We’re all miserably happy, or …

Nothing in life fills me with more joy and happiness and dread and stress than reading surveys and news articles about Baby Boomers.

While it’s usually a mistake to assume that Baby Boomers are all the same, in this case it must be true: We’re all happy and miserable.

After all, you can’t argue with facts:

Baby Boomers: An unhappy generation?
by Amy Sherman
… Why does a recent survey from Pew Research on Demographic Trends state that of all the generations, baby boomers are considered the unhappiest and most discontent? Could it be because our work and personal responsibilities cause us too much stress? Or that we feel strapped, tired and just bummed out?

Daily stress and worry plummet after age 50 By Sharon Jayson
After 50, daily stress and worry take a dive and daily happiness increases, according to an analysis of more than 340,000 adults questioned about the emotions they experienced "yesterday."

The research, published online today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that young adults experience more negative emotions more frequently than those who are older.

The Takeaway: Your happiness or misery is directly or inversely proportional to the survey you happen to be reading.

Foretellings Redux

I’m watching Charlie Rose.  He’s interviewing a CEO in the venture capital/media biz:

Jonathan Nelson is Providence's chief executive officer and is based in our Providence and New York offices. Mr. Nelson is currently a director of Bresnan Communications, Hulu, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Univision Communications and Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network.

Interesting fellow.  Then I’m practically stupefied when he says (almost a direct quote) “More people will be using Smartphones than laptops and desktops within five years.”

Someone else divined that same thing recently:

Foretellings
With the exception of the workplace, smartphones (along with iPads and Kindles or something like them) might just make desktops and laptops and the web as we know it obsolete.

Jonathan is as smart as I am.  Wait … he’s smarter.  He’s a billion-and-almost-a-half-aire. 

But he’s got nothin’ on me. We think alike, we’re exactly alike - except for being separated by a few measly bucks. Big deal. 

He says what I said about 28 minutes in (click his pic): 

http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11017#

His tie is crooked.  I’d never allow that to happen on my neck. My clip-on is always neat and straight.

Maybe more separates us than simply quadrillions of pennies.

Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part II)

Bob Hoffman, infamous Ad Contrarian, tipped me off to this one.
_____

Here’s a question I’ve never wondered about:

“What do viewers do during commercials?”

I just assumed that most viewers watch them. Now I find out the truth: Most viewers watch them.

MOST TV VIEWERS DO NOT LEAVE THE ROOM OR EVEN CHANGE CHANNELS DURING COMMERCIAL BREAKS, PER NEW FINDINGS
Contrary to longstanding received wisdom, the large majority of viewers of live television do not leave the room, nor do they change the channel, when the TV program they are watching goes to commercial …

TV advertising and program promotions reach 85% of adults daily; viewers typically see 26 advertising or promotional breaks daily, at an average length of 2 minutes and 46 seconds per break …

• 11% of viewers change channels during the four minutes of TV programming before the commercial break
• 14% change channels during commercials
• 13% change channels in the four-minute period after programming returns
• 86% of viewers remain with live TV during commercials

Such a shock.

But … what about social media marketing?  That’s the new thing, what everyone’s talking about, the only way to go nowadays. It’s the greatest thing since the telephone.

For those fascinated with graphs and charts, download this PDF:

Video Consumer Mapping Study

 

Next time some digi-dork vomits up the old "no one watches commercials anymore" line, smack him in the head for me. – The Ad Contrarian
_____

Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part I)

Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part I)

Here’s a very scary article:

New report claims social cure to ineffectual advertising
A report launched today claims that nearly $426 billion was spent on ineffectual advertising activity in the last year alone. (!!!)

Today’s newly empowered consumers hold a deep rooted cynicism towards companies: 58% (62%UK and 54% US) of respondents felts (sic) that ‘companies are only interested in selling products and services to me, not necessarily the product or service that is right for me’.

The Grim Reaper has arrived.  According to this survey.

In my presentations there’s a slide that quotes similar surveys:

Then, with the magic of PP custom animation, I reveal a bit of possibly relevant info – the dates of these surveys:

 Most of the above statistics are from The Mirror Makers by Stephen Fox:

It’s official.  The last sixty-four years of advertising has been declared ‘ineffectual’. 

Sharpen your scythes. Part II coming up tomorrow.
____

It’s tomorrow: Advertising Is Dead. Again. (Part II)

Print Readership is Highest Among Baby Boomers

Senior Magazine, based in Colorado with a dozen or so sister publications up and down a handful of Southern and Western states, says this:

Why has Hyundai increased sales while every other auto manufacturer has seen a decline in sales?  Print marketing to boomers.

Well … that’s not completely true.  Hyundai also has a pretty good television campaign.  Very classy stuff.

How long have I been talking about targeting Boomers for automobiles?  Here I am actually talking about it in 2005:

Author/Copywriter Champions Advertising to Baby Boomers
Co-host Brad Forsythe interviews Chuck Nyren, author of "Advertising to Baby Boomers."

The Advertising Show (audio download)

And there’s this:

What Next From The Crystal Ball of Common Sense?

Famed Soothsayer and advertising gadfly NostraChuckus has been startling the world for years with his mundane prognostications. 

One of his first foretellings is now coming true.  Way back in The Ancient Times (2005) he foretold the redesigning of automobiles for an aging demographic …

More about print:

Print Readership is Highest Among Baby Boomers
According to a NAS report published in March 2010, time spent on print media (community & daily papers, magazines & books) is highest among older Baby Boomers who are spending an average of 100 minutes per day reading their favorite print media.  The study also reported that the younger Boomer segment (ages 45-54 years) spends an average of 30 minutes per day.

In addition to national papers, the research stated that 58% read their local daily papers regularly, and 68% read their local community papers regularly.

And they’re also watching television and responding to brochures, some other forms of Direct Marketing, and the internet. 

As I’ve been saying for years:

The Most Effective Marketing/Advertising Model For Reaching Baby Boomers: What is now called traditional advertising pushing you to an age-friendly, informative product/services web site.