50-Plus Marketing

Decoupling your home from the delivery of products

2012-02-09T07:34:00.003Z

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I get lots of PR companies sending me e-mails about products and services that they think I might be interested in blogging about.

Unless I can "get it" within 20-30 secs it will end-up in the trash box. You would be amazed how difficult some companies make for people to quickly understand their offer.

Anyway, I received an e-mail promoting Kinek. This is what it said and above is the video.

The life of a snowbird has its benefits, but the task of transporting belongings between summer and winter homes twice a year isn’t one of them. Send your stuff too early and it may sit on your porch, easy prey for “porch pirates.” Send it too late, and you have to live for a week or so without it. So it’s interesting to note how quickly Kinek is taking off in winter retirement destinations like Florida and Arizona. Kinek (kinek.com) – an alternate delivery service that offers secure retail locations to have packages shipped to (and stored in) from any source in the world – has established more than 100 “KinekPoints” in Florida in the last few years alone, and the number is growing fast (Kinek has more than 1300 locations across North America).

What a good idea. I wish there was a service like it in the UK. I am sure the main market is going to be the poor soul living in the city who is rarely at home, but I can see how it could appeal to an older age group. You could argue that if there is going to be a sizeable number of older people using the service then you might age-neutralise the video.

I wish more organisations would present their offer in such an easy to understand way. Dick Stroud

Communicating with seniors

2012-02-07T08:52:00.002Z

I should spend more tim reading my Twitter traffic.

Somebody from Responsemine Interactive tweeted me and thought that I might be interested in one of their reports. Indeed I was and indeed it had the result of publishing the document because you are now reading about it.

I like this image since it summarises what I often start by telling clients.

The document contains some attractive graphics. Dick Stroud

Changes to Google's privacy policies

2012-02-07T08:45:00.002Z

You must have noticed that Google's privacy policies are being changed/streamlined/integrated or whatever you want to call it. I know I should take more notice of this but I have to say I find the whole subject monumentally boring.

Laurie Orlov has done a good job of explaining the implications so if you want to understand what Google is up to then have a read. Dick Stroud

Lifetime mortgages - maybe they are the future

2012-02-06T14:07:00.001Z

Because of the difficulty people have repaying their mortgage it is becoming necessary to extend the period of time that lenders will accept.

So for instance the National Counties will lend to a maximum age of 85, The Co-op and ING Direct will lend until a person is 75 years old.

So much for the idea that people are going to use their properties to fund their retirement - for many they will still be paying for them, well after they collect their pension.

This is not a good situation but of course it does present the Finance Industry with new product opportunities. If you think things are bad today then spare a thought for the average 40 year old. I expect that we will soon move to multiple lifetime mortgages (i.e. you pay them back over several generations). Dick Stroud

Importance of the Internet by country

2012-02-06T09:19:00.001Z

The Fleishman Hill annual global Digital Influence Index study has just been published that looks at what consumers are doing online plus a pile of other things.

There is no analysis by age or lifestyle groups - the emphasis is on type/reason for Internet use and how that changes by country.

You have to wonder the usefulness of these numbers when we know that there will be huge difference in the behaviours within country.

Still it is always interesting to get an overview of what is happening. The above graphic shows the response to the question asking respondent to name the most important channel in assisting them make purchase decisions. Dick Stroud

More than half of consumers around the world consider themselves overweight

2012-02-04T09:13:00.000Z

Nielsen publishes some excellent research and has a terrific way of displaying the results.

If you are interested in the food industry then this is a must read. It has nothing specific about the older age group but covers many of the issues that are important to this demographic.

Also, the report gives a great comparison of the way that different parts of the world react to food, it consumption, dieting, labels etc etc.

I thought this graphic was particularly interesting since it confirms all my prejudices about how little people understand packing. When people say "in part" you can bet your socks they mean they don't understand it at all.

Age friendly packaging. You are going to read a lot more about that subject from me in the coming months. Looks like there is a lot of improvement to be made in AsiaPac. Dick Stroud

2012-02-04T08:16:00.000Z

A while back the BBC had a major makeover of its main web site. The Corporation has now launched its new sports site. I guess we have got used to using the BBC as something of a datum web site against which to judge others and for good reason. The task of squeezing so much content through a web site is daunting and so far it has been done really well.

I was not that impressed with the launch of the news site but thought it was probably just me and the reaction that familiarity breeds of using something for ages, that seemed to work well, and not seeing what more functionality the new design delivered.

The new sports site seems as if it has got up the nose of a lot more people. Have a read of the EConsultancy blog and the comments of the BBC guy responsible for design.

The main criticism seems to be the lavish use of the bright colour yellow. I am not that wowed by the colours but that is not my issue with the design.

I think the bright young designers at the BBC have forgotten the single most important thing about any web design - it should make it as easy and as comfortable as possible for the user to find the content they want. You don't go to the site to be entertained (maybe you do then you got to the appropriate section) you don't go their to play games (if you do then you go to the appropriate section). What you go there for is to see specific results, commentary, video, user comments.

The BBC has done a Yahoo. It looks to me that they had a competition to fill as many screens as possible with as much stuff as possible without much regard for the hierarchy of navigation or how the average user thinks. It has become a web site designed to inflate the designer's egos.

Now if you overlay the issues of ageing then you have a real problem. However, thanks BBC, you provide me with a great reference site to show how not to do things.

What do you think? Dick Stroud

A thoughtful article about ageing America

2012-02-03T15:15:00.001Z

Nothing that will knock your socks-off but a well written and researched review of ageing America. Dick Stroud

Innovation without Age Limits - you are never to old to innovate

2012-02-02T13:39:00.003Z

This is a comforting piece from Technology Review.

