06 April 2006

Baby Boomers: Web 3.0

It seems as if some big companies are catching on, coming up with good ideas for the web and Baby Boomers. Two stories recently:

Bertelsmann looking to create 'MySpace' for older set:
German media group Bertelsmann plans a return to the Internet and is looking at transforming its Direct Group of book, CD and DVD clubs into an Internet networking scene for older people.
New Company Focused On The 50+ Market
Eons, Inc., a 50+ media company inspiring a generation of boomers and seniors to live the biggest life possible, has secured $10 million in Series A financing, from General Catalyst Partners and Sequoia Capital. Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com, is the founder and CEO of Eons(TM), which will formally launch in July 2006.
It's hard to blog much about the above, since they're both in the planning stages. Nothing much to see yet. Eons™ is just a placeholder. But it's coming: The age revolution on the WWW.

Why don't we just call it what it is (or will be): Web 3.0

Or 4.0 or 5.0 - whatever version isn't taken. Because that's what it'll end up being.

04 April 2006

VIACOM'S TV LAND STRONGLY PITCHES OVER-40 DEMOGRAPHIC

Read this piece by Abbey Klaassen before it vanishes into the ether:

TV LAND Suggests Ignoring Boomers is Billion-Dollar Mistake:

The Nielsen Media Research demos that media buyers and marketers use to bet billions of TV dollars aren’t in line with market forces, well-known demographer Ken Dychtwald told a roomful of media buyers and marketers at midtown Manhattan’s Cipriani restaurant this morning. Instead of the in demand demo of 18- to 34-year-olds, marketers should target the 40-to-60 set.

According to network executives, about 70% of its audience is within the boomer demo. “If you did an intersection of boomers, ages 40 to 60, and then 25-54, our sweet spot is the intersection of those groups,” said Karen Bressner, senior VP-ad sales for the cable network.

Kudos to Ken Dychtwald and TV LAND.

But television execs and media planners have been told this before. And I'll probably tell them again. And Jon Currie will tell them again. And again.

That's why I've started going to advertisers with my book, my consulting and speaking - ignoring the media industry, the advertising/marketing agencies. Companies with products/services want to move their offerings. When they start putting pressure on the media to create shows and on advertising agencies to create ads for the 40+ demographic, that's when the revolution will happen.

“We’ve done focus groups with this demo who say they turn on the TV and there are 500 channels and they can’t find anything to watch,” he (Dychtwald) said. “They start to feel annoyed, like media has blatantly disregarded them.”

31 March 2006

Car Spots Driving in the Wrong Direction

Sometimes I just don't know what to say. That's because I've been saying the same things over and over again for close to four years.

From Brandweek:
Automakers pursuing the elusive youth demographic are chasing the wrong economic quarry, according to a study from auto industry marketing research and consultancy firm AutoPacific, which finds baby boomers have the economic means that should drive advertising efforts.

Yet, the study states that only 10% of car ads are aimed at consumers over 50, faulting an approach that seems to play down a demographic with three-quarters of the nation's financial assets and $2 trillion in disposable income annually.
Think of me as some brilliant seer. A visionary. NostraChuckus.

Or just some slob with a bit of common sense.

Take your pick. I'll be happy with any of these labels.

28 March 2006

Is Your Online Channel Boomer Friendly?

Dick Stroud, the U.K.'s 50+ marketing guru, is starting to make himself known on this side of the pond. From an article in CRMGuru.com:
The VW web site is packed full of animation and clever imagery, with lots of dynamic navigation. The site contains all the information car purchasers require-if they have the time, patience and inclination to look.

Web designers will love the site; clearly, car purchasers don't. (For some inexplicable reason, Volkswagen's European web sites are far simpler and customer-orientated.)
Mr. Stroud's newest tome is now available in the States. I predict that it will be the last great marketing book dealing with the current and growing 50+ demographic. (Trust me. I've read them all. If there's another book to be published on this subject, it will have to be beamed here from Planet Xerxes in the Ambartsumian Galaxy, and will probably take 639.43 million years to get here - and another six months to edit, proofread, and publish. So read this one.)

Dick will also be a screening judge for Mary Furlong's Boomer Venture Summit Competition this June.

4/3/06 Update: Dick is interviewed by Karen E. Klein for Businessweek. And on April 16th Dick will be the guest on Ad Age's The Advertising Show. The last time they had such an illustrious guest was back in August....

24 March 2006

At My Table at The Summit

I hosted a table at the What's Next? Boomer Business Summit's 'On the Beat' Author's Luncheon. It was fun for me, and I hope the same for my guests.

Sitting on my left was Eric Fleischer, Senior Manager, Ad Sales Research for Nick@Nite and TV Land. He'd read my book - and said he'd purchased five additional copies, doling them out to his sales reps. For some reason, I liked him.

On my right was a fascinating, brilliant character: Astro Teller. We had chatted earlier at a reception, and he'd presented that morning. I brought up some privacy issues with one of his products -- and just to goof around a bit, asked:
"So can you tell if someone is having sex?"
"…We think so."
"... Good sex?"
He smiled. Sort of like in this picture.
Astro was a good sport. BodyMedia has great products, and far be it from me to eschew clichés - this medical/lifestyle company is truly cutting edge and the wave of the future.

Across from me was Julie Ruhlander of Clothing Solutions. Afterwards, I introduced her to a few folks also with companies wholly or partially targeting Baby Boomers as caregivers of their parents. Margit Novack of Moving Solutions was one - and has her company taken off! It was great to finally meet and chat with Margit.

Geoff Meredith came late, so we didn't get to huddle until the next day. His outfit is Family Virtual Visits -- pretty much self-explanatory, and a hot idea.

Also at the table: a banking executive from Canada (no surprise - at least the banking part) and a Communications executive from Wal-Mart.

Quite an eclectic group - all interested in advertising to Baby Boomers.