Kantar Group and AARP Services Form Joint Venture Company

This is interesting news. It might end up being big news.

Dick Stroud has put a positive spin on it, with a caveat.

I'll probably blog about this as it plays out. Actually, I'm peripherally involved in a related marketing/advertising project by AARP — so I'm not surprised by this joint venture. It makes sense.

For now, I'll simply say that pressure on ad agencies coming from marketing companies and clients is a good thing.

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.

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.)

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!”