Facebook one of the most well known social networking sites is often a top choice for the baby boomer generation to visit during their free time.
According to Huffingtonpost between 2010 and 2011, there was a 109 percent increase in people 55+ who visited a social networking site from a mobile service. In addition, one-quarter of smart phone users are 55 or older. Posts 50s are also the fastest growing group of online daters. Many of the baby boomers are quickly adapting and learning how to use technology in order to maintain their interactions with others in current society.
Facebook is a growing; there is an increase of baby boomers signing up to have an account on this social networking site. With more baby boomers entering retirement age, technology will definitely be a popular tool used for discussing and research on leisurely activities.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/baby-boomers-love-tech-_n_1321667.html
by Jonathan Li
Ad Age March 6, 2012
The leading digital advertisers believe that half of their budgets in the next 12 months will be spent on brand-focused advertising. That number was just 25% or 30% three or four years ago, Mr. Cohen said.
Note: Baby Boomers are online 15 hours per week and spend more than Gen X and Gen Y online each month. Baby Boomers purchase 3 out of 5 new cars, purchase 80% of luxury travel and hold 70% of the U.S. Wealth. Campaign strategy should include targeted impressions with relevant content, recency and receptivity.
]]>Here are some helpful social media tools as part of your online media strategy. Our clients use a mix of online integrated marketing communication to reach and engage baby boomers online including display banner ads, integrated content and site sponsorships.
Google Bookmarks -
free online bookmark service, must be a google user and have an account. Allows
users to tag the bookmark. Google search engine tracks the bookmarks and
consider them significant when ranking public search results.
Delicious - Social
bookmarking service. Store, and share bookmarks. Uses tags such as hashtags
except in little bubbles. Tags allow for search ability when searching single
words. Have stacks and links options. Stack would be multiple links while links
are just links by itself. People can click on a interesting link and be sent to
a website.
Diigo - social
bookmarking website. Allows user to bookmark and tag websites. Allows users to
highlight the bookmarked webpages and attach sticky notes to specific
highlights or the whole page.
Jumptags - social
bookmarking website. Allows users to bookmark and tag websites. Similar to
other social bookmarking websites.
Reddit - Social news
website. Users submit a link while other users rank the link by giving it a
thumbs up or down which determines its position on the website page.
Plurk - Social
networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send updates through
short messages and links similar to twitter. Users can also upload images,
videos and links onto the websites through the user of outside sources such as
youtube. People can also like others links and it has a birthday reminder
feature. Plurk also supports group conversation between friends.
Squidoo - community
website that allows users to create pages (called lenses) for subject of
interest. User-generated website. Pages are much like blog posts except they
tend to focus on a single subject. The site allows content creators to earn
revenue from referral links to sites like Amazon.com and Ebay.
Bebo - social
networking website. It is similar to facebook in that it allows its users to
add others as friends, contact other users through chat or messaging while also
providing the ability to blog and post images and videos.
Whenever subjects regarding consumerism marketing or business are involved, Baby Boomers are usually discussed as a growing dominant population. Many people acknowledge that the Baby Boomers (people born between the years 1946-1964) are growing and becoming America's largest consumer of technology and leisure spending such as travelling. Despite the various implications in the marketing and business field, Boomers are also being represented in various fields.
The movie industry is a field with lots of well known figures. The United States have Hollywood which produces many movies every year. Hollywood tends to celebrate youth, such as portraying youthfulness, toned body shapes and such, as something of desirable trait that gains attention from the public and the opposite gender. Despite the favored attention placed towards younger actors. The Golden Globe nominations announced during the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards were dominated by Baby Boomers. This can be an implication of a new era for older actors in film and television.
Despite Hollywood's favoritism towards youthfulness, the population aging of society and increase of Baby Boomers are having an impact in the movie industry. "In the recent Golden Globe nomination four of the five best actress nominees are in the boomer demographic. While George Clooney was the only 50 year old in the best actor category, four of the five best supporting actors are in the 50+d demographics" (huffingtonpost.com). Although it may still be a small number, one can observe that there will most likely be more Baby Boomers being nominated in the future. The actors and actress reaching Baby Boomer age will most likely have a better time connecting with other Baby Boomers especially when asking for assistance donating funds for their causes or political campaigns.
Thank you Jonathan Li.
]]>Whether you are a CMO, Vice President of Marketing, Director of Marketing, Media Supervisor, Media Planner, Media Strategist, Media Coordinator - you must know your demographics - can you pass this quiz?
Silent
Generation - Currently 67 - 87 Years Old
Born between 1925 - 1945 saw the Great
Depression, Lower birth rates due to World War II, Korean War, icons such as
Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, better education, this generation tended not
to protest or carry posters.
Baby
Boomers - Currently 48 - 66 Years Old
Born between 1946 - 1964 with cultural influences of Rock n Roll, Woodstock, Beatles, Vietnam War, JFK assassination, "The Ed Sullivan Show", "Happy Days", Women's Rights, Civil Rights, Sexual Freedom and new highways built encouraged travel.
