06 July 2010

A Nod To The Netherlands

A few months ago I changed planes at Schiphol. Tramping around the terminals made me giddy. I wanted to stay. That’s because the last time I was there yours truly and a bunch of us had one of the times of our lives:

image World’s Largest Event For Active ‘50 plussers’
… And with only an hour and a half to goof off we only saw about one-quarter of the exhibits, maybe.  The four of us were racing around.  That’s how big it was. Nobody could see it all in one day.

Martijn de HaasimageThe event keeps getting bigger and bigger.  A report from 50 Plus Beurs 2008

Last week I visited the 50 plus fair in Utrecht (The Netherlands) to have a look at the world biggest event aimed directly at 50-plus consumers. My first emotion was again astonishment over the numbers of the exhibits and people present.

image What this event really is: Hundreds of mini-trade shows open to the public. When I was there about twenty bicycle manufactures had large booths and floor space. Ditto for cars, RVs, motorcycles, cosmetics, clothes, sporting equipment, vacation spots, gardening, cooking, housewares, houses – the list goes on and on.

The information sheet for 50 Plus Beurs 2010 (PDF)

image

There’s still time to reserve exhibit space or make plans to attend.

02 July 2010

Turkey: A Bright Star In The Region

In March I did a day-long workshop in Istanbul:

imageInternational Marketing/Advertising Techniques Targeting Baby Boomers

And blogged about it:

The Istanbul Posts
There are 15 million people living in Istanbul – and I think I saw all of them. And I met about two dozen of the brightest … 

Turkey is a vibrant, economic powerhouse – especially  the financial sector.  There will be no stopping them (not that you’d want to).

Over on Nigel Hollis’ Blog, I left a comment about the economy of Turkey:

April 9th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
I was in Istanbul a few weeks ago - speaking to twenty-five marketing execs in the financial sector - for a whole day …

I was talking about the 50+ Demo, showed examples of ad campaigns from around the world.  We talked a bit about branding Turkish products/services for European and U.S. consumption.  As far as banks and insurance companies - how many banks folded in Turkey because of the recession?  None.  That’s a selling point for sure.

The EU: Many European countries want Turkey to join because it’s an economic, political, and cultural powerhouse.  Many European countries do not want Turkey to join because it’s an economic, political, and cultural powerhouse.

If Turkey joins the EU, that will be the bedrock for cross-border marketing.  Then take the products one by one.  Turkey as a quality ‘brand’: the tourism industry.  You’re right - outside of Turkey, you don’t think of their products as quality brands - but I bet that will change if Turkey is serious (and the EU is serious) about EU inclusion.

A few days ago Bloomberg.com and Barclays Capital weighed in:

Turkish Economic Growth Accelerates to 11.7%, Fastest Pace in Six Years
“Turkey is a bright star in the region, the only country where we see something of a V-shaped recovery,” Christian Keller, chief economist for European emerging markets at Barclays Capital… 

I still exchange emails with a few of the attendees/organizers - and it’s great to know that the Turkish economic sector is doing so well.  No big surprise to me!

01 July 2010

NostraChuckus Scoops NYT II

image The first time:  We’re all miserably happy, or …

That famed Soothsayer has done it again:

Second-Act Aces
By TIMOTHY EGAN
June 30, 2010, 9:00 pm
When does creativity peak? The second-act aces make a case for middle to late age. Take a look at some of the people who have not simply performed well but done their best work in their later years.

A post from 2006:

What Kind of Genius Are You?
Galenson maintains that this duality - conceptualists are from Mars, experimentalists are from Venus - is the core of the creative process. And it applies to virtually every field of intellectual endeavor, from painters and poets to economists.

From Advertising to Baby Boomers (© 2005):

bloomer

Advertising creatives?  Young or old?  Or both?

"No, I don't think a 68-year-old copywriter can write with the kids. That he's as creative. That he's as fresh. But he may be a better surgeon. His ad may not be quite as fresh and glowing as the Madison Ave. fraternity would like to see it be, and yet he might write an ad that will produce five times the sales. And that's the name of the game, isn't it?" 
Rosser Reeves

30 June 2010

A Television Station Targeting Baby Boomers

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

image 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.

image 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.

28 June 2010

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

image

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.

image 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

image 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.