Over 50 and Out of Favor: by Meg James, LA Times

Here's a good article from the Los Angeles Times dated May 10th, and reprinted on the AEF web site.

A few people quoted include Brad Adgate of Horizon Media, a top media planning (and more) firm. Mr. Adgate is a 'go-to' guy for lots of news outlets, including NPR. Do a google news search for "Brad Adgate" some time and more than likely you'll find a quote or quotes from him. From what he says about Baby Boomers, I'm guessing you'll get a sympathetic and knowledgable ear at Horizon Media if interested in targeting this demographic.

Brent Green penned Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers, and Matt Thornhill runs the marketing and research firm The Boomer Project.

The Advertising Education Foundation, among many other things, is the best place to hunt down advertising articles from The New York Times and other periodicals - ones which may have vanished into the pricey ether. For example, here's an excellent NYT piece from December 2003.

Hello future.

I saw a great spot a week or so ago for Lincoln Financial.

A few days later my Stuart Elliott email newsletter arrived and I read all about it. Mr. Elliott's headline: Saying Hello to Baby Boomers. The spot is part of a campaign titled "Hello future."

I'd love to post the complete article from the Elliott/NYT newsletter, but certainly would get in copyright trouble for that. So this is all you get:

The "Hello future" campaign, by Martin/Williams in Minneapolis, part of the Omnicom Group, is intended to create an image for Lincoln as the go-to company for the financial needs of the baby-boomer generation … In a third commercial, a girl is sitting in her guidance counselor's office in high school, circa the 1960's. "Roberta, I can see you as a file clerk," he tells her. "It's a great way to meet eligible lawyers." Fast-forward into the future, as she becomes a lawyer, then a judge, then retires. The scene shifts to a present-day student in her guidance counselor's office. "File clerk?" a voice asks. "Have you ever considered being a lawyer?" The camera cuts to the counselor - who is, of course, the retired judge.

That's the one I saw. A brilliant spot.

There's not much I can link to about this campaign. For example, the press release on the Martin/Williams web site is in flash, so you'll have to go there and fish around.

The book is now available on Amazon.com

Read about it here.

Or go to Amazon.com and (if you're interested) buy it from Practical Books -- the retail division of the publishers. You can use your Amazon.com account for everything, and the book is shipped directly from Paramount Books. You'll probably get it faster — along with saving a few dollars ($5 discount vs. free shipping).

Or you can order it directly from the publisher, Paramount Books. Use this promotional code: CNY+ and save $5.00. You can also order five or ten copies at a discount. Email them about that.

The last two alternatives are the best bet if the book is sold out at Amazon.com.

Gill Walker of Evergreen Marketing Communications in Australia is
part of a team that has put together a set of very impressive seminars for SouthernCross Broadcasting. Its purpose? To convince advertisers to target Baby Boomers (give or take a few years).

What knocks me out is that these seminars not only talk about obvious products/services (financial, travel) but feature - surprise, surprise - almost all consumer products and services including household cleaners, food, toiletries, etc.

Such audacity. Advising advertisers to sell everyday products to people over thirty-five. I'm fifty-four, and (according to the advertising and marketing industry) I haven't brushed my teeth, bought laundry soap, purchased a shirt, or taken a shower in almost twenty years. And as far as big ticket items - well, those rabbit ears work just fine on my 13-inch black & white T.V. They just need a nudge and a jiggle every now and then, that's all. And if a new needle is needed for my phonograph, I just get in my '73 Pinto and head over to the Goodwill and, when no one's looking, twist one off of a dusty old turntable and put it in my pocket...

Also check out Gill's excellent article, Why Advertisers Keep on Missing Our Target Market.

Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit

Mary Furlong's Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit is June 21st, 2005. It's a follow-up to the What's Next Boomer Business Summit earlier this year in Philadelphia.

I was at the 1st What's Next Conference last year in San Francisco -- and spent lots of time chatting with Mary, Brent Green, David Wolfe, John Migliaccio, and Myrna Blyth.

And it was one of the reasons I decided to write a book about advertising to Baby Boomers.

If you are at all interested in Business 'n Boomers, the Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit is where you should be.