Gen
X - Currently 32 - 47 Years Old
Born between 1964 - 1980. The Gen X also called
the MTV generation, grew up with AIDS epidemic, 40% have divorced parents (WSJ
2011), Dot-Com bubble and attaining high education levels.
Gen
Y Currently 14 - 32 Years Old
Born between 1980 - 1998. The demographic cohort, also known as the Millenial Generation, Boomerangs, Echo Boomers, Trophy Kids and Eighties Babies. Grew up with computers, environmental awareness, high expectations for employment and marry later.
1. Which
female in this demographic group influences or makes 80% of household
decisions?
A. A. Silent
Generation
B. B. Baby Boomers
C. C. Gen X
D. D. Gen Y
Answer is B.
Baby Boomers. According to Marti Barletta, once the college bills are
out of the way and children are on their own, the discretionary spending power
of 50-plus women soars. They spend 2.5 times what the average person spends.
Women are the primary buyers for computers, cars, banking, financial services
and a lot of other big-ticket categories.
2. Which
demographic dominates 94% of consumer packaged goods categories?
A. A. Silent Generation
B. B. Baby Boomers
C. C. Gen X
D. D. Gen Y
Answer B. Baby boomers dominate 94% of all consumer packaged goods categories. 5% of advertising is aimed at them. (Source: Marketing Daily, July 22, 2010)
3. Who purchases 80% of luxury travel?
A. A. Silent Generation
B. B. Baby Boomers
C. C. Gen X
D. D. Gen Y
Answer A & B. Silent Generation and Baby Boomers - According to Pew Internet and American Life
Project 42% of all travel industry purchases happen online, and adults 50+
account for 80% of all luxury travel spending.
4. Who purchases 3 out of 5 new cars in the U.S.?
B. B. Baby Boomers
C. C. Gen X
D. D. Gen Y
The Answer
is B - Baby Boomers. J.D. Power & Associates says customers over age 50
make up 62.5% of annual new car sales. Boomers buy more new cars and spend more
on the each car.
5. Who holds 70% of the U.S. Wealth and spends the
most online each month?
B. B. Baby Boomers
C. C. Gen X
D. Gen Y
Answer is B. Baby
Boomers - A Metlife Study Fall 2011 older households have experienced a
$659 billion increase in the past 10 years, up 6%. In contrast, household
income for adults aged 25-44 fell 7% for an aggregate income loss of $312
billion.
USA Today surprised people when it reported boomers are among
the biggest buyers of technology; additionally the Women and Consumerism survey
found that the most affluent segment of women, who have no children at home,
are especially heavy users of PDAs and computers.
Goal
You must set your objective before you create
your strategy. Your objective is the goal - What you are going to do. The
Strategy is How you are going to do it. Set clear defined goals before you begin, you will create a
clear vision of your goal. The goal must be in-line with your brand's overall marketing strategy and core objective.
Engagement
Engagement, this is the
content relevance. Have you delivered content that reflects your product,
service and brand promise. Good
tips for engagement include writing about tips, how to, asking questions,
answering questions. Be sure to leave comment area for feedback. Monitor the
information.
Quality
Quality is key, so is relevance and authenticity. Creating and editing content is an art and science. Include key search words in your content. Publishing high-quality content to develop a strong brand image, voice, trust and authenticity in your industry.
Baby Boomers are online more time than teenagers each week and spend more each month then Gen X or Gen Y. Get to know boomers.
Once again, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was filled with energy, big ideas and big brands. In fact, the buzz from the marketing crowd was a new name for the show - Consumers Engaged Socially (CES), a name that makes sense to those of us involved in media and marketing. I enjoyed listening to CMOs and VPs of Marketing share their thoughts about new media. The consistent theme focused on social media, connectivity, listening to the customer, responding to the customer and using data effectively.
One of the questions asked of the big
brand panelists was, "What could you not give up in your daily life?" The
unanimous answer was clear, "My smartphone." I believe that would be the answer
for just about anyone who owns one, too. Not only is our smartphone a business
tool, even more importantly, it connects us emotionally to our loved ones,
friends, passions and interests.
When technology and healthcare converge
Within the CES, there were two
fast-trending conferences called the Digital Health Summit and Silvers Summit.
The information imparted across panels was the belief that the technology of
the future will have accurate diagnoses, effective treatments and
individualized treatment programs. Not one size fits all. In fact, one amazing
and long-awaited technology was announced by Life Technologies that reads human
genes, detects mutations and prescribes solutions, under $1,000 and under two
hours.
Additional announcements and growth
technologies included remote monitoring, smart watches, improved sensors and
body monitoring that will help understand and affect behavioral change. It
didn't take long to understand all these devices will target and help Baby
Boomers improve their health and quality of life.
Top 10 Highlights from CES, Digital Health Summit and Silvers
Summit:
Connectivity
Social engagement
Community
Using consumer data effectively
Engaging women Age 50 + online
Diabetes pandemic
Digital transformation
Personalized health
Don't sell me, educate me
Baby Boomers' hold 70% of the U.S.
wealth
Generally we are all in agreement
that technology improves lives. One of the trends discussed centered on the
home and bringing family back to the kitchen. Current stats say only one-third
of meals are consumed at the dinner table. Children's school grades go up and
their drug and alcohol use go down when more meals are shared at home. And note
40% of tablets are now used for reading recipes while cooking in the kitchen.
