I’m not sure this has any branding value other than the fact that with the internet as a distribution channel, almost any idea can be produced and made available to a niche audience. Whether it’s the long tail, or purely marketing to a niche, no idea is necessarily a bad one.
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Here’s the final entry in this mini-series of myths about Baby Boomers.
Tenth in the top ten myths: Boomers are retiring early
Much of the attention given to Boomers’ turning 62 this year is being eligible to take Social Security benefits early.
In reality, few plan to stop working entirely when they reach retirement age — only 11 percent.
Of those Boomers who know what they plan to do when they reach retirement age (some two-thirds), 72 percent plan to keep working, either part- (65 percent) or full-time (7 percent).
Whew. It makes me tired just thinking of all those years of working ahead of…
Preconceived notions about Baby Boomers are out there, but here at Beneath the Brand, you get to know the real Boomer through the Quarterly Boomer Report from AARP Services and Focalyst.
Ninth in the top ten myths: Boomers are downsizing their homes
Do you have an image of older consumers as “winding down” and simplifying their lives and homes as years progress?
I admit I did. However, it isn’t so.
Just 6 percent of Boomers plan to live in a smaller residence five years from now.
Moreover, 76 percent plan to live in either a same-sized (their current home or a new home of the…
Eighth in the top ten myths: Most Boomers are married empty nesters
• Most are not Empty Nesters.
• Only about one in four Boomers fit the profile of married with adult children who have left home.
• 37 percent of Boomers still have children under 18 in the home.
• One-third of Boomers are single.
Source
Christine Babick is a blogger at www.beneaththebrand.com. A marketing strategist and linguist, she specializes in marketing language, website text, “emo copy,” and cause and relationship marketing.
Seventh in the top ten myths: You can capture Boomers with mainstream advertising
Boomers pay attention to advertising, but they do not always like what they see.
- 66 percent say ads have gotten more crude in recent years
- 67 percent are less likely to purchase a product if they find the advertising offensive
- 23 percent consider ads geared toward their age group insulting
Here, the key for the marketer is to find out exactly what is considered offensive to those 67 percent!
Source
Christine Babick is a blogger at www.beneaththebrand.com. A marketing strategist and linguist, she specializes in marketing language, website text, “emo copy,” and cause…
Sixth in the top ten myths: Boomers are brand loyal and will not switch
- Commonly thought to be set in their ways, Boomers are as likely as younger cohorts to experiment with new products.
- They pay attention to advertising for new products
- 61 percent of Boomers agree that “in today’s marketplace, it doesn’t pay to be loyal to one brand,” compared with 62 percent of those age 18-41.
I have to say I fell prey to this myth. I thought the “stick-with-it-ness” of the tried-and-true brand/consumer marriage was held in high regard by Boomers.
I should have known there was hole in the story I…
Fifth in the top ten myths: Boomers are all wealthy
Collectively Boomers are the wealthiest generation in history, but only 9 percent are truly affluent (defined as having pre-tax incomes of $150,000 or more if working, or $100,000 or more if retired).
In fact, one quarter of Boomers have no savings or investments at all.
What does this mean in terms of preference for certain brands? Is this niche unlikely to choose luxury items?
Source
Christine Babick is a blogger at www.beneaththebrand.com. A marketing strategist and linguist, she specializes in marketing language, website text, “emo copy,” and cause and relationship marketing.
…
A report that came out in April can help us to separate fact from fiction when it comes to Boomers.Third Quarterly Boomer Report from AARP Services and Focalyst, titled “How Well Do You Know Boomers? Counting Down the Top 10 Boomer Myths.”
Fourth in the top ten myths: Boomers are winding down with age
They are quite active. The typical Boomer regularly participates in an average of 10 activities — and participation extends beyond going to church or gardening. They travel (60 million took at least one trip last year), attend live sporting events (22 million) and bicycle (11 million), among other…
AARP Services and Focalyst have tackled a few myths about the Baby Boomer generation in the third Quarterly Boomer Report released in April of this year.
Second in the top ten myths: Boomers are the “me generation”
Boomers have typically been portrayed as the self-centered “Me Generation,” but their actions in later adulthood suggest the description “We Generation” is more accurate.
Here are the facts:
- They are caring for others and for the world
- 70 percent feel they have a responsibility to make the world a better place.
- 57 percent try to buy from companies that give back to their communities.
Third in the top ten myths:…
Preconceived notions exist for just about everything under the big blue sky. Part of being a savvy–and therefore, successful–marketer is knowing that myths exist and that you have to cut through the myths to get to the reality.
Today I’ll begin a series of entries that cuts through the chaff about Baby Boomers and get to what makes this generation’s beat go on.
We have a top ten, and I’ll start with the first: Boomers are all the same.
