Beginning in 2003, my business blog for Creative Services, Copywriting, Consulting, and Speaking. You'll find all sorts of information about the current trends in advertising and marketing to this unwieldy, diverse demographic.
Even a frenetic web mole like yours truly often digs every which way – and still misses the big, juicy virtual worms.
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.
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.
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!
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:
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.