CES is the largest tradeshow in the
world, drawing 140,000 industry executives. Four days of over 1.7 million
square feet of exhibit space that is equivalent to 35 football fields. The
average U.S. household has 24 consumer electronics and sales will exceed $190
billion in 2012 - marketers should keep in mind that boomers purchase the
majority of technology.
In fact, Boomer spending according to Forrester Research includes telecom fees, gadget and device spending and overall online purchases. Boomers averaged $650 spent online vs. Gen X at $581 and Gen Y at $429. It also is worth noting that Boomers' Internet behavior is such that 91% use email, 88% use search engines, 80% research health and 74% get news. Perhaps the new name for CES should be BES - Boomers Engaged Socially.
Published on Mediapost January 16, 2012 Engage Boomers Column]]>Baby Boomers were born during the years of 1946-1964 - all 78 million of them in the U.S. With the increase of Baby Boomers entering retirement age we will observe a need for more services to communicate and help them make informed buying decisions. I am thinking glasses, caregiver services, retirement communities, education and adventure travel opportunities, automotive deals, technology, wealth services and better health options.
Although most of the Baby Boomers are entering retirement age, most plan to work though their retirement. With the increase living cost and inflation of the economy, many Baby Boomers do not see themselves retiring anytime soon. Many of the Baby Boomers are part of the Sandwich Generation. Sandwich Generation is identified as a generation of people who have to care for their parents while also supporting their own children. Besides the need of having to take care of their parents and children, many Baby Boomers also have to think about financial planning for late life.
The key to influencing Baby Boomers with your brand and engage them in your message is to solve a problem. Baby Boomers are going through many life transitions - Caregivers, Grandparents, Divorce, Empty-nest, Loss of Spouse, Down-Sizing. How can your brand help them? The woman holding the power of the purse and makes or influences 80% of the household decision is over the age 45. Baby Boomers hold 70% of the U.S. wealth and will inherit trillions more.
]]>Mediapost Article by Nancy Shonka Padberg, December 19, 2011
Now that I have your attention, let's look at this enlightening data from a marketing perspective. This result is from a Harris Interactive survey of 2,000 adults in October 2011 on the behalf of GameHouse. There is much discussion around the billion-dollar gaming industry and how to understand and connect with the target audience. Surprise -- online gamers are comprised of 55% women with the majority over the age of 35. They tend to be happier, engaged socially online and apparently have more sex.
Women Gamers Stats Harris Interactive:
• 64% are over age 35
•
61% play between 8 p.m. and midnight
•
86% socialize once per day online
•
57% have sex once per week vs. 52% of
non-gamers
•
61% play to relieve stress
•
58% play to alleviate boredom and take a
mental break
Let's take a look at one of our website
partners, Winster.com. It offers many free multi-user games that encourage
collaboration instead of competition, strengthening social networks while
promoting positive social interaction. A recent 2011 survey of their registered
players returned 8,000 responses with the average age of 50. The top reasons
for playing social games was for social interaction, to relieve stress, relax,
and enjoy mental stimulation in a friendly gaming environment. The Boomer women
stats are in alignment with the Harris Interactive survey.
Winster.com Survey Findings:
•
70% of players are ages 45 and up
•
80% of players are women
•
57% of players are between 45-64 years old
•
83% of players have made at least one
friend
•
77% of players play more than one hour a
week
•
37% of players play more than five hours a
week
•
87% of players play from home
The panel I am speaking on at the Consumer
Electronic Show's Silvers
Summit Jan. 10 is about the online gaming industry. The gamer panel
includes Randy Paynter from Care2, Asi Burak of Games for Change and Fred
Howard of Kingsisle Entertainment. Together, we will uncover the facts and
stats of this growing industry and dismiss the myths and misconceptions of
Boomers and seniors. Attendees and astute marketers will also better understand
the key female target audience economic strength, who makes or influences 80%
of the household decisions and one of the ways to reach her online.
Marketers and ad agencies always ask us
for new online ideas - beyond the banners. Some of the unique online
advertising programs we utilize is integrating brands into games, pages, video
and content on our 140 site partners. The questions marketers should ask
include: Is my brand reaching and engaging baby Boomers online where they spend
their time on a trusted site with relevant content? Is this custom program
scalable? Will my brand be in a premium position?
Whether its gaming, gardening,
grandparenting, socializing, quilting, chatting on auto sites, learning about
finance and wealth strategies, reading about health issues or planning the next
big trip - the fact is Boomers/seniors are on that site by choice. They have a
relationship with the site, content and in some cases other members.
Boomers are online 15 hours per week vs.
teens' 13 hours per week and hold 70% of the U.S. wealth. No wonder Boomers are
online so much, sites are improving their content, have an authentic voice,
offer relaxation, stimulation, health benefits, empowerment and an added bonus -
a better sex life!