Another fusillade, a volley of déjà vus.
And it’s sort of like being in The Twilight Zone, or if that reference is too antediluvian for you, Groundhog Day, or if that reference is too antediluvian for you, there’s got to be plenty of recent movies and TV shows I’ve never heard of with similar plots or themes.
The grey market
Older consumers will reshape the business landscape
Apr 9th 2016
… The Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister organisation to The Economist, found that only 31% of firms it polled did take into account increased longevity when making plans for sales and marketing … One reason for this tardiness is that young people dominate marketing departments and think that the best place for the old is out of sight and mind.
Sounds familiar. You can read a piece from 2003…
Advertising to Baby Boomers: Back into the Fold
Truth is, you can analyze marketing fodder all day and night, read countless books about marketing to Baby Boomers, attend advertising and marketing conventions around the world, and soak up everything all the experts have to say. Much of what is out there is valuable and useful, some practically required reading, others instructive and illuminating. But if you plan on implementing a creative strategy, and turn it over to a different generation of advertising professionals—you'll forfeit the natural sensibilities required to generate vital campaigns.
Or you can read the Intro and 1st Chapter from my book (a free PDF Download):
Advertising to Baby Boomers Download
As Dick Stroud says in a comment:
This article could have been written a decade ago. Very little has changed…
From Forbes:
Marketers Throw Out The Baby Boomers With The Bathwater
I began to grab some quotes from the above and compare them to what I’ve written over the last twelve or so years – but the whole article, every piece of information, observation, and advice can be found in my book, blog, articles, interviews, and chapters I’ve penned. For me, it’s spooky. Like stepping into a decade-old parallel universe.
And Fast Company:
Forget Millennials—Why You Should Hire Someone Over 55
Except for the “forget millennials” part (I’m a fan), dozens of déjà vus:
The Human Resources/Brain Power Posts (2006-2016)
"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
My final words on Déjà Vu – from four years ago:
13 September 2012
The Déjà Vu News
Sometimes I think my browser is playing tricks on me. Twilight Zone tricks. Or Google is on the fritz, spitting out news stories from the past. Some recent headlines:
Boomers Are The Most Valuable Generation For Marketers
Baby Boomers Are A Lucrative Marketing Demographic
Retailers Target Grey Spending Power
Baby Boomers Consider Next Housing Move
Boomers Are Not Like Your Grandparents
Baby Boomers Discover Grandparenting
More Boomers Aspire To Careers With Social Purpose
Baby boomers Are Starting Up Businesses
Hindenburg Explodes In Mid-Air
OK, I’m lying about the last one. It’s not a recent headline. But to me it doesn’t seem any older than the others.