that the increasing presence of advertising within social media could be a notable source of customer dissatisfaction.

Which makes me dig up this old chestnut:

When it all comes out in the wash, WOMM will be the best thing to happen to (silly retronym ahead) traditional advertising. Pretty soon, consumers won't believe anybody - even their best friends. They'll realize that they receive the most honest and straightforward information about a product or service from a TV commercial, radio spot, print ad, direct marketing collateral, or product web site. At least we don't lie about who we are and why we're saying what we're saying.

Remember this: Advertising didn't die with the invention of the telephone.

But don't believe me. This is just some blog, and I'm just some blogger. Who knows if someone's paying me to trash word-of-mouth marketing ...

One thing's for sure: You'll never know.

Nielsen: This Isn't Your Grandfather's Baby Boomer
Research Titan Claims Demographic's Retirement Upends Old Notions, Younger Consumers Are Losing Dominance
by Brian Steinberg
… Most times senior citizens are still seen in ads selling life insurance or denture cream, yet the older person in the U.S. in the next decade is likely to be anything but helpless and in the market for more than just financial help and medications.

That’s this blog, my book, my speaking and consulting around the world, my articles since 2003.

Like this one:

Boomer Backlash II
… I guess what upsets me about this campaign is not the campaign itself.  I love it.  I see people around my age – they’re entertaining, loose, funny. I’m wondering what the payoff will be. What a letdown.  

Why couldn’t it have been a car?  Laundry soap?  Baked Beans? Gender-specific razors? Aluminum foil? A smart phone? Anything but some age-related malady …

The Backlash: If every time someone over fifty sees a commercial targeting them and it’s always for an age-related product or service, pretty soon their eyes will glaze over, they’ll get itchy and grumpy.

___

Update: Good piece about all this by Eve Troeh of Marketplace: Over the hill but not in a rut

Update: Brent Green’s trenchant take on it all

Engaging Baby Boomers:
Communications Tools, Technologies and Strategies
This Thursday, July 22, 12pm - 1pm EDT

If your target market is the 50+ Baby Boomer and Senior demographic, then join the Boomer Authority™ Association and International Mature Marketing Network (IMMN) for this important webinar.

Register here for the July 22, 12pm -1pm EDT webinar!

Even a frenetic web mole like yours truly often digs every which way – and still misses the big, juicy virtual worms.

Years ago I followed Paul Kleyman’s Age Beat.  Then Paul moved on, we kept in touch a bit – but I had no idea that for the last year or so Mr. Kleyman has been publishing a new resource:

Generations Beat Online
This is the home of the Generations Beat Online (GBO), the e-newsletter of the Journalists Network on Generations for writers/producers covering issues in aging and retirement.

The Latest GBO Issue (July 7, 2010)

This should make my life a lot easier.  I can continue to steal from the best.

A few months ago I changed planes at Schiphol. Tramping around the terminals made me giddy. I wanted to stay. That’s because the last time I was there yours truly and a bunch of us had one of the times of our lives:

World’s Largest Event For Active ‘50 plussers’
… And with only an hour and a half to goof off we only saw about one-quarter of the exhibits, maybe.  The four of us were racing around.  That’s how big it was. Nobody could see it all in one day.

The event keeps getting bigger and bigger.  A report from 50 Plus Beurs 2008: 

Last week I visited the 50 plus fair in Utrecht (The Netherlands) to have a look at the world biggest event aimed directly at 50-plus consumers. My first emotion was again astonishment over the numbers of the exhibits and people present.

What this event really is: Hundreds of mini-trade shows open to the public. When I was there about twenty bicycle manufactures had large booths and floor space. Ditto for cars, RVs, motorcycles, cosmetics, clothes, sporting equipment, vacation spots, gardening, cooking, housewares, houses – the list goes on and on.

The information sheet for 50 Plus Beurs 2010 (PDF)

There’s still time to reserve exhibit space or make plans to attend.

In March I did a day-long workshop in Istanbul:

International Marketing/Advertising Techniques Targeting Baby Boomers

And blogged about it:

The Istanbul Posts
There are 15 million people living in Istanbul – and I think I saw all of them. And I met about two dozen of the brightest … 

Turkey is a vibrant, economic powerhouse – especially  the financial sector.  There will be no stopping them (not that you’d want to).

Over on Nigel Hollis’ Blog, I left a comment about the economy of Turkey:

April 9th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
I was in Istanbul a few weeks ago - speaking to twenty-five marketing execs in the financial sector - for a whole day …

I was talking about the 50+ Demo, showed examples of ad campaigns from around the world.  We talked a bit about branding Turkish products/services for European and U.S. consumption.  As far as banks and insurance companies - how many banks folded in Turkey because of the recession?  None.  That’s a selling point for sure.

The EU: Many European countries want Turkey to join because it’s an economic, political, and cultural powerhouse.  Many European countries do not want Turkey to join because it’s an economic, political, and cultural powerhouse.

If Turkey joins the EU, that will be the bedrock for cross-border marketing.  Then take the products one by one.  Turkey as a quality ‘brand’: the tourism industry.  You’re right - outside of Turkey, you don’t think of their products as quality brands - but I bet that will change if Turkey is serious (and the EU is serious) about EU inclusion.

A few days ago Bloomberg.com and Barclays Capital weighed in:

Turkish Economic Growth Accelerates to 11.7%, Fastest Pace in Six Years
“Turkey is a bright star in the region, the only country where we see something of a V-shaped recovery,” Christian Keller, chief economist for European emerging markets at Barclays Capital… 

I still exchange emails with a few of the attendees/organizers - and it’s great to know that the Turkish economic sector is doing so well.  No big surprise to me!

