20 July 2005

So let them ignore us. It's their loss.


What a silly, short-sighted recurring theme — dismissing such a dynamic demographic.

Kevin DeMarrais, business columnist for The North Jersey Record, writes about the stupidity of it. What prompted his article? The same foolishness that PR guru Peter Himler blogged about a month or so ago:

WCBS-FM has shuttered its programming in favor of "Jack S**t."

And the new ratings are out. And they're jacks**t:

The New York radio station that made national news by firing Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Morrow and changing its oldies format is losing listeners.

Oh, well. It's probably better that we listen to only public radio anyway. Sometimes idiots do you favors.

The Three Ages of Advertising Slavery

I saw Hugh MacCleod's cartoon posted a few days ago and it cracked me up.

Then Steve Hall's AdRants take on it reminded me of a major theme in a book someone wrote recently...
AdRants: "There's no 50's or 60's cause, you know, after 49, all those ad people seem to disappear into other endeavors courtesy of ageism."
Gaping Void. Very funny, outrageous blog. But not for the faint-hearted.

18 July 2005

Packaging That Sells Products to Boomers


Packaging Diva JoAnn Hines has put together 10 Tips for product packaging.

I could nit-pick a few of the tips, but I hate nit-pickers. So consider this an excellent guide when designing packaging for Boomers.

JoAnn will send you a PowerPoint Presentation if you email her. (See the 10 Tips link.)

14 July 2005

Baby Boomers and Shopping Centres


Sometimes I think that Europe and Australia are more progressive (and 'get it') when it comes to marketing and advertising to Baby Boomers. Here's a good example from Down Under:
“In determining the needs and wants of Boomers as they age, it would be a mistake to expect them to be like anyother aging generations before them,” JLL's Conisbee points out. “Aging boomers are more hip. More demanding, and with their purchasing power, more rewarding for both retailers and shopping centre owners. Don't underestimate their power!”

11 July 2005

Brand Autopsy: Authors as Hawkers Series

This week (July 11-15) Brand Autopsy is featuring Authors as Hawkers, giving some of us advertising/marketing/business writers a chance to chat about our books.

I'm guessing this will be a regular feature, so bookmark BA -- and certainly give it a click every day for the next few days.

Yours Truly is first up. Quite an honor. Hearty thanks to John Moore and Paul Williams for the virtual soapbox. Let's hope I don't fall off, crack my head open, and end up iced and tagged like the guy above.