That’s right–all 77 million of us. But according to Jack Lett, executive director of Focalyst, we are not. “Within this generation are diverse segments…
I heard about a newsletter this morning that is by invitation-only. I found this to be a very interesting strategy for marketing. So this particular newsletter covers the world of professional men’s clothing—starting out as a “GQ for lawyers,” telling attorneys what is the latest fashion for their profession and where they can find and buy the featured clothing item. It’s been around for about three years and has grown exponentially now to include other professions like banking and brokerage firms. By limiting its newsletter members to those invited by other members, it has not only increased its subscribers, but…
I’m a big fan of the CommonCraft videos. CommonCraft has established itself as a unique communications organization that brands come to for help to explain the features and benefits of their products. The video below is for LinkedIn. They asked CommonCraft to take the assumption that LinkedIn is about building connections and turn it on it’s side to explain how it can make you more productive. Using a simple two minute video, CommonCraft has helped LinkedIn to explain how it can expand the role it plays in our everyday lives.
Can your brand communicate in such a simple way to help people…
I was watching a TED Presentation with Jonathan Harris, an artist and computer scientist, about his passion for collecting stories. One of the projects that Jonathan shares during the presentation is We Feel Fine which he developed with Sep Kamvar.
We Feel Fine scans the worlds blogs to collect snippets of peoples feelings. The information is then rolled together and presented using visual cues that allow you to review and even search for feelings. It’s a mesmerizing, amazing and frightening look into the emotions and experiences that people are sharing online.
Have a look when you get a chance and explore the snippets…
I was listening to one of the podcasts I subscribe to on my way to a client meeting yesterday. The interview involved a financial planner/advisor who honed her business focus to be women in the fashion and media industry. After analyzing her career, she realized that a good niche for her to conquer would be women. Women have many changes in their life that affect their financial situation—first job out of college, marriage, divorce, birth of a child, death of a spouse, etc. Narrowing down her clientele has allowed her to perfect her professional experience. She knows who her prospective…
The Muppets seem to be staging a comeback. In an effort to promote an upcoming Disney Channel special, several of our Muppet friends have set up their own YouTube channels. Beeker gets it going with a nice rendition of Ode to Joy. This is an interesting approach to revive the Muppet brand and bring back the variety show approach that brought the show success in the past.
Disney is once again putting their marketing force behind something and finding new ways to integrate the old and the new. The YouTube campaign is an interesting way to use a new medium to revive a brand that…
I’ve been sucked into a new show… Scare Tactics hosted by Tracy Morgan. I’m not sure why watching people have the living daylights scared out of them is funny. Probably for the same reason we laugh when we see videos of people falling down. It’s not us and it’s funny.
One of the interesting parts of the show to me is the brand known as Tracy Morgan. He serves as the host of the show and provides a little introduction for each bit as well as banter after the reveal. He doesn’t try to be someone or something he’s not, simply Tracy…
I try not to ever double up on what I write for one blog on another. However I thought this idea was so creative and fun that I had to double up and share that the Golden Magazine will be hitting newsstands soon!
A new magazine is actually going to launch with a golden touch! Literally!
Kohl magazine will celebrate it’s launch with a cover that actually includes 91 grams of gold and 622 diamonds on the cover.
According to Trendhunter, it is estimated that this one magazine will cost $10,000 to produce!!
Kohl magazine is the UAE’s first and only women’s lifestyle and fashion…
Kudos to Burger King for creating something everybody wants. What I’m talking about is the Burger King Gold Card that has everyone buzzing following a recent Hugh Laurie interview. Evidently, high-profile celebrities who are loyal to Burger King are given a card that entitles them to free meals forever. Just for mentioning BK favorably in the media.
What a great way to show how this fast food chain is relevant in our celebrity-obsessed society. Giving away this Gold Card is part of Burger King’s promotion of their pre-paid BK Crown Cards, which regular guys can buy to pay for future food…
I’ll admit that this is an uncomfortable subject for most of the male gender, including myself. Obviously, the primary target for feminine hygiene products is females between the ages of 12 or 13 to mid 40’s (???? sorry if my age range is a little off. This is a subject I’m not too familiar with.)
Well what about men? Is it time for feminine hygiene product brands to work their branding and marketing magic on men? I can name a few brands top-of-mind but I could not tell you the associations or brand-specific benefits of any of them. Tampax, O.B., Stayfree,…
I admit it, I can’t wait to jump on the Apple bandwagon as soon as the 3G Iphone comes out. I’m an AT&T customer and I’m eligible for a phone upgrade on June 24th and I’ve already conceded that I will be buying the 3G Iphone.
Historically, Apple is a beloved brand that can’t seem to go wrong. Even with the ridiculous price of the 1st generation Iphone last year, followed by immediate discounts and missing features, Apple is still king. While I anxiously await the coming of the 3G Iphone, I can’t help but think that the real pressure is on…