The first time:  We’re all miserably happy, or …

That famed Soothsayer has done it again:

Second-Act Aces
By TIMOTHY EGAN
June 30, 2010, 9:00 pm
When does creativity peak? The second-act aces make a case for middle to late age. Take a look at some of the people who have not simply performed well but done their best work in their later years.

A post from 2006:

What Kind of Genius Are You?
Galenson maintains that this duality - conceptualists are from Mars, experimentalists are from Venus - is the core of the creative process. And it applies to virtually every field of intellectual endeavor, from painters and poets to economists.

From Advertising to Baby Boomers (© 2005):

Advertising creatives?  Young or old?  Or both?

"No, I don't think a 68-year-old copywriter can write with the kids. That he's as creative. That he's as fresh. But he may be a better surgeon. His ad may not be quite as fresh and glowing as the Madison Ave. fraternity would like to see it be, and yet he might write an ad that will produce five times the sales. And that's the name of the game, isn't it?" 
– Rosser Reeves

England will soon have a TV station targeting The 50+ Market:

Vintage TV

Hosts on Vintage TV (who will include Paul Gambaccini, Debbie Harry and Rick Wakeman) will serve up a variety of music, films and shows.

The channel has caught the attention of advertisers, and music companies are keen to exploit their lucrative back catalogues. As well as music videos, Vintage will feature classic musicals and films with strong music content …

In France they’ve had something like that for a few years – although it’s more today than yesterday:

Over here we have … well, I won’t mention them.  I have enough enemies. 

It would be interesting to find out how Vintage TV might fare on this side of the pond. Cable outfits and smart media execs - keep an eye on it.

As usual, more from Dick Stroud.

First post:

The Silver Market Phenomenon 2010 Edition On Schedule

Now more information (PDF):

The Silver Market Phenomenon 2nd Edition Flyer

Due Autumn 2010
The current shift in demographics – aging and shrinking populations – in many countries around the world presents a major challenge to companies and societies alike. One particularly essential implication is the emergence and constant growth of the so-called “graying market” or “silver market”, the market segment more or less broadly defined as those people aged 50 and older.

This book offers a thorough and up-to-date analysis of the challenges and opportunities in leveraging innovation, technology, product development and marketing for older consumers and employees. Key lessons are drawn from a variety of industries and countries, including the lead market Japan.

• State-of-the-art innovation, product development, and marketing for aging customers

• Real-life examples from countries with a large "silver market" such as Japan and from leading companies

• Second edition: 9 chapters replaced by new ones, complete update of the remaining content, with a stronger focus on marketing and innovation issues

From an in‐depth global overview of the mature market, through design and product development for older consumers, to the marketing implications, this book has it all. With contributions from experts around the world, the book recognises that population ageing poses great challenges to industrialised and developing countries alike. Its well researched attention to detail means The Silver Market Phenomenon is a ‘must have’ for both practitioners and academics. – Kevin Lavery, Managing Director, Millennium, Founding Member and President, International Mature Marketing Network (IMMN), UK

More from Dick Stroud.

The Ad Contrarian tipped me off to this one.

Nielsen Three Screen Report
Nielsen’s first quarter Three Screen Report – a regular analysis of video viewing and related consumer behavior in the U.S. – reveals that Americans continue to view video at a record pace.

Each week, the typical American continues to increase his/her media time, watching over 35 hours of TV, 2 hours of which is timeshifted TV, 20 minutes of online video and 4 minutes of mobile video, while also spending nearly 4 hours on the Internet.

Reminds me of a recent post: Spending goes where the eyeballs are.

And there was a big dive into the Kool-Aid (I mean, Cola) this week:

Coke gets 85 million ad views in 24 hours.

Well, that’s great. The second sponsored ad on Twitter.  A novelty.  A 6% click rate. Compared to the usual 0.02% for old-hat online ads. (Why can’t marketers get with it? Banner ads? They’re so yesterday.)

I can’t wait for tomorrow when my whole Twitter page will be filled with sponsored tweets. I’ll click all of’em, all the time.

Stolen from Dick Stroud:

Using social media to target Baby Boomers
Maybe it is just me but I cannot extract anything of meaning from this interview.

Maybe it is just me, but I think this stacks up with some of the best routines of Abbott & Costello, Mel Brooks & Carl Reiner … Actually, it’s more like Carl Reiner interviewing The Professor.

The scary part is that this isn’t just some fellow passing himself off as a Social Media Guru.

Remember the nutty popularity of logo T-Shirts in the 1980s? 

I was told back then that this was the end of advertising. No more print ads, television or radio spots … Who needed them when everybody you met was a walking billboard? 

Logo T-Shirts are still around – but so is advertising, last I looked.

That video interview … I think I said something similar in a 1996 post, but I’m not sure because I’m not sure what this fellow said. You tell me if I said what he said:

The Brouhaha Over WOMM
So your product or service is getting some sort of positive response from users/consumers? Maybe a cult is forming. Or something. People are talking.

Take advantage of this. You'd be stupid not to. Bring in the PR professionals, the marketing people. Reference it in advertising campaigns. Support this grass roots excitement.

But trying to create buzz out of nothing?

Along with passé WOMM, Marketing/Social Media prattle is now a comedy sketch: