A Television Station Targeting Baby Boomers

England will soon have a TV station targeting The 50+ Market:

Vintage TV

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.

The Silver Market Phenomenon 2010: Update

First post:

The Silver Market Phenomenon 2010 Edition On Schedule

Now more information (PDF):

The Silver Market Phenomenon 2nd Edition Flyer

Due Autumn 2010
The current shift in demographics – aging and shrinking populations – in many countries around the world presents a major challenge to companies and societies alike. One particularly essential implication is the emergence and constant growth of the so-called “graying market” or “silver market”, the market segment more or less broadly defined as those people aged 50 and older.

This book offers a thorough and up-to-date analysis of the challenges and opportunities in leveraging innovation, technology, product development and marketing for older consumers and employees. Key lessons are drawn from a variety of industries and countries, including the lead market Japan.

• State-of-the-art innovation, product development, and marketing for aging customers

• Real-life examples from countries with a large "silver market" such as Japan and from leading companies

• Second edition: 9 chapters replaced by new ones, complete update of the remaining content, with a stronger focus on marketing and innovation issues

From an in‐depth global overview of the mature market, through design and product development for older consumers, to the marketing implications, this book has it all. With contributions from experts around the world, the book recognises that population ageing poses great challenges to industrialised and developing countries alike. Its well researched attention to detail means The Silver Market Phenomenon is a ‘must have’ for both practitioners and academics. – Kevin Lavery, Managing Director, Millennium, Founding Member and President, International Mature Marketing Network (IMMN), UK

More from Dick Stroud.

Nielsen Three Screen Report

The Ad Contrarian tipped me off to this one.

Nielsen Three Screen Report
Nielsen’s first quarter Three Screen Report – a regular analysis of video viewing and related consumer behavior in the U.S. – reveals that Americans continue to view video at a record pace.

Each week, the typical American continues to increase his/her media time, watching over 35 hours of TV, 2 hours of which is timeshifted TV, 20 minutes of online video and 4 minutes of mobile video, while also spending nearly 4 hours on the Internet.

Reminds me of a recent post: Spending goes where the eyeballs are.

And there was a big dive into the Kool-Aid (I mean, Cola) this week:

Coke gets 85 million ad views in 24 hours.

Well, that’s great. The second sponsored ad on Twitter.  A novelty.  A 6% click rate. Compared to the usual 0.02% for old-hat online ads. (Why can’t marketers get with it? Banner ads? They’re so yesterday.)

I can’t wait for tomorrow when my whole Twitter page will be filled with sponsored tweets. I’ll click all of’em, all the time.

Where people already aren’t.

Stolen from Dick Stroud:

Using social media to target Baby Boomers
Maybe it is just me but I cannot extract anything of meaning from this interview.

Maybe it is just me, but I think this stacks up with some of the best routines of Abbott & Costello, Mel Brooks & Carl Reiner … Actually, it’s more like Carl Reiner interviewing The Professor.

The scary part is that this isn’t just some fellow passing himself off as a Social Media Guru.

Remember the nutty popularity of logo T-Shirts in the 1980s? 

I was told back then that this was the end of advertising. No more print ads, television or radio spots … Who needed them when everybody you met was a walking billboard? 

Logo T-Shirts are still around – but so is advertising, last I looked.

That video interview … I think I said something similar in a 1996 post, but I’m not sure because I’m not sure what this fellow said. You tell me if I said what he said:

The Brouhaha Over WOMM
So your product or service is getting some sort of positive response from users/consumers? Maybe a cult is forming. Or something. People are talking.

Take advantage of this. You'd be stupid not to. Bring in the PR professionals, the marketing people. Reference it in advertising campaigns. Support this grass roots excitement.

But trying to create buzz out of nothing?

Along with passé WOMM, Marketing/Social Media prattle is now a comedy sketch:

The Social Media Guru

Silver Market Phenomenon 2010 Edition On Schedule

From: Florian Kohlbacher
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 5:39 PM
Subject: The Silver Market Phenomenon Book, 2nd Edition 2010

Dear Author,
It is our pleasure to inform you that the second edition of the Silver Market Phenomenon is right on schedule and has entered the production process at the publisher side. We expect publication according to plan this fall (October/November) …

Thank you and best wishes,
Florian Kohlbacher

The authors (including yours truly) have updated their chapters.  There will also be a handful of new contributors and chapters. 

1st Edition (2008):

The Silver Market Phenomenon

Publishers site: The Silver Market Phenomenon