25 January 2017

The More Things Stay The Same, The More They Stay The Same

In this topsy-turvy world where there are boggling upheavals every 5-minute news cycle, it’s comforting to know that some things will always remain the same.  

Forget the millennials, online travel could be missing the boom time 
imageYoung, slick, mobile-savvy millennials, if many headlines are to be believed, are the customer segment that many travel startups first target…

As it was, almost a dozen years ago…

14 November 2005
My Favorite Cyber-Myth
…Hitwise found that visitors to the top travel search engines were by far likely to be over 55 years of age. Hitwise attributed this to baby boomers…

15 April 2006
Insatiable Appetite for Information
…Of the travel content viewed by this group, over 70% takes place on agency, hotel supplier, and airline carrier websites…

Dick Stroud has no problems opening this can of worms:

Package design is the dark horse of the marketing world. So says Nielsen.
image… So much packaging design assumes the customer has 20/20 vision, a knowledge of how the packaging works and the hand and grip and strength of a wrestler.

I had no problems over a decade ago:

12 June 2006
Boomers in Candyland
…I can rip open any dumb, stupid candy wrapper with my bare hands – as long as one of my bare hands is holding a pair of pliers…

The thrill starts with the grille…

The Crazy Logic Of Media Strategy
Ad Contrarian
image… But why in the fucking world would you direct those commercials at 20 year olds? If your objective is to sell more cars, and people over 50 are 4 times as valuable to you, why in the world would your media target be millennials?

grillethrill12 March 2009
Who’s gonna buy this car?
… I’ve blabbered about this for years.  In 2005 on The Advertising Show yours truly had a spirited discussion with hosts Brad Forsythe and Ray Schilens.  A chunky segment was about marketing autos to Boomers.

Baby Boomers are wonderful, Baby Boomers are horrible. Today and years ago.

Today:

How baby boomers became the most selfish generation
imageThe baby boomers who have controlled this country since the 1980s are a selfish, entitled generation.

Baby Boomers Pitch In
imageSenior citizens are channeling time and money to volunteer efforts. One estimate: They’ll contribute $8 trillion in two decades.

Years Ago:

April 8, 1997
The Anti Boomer Page 

22 October 2009
Me vs. We Redux Redux
…Did any generation apologize for The Great Depression? I’ll have to check the history books.  If not, it should.  Some of those evil bastards must still be alive.  Anybody over ninety-eight had better atone…

So don’t feel too bad. Not everything is changing.  As I’ve said, take comfort in that.

Now I’m going to make myself some comfort food – maybe a grilled-cheese sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk with a straw – and watch the evening news.

04 January 2017

Where we might be headed in 2017.

While the world, civilized and otherwise, is headed for certain annihilation, I’m a bit more optimistic about advertising to the 50+ demo.

Marketing folks are starting to catch on, maybe:

Getting to know urban elderly consumers
image_thumbThe elderly haven’t always been a priority for retailers and consumer companies. Yet they present a big opportunity: the demographic could account for more than half of all growth in urban consumption in developed markets in the next 15 years…

And for the last 15 years – but who cares about that.

Human Resources:

Boomerang Boom: More Firms Tapping the Skills of the Recently Retired
By CHRISTOPHER FARRELL
image_thumb2Call them boomerang retirees: people who exit gracefully after their career at a company, then return shortly afterward to work there part time…

Over-50s can adapt to new jobs and technology: research
By Anna Patty
image_thumb3… The survey of 5973 Australians aged 18 and over, conducted by Lonergan Research on behalf of insurance company Apia, found 77 per cent of people over 50 believe their creativity levels increase or stay the same with age…

I’ve heard this somewhere before. Maybe here:

Human Resources/Brain Power


Wearable Tech
:

Why Smart Wearables Needs To Get Smarter: Notable Percentage Of Abandonment Due To Boredom, High Prices
image… The reasons stated by them included boredom and the fact that they didn't find them useful…

I’ve heard this somewhere before. Maybe here:

image15 October 2015
Baby Boomers Not Wearing Wearables

Never Leave The Hospital! Health Tech Wearables, Implanted Chips
By Chuck Nyren
huffington_post_logo1I'm having issues. I'm worried that the medical industry might want me to worry too much about my health. A little worry is good. But constant worry? It seems as if they want me to think of nothing else but my vital signs for the rest of my life.

Finally Live The Life You've Always Wanted With Wearables!
2014-11-14-beany.jpgBy Chuck Nyren
… Along with Google Glasses, you'll also be wearing Google Nose and Google Mouth.

Making Sense, Finally:

Turning Ad Dollars Into Pennies

(You’ll have to scroll a bit for the next one)

TV’s resurgence gathers pace
image_thumb5…Much has been written about the surging popularity of online video at the expense of more traditional media, yet in 2016 we have seen many online brands invest heavily in television content and advertising…

So after the polar ice melts,  and there’s WWIII, advertising and marketing might end up in better shape this year.