Ideas are dime a dozen. The value comes from translating ideas into inventions and inventions into successful ventures. To do this, you have to collaborate with others, obtain financing, understand markets, price products, develop distribution channels, and deal with rejection and failure. In other words, you need business and management skills and maturity. These come with education, experience, and age.

Indeed, research by my team revealed that the average and median age of the founders of successful U.S. technology businesses (with real revenues) is 39. We found twice as many successful founders over 50 as under 25, and twice as many over 60 as under 20. So everyone has a shot at success, but age provides a distinct advantage.

It is a shame that all of the 'growth through enterprise' stuff that the EU is funding at the moment is aimed at the under-25s but then it never let facts get in the way of the politics. Dick Stroud

I am only going to say one word - 'pensioners'

2012-02-02T10:49:00.002Z

This item titled "Joblessness and Its Discontents' is published by Wharton and is about the doom and gloom pervading Davos about the plight of the unemployed and especially the young unemployed.

Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? Seems not for the majority of the young.. Well my advice to the young (only slightly tongue in cheek) would be in along the lines of Mr. McGuire when he was talking to Benjamin in the film the graduate.....remember....

Mr. McGuire: I just want to say one word to you. Just one word.
Benjamin: Yes, sir.
Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?
Benjamin: Yes, I am.
Mr. McGuire: Plastics.

Well Mr. Stroud would say a different word, he would say : Pensioners

Whether you want to work in the private or public sector you cannot go wrong if you acquire a skill base that is relevant to pensioners. The one thing we know for sure is that they are going to be lots of them and lots of them needing medication, care, assistance, advice, comfort, technology..... Stick with pensioners and you cannot go wrong. Dick Stroud

Convert CCTV data to market intelligence and promotional content - brilliant

2012-02-01T17:34:00.002Z

What do your customers do when they come into your store, cafe, bank branch....? One thing is for certain is that they appear on your CCTV video. What do you do with that - nothing - unless the customer happens to leave without paying. Zillions of digits of information that does nothing for your business other than to prevent/deter losing money.

Along comes a company called Prism Skylabs - I love the web address http://pri.sm who can extract value from this stuff.

This is what the company says about itself.

What is Prism Skylabs?Prism Skylabs brings physical spaces online, creating new places for people and businesses to understand and engage each other. The company is changing how businesses use video and how consumers experience physical spaces online. In the longer term, Prism Skylabs’ goal is to transform the world’s multi-hundred billion-dollar camera network investments into a platform for online-to-offline commerce that creates new revenue streams and new opportunities for businesses to engage customers.

I am very interested in understanding the patterns of behaviour of older people in the retail environment. This looks like a terrific tool that could make it much easier to follow and understand exactly what consumer do when trying to jump the physical hurdles that we put in their way.

If the product does what it says then this is a stunning marketing innovation. Dick Stroud

What a good idea for those of use with hearing problems

2012-02-01T17:17:00.003Z

I have not idea if this device does what it says it does but if it does then I want one.

Could be a perfect product for those older people with hearing problems.

Methinks we will see more of these types of products appearing. Dick Stroud

Are Boomers and Millennials that different

2012-02-01T16:02:00.003Z

This infographic is supposed to show how different Millennials are from Boomers in the way they are influenced by user generated content.

If you are regular reader of my blog you will know that I hate these generalisations but I thought this one was interesting since I didn't think it showed that much difference. Knowing the frailties of the type of research upon which these graphs are likely to be based I guess we have a +/- 10% error in results.

So 25% of Millennials say that UGC plays a lot in their decision making and 'only' 21% of Boomers say the same. I think my slant on the article would be how similar the two groups are. Dick Stroud

Tablets are great but TV 2.0 - or is TV 3.0 could be even better

2012-02-01T13:16:00.000Z

I have written a lot about the way that gesture controls could radically change the way that we interact with our TVs.

That's great but there is a lot more going on with TVs than waving your arms at them.

A product announced at CES from a company call Tely.com looks like a game changer.

This is what Walt Mossberg of the WSJ had to say when he reviewed the product.

For older people who want limited functionality from an Interent connection then the TV could well be the answer. They have one already - it is ideal for talking to their grandkids - no doubt you could add a couple of other bits of functionality like web browsing.

The idea of getting people to wade through learning to use a mouse and master Windows might soon becoming to an end as tablets and TVs take centre stage. Dick Stroud

Older people using Facebook in the UK

2012-02-01T10:55:00.003Z

I am never sure how much value to ascribe to these sort of numbers. What the hell is a Facebook users - somebody who uses it 10 times a day or once a a month?

Anyway for what they are worth these are the numbers of older people in the UK.

65+ = 1,037,240
55-64 = 1,756,200
45-54 = 3,530,040

Make of them what you will. Dick Stroud

Net Promoter Score - interesting concept

2012-02-01T10:12:00.001Z

I guess you always find concepts interesting when they agree with them and quantify your own prejudices.

Have a read about the concept of the NPS here and the way that it used in a tool- kit being launched by WARC.

NPS is a way of scoring how customers represent a company to their friends, associates. Simple message. Customer Experience is King. End of story. Dick Stroud

Content free gibberish about older people

2012-01-30T18:38:00.000Z

I have started suffering from the physical problem of skinirritation. I don’t think it is psoriasis or anything serious because I onlyget it when I am in the company of people talking gibberish, especially peopletalking gibberish about older people and especially when these people arespending my hard earned taxed income. Because I am nice guy I am not going toname the person or indeed the organisation but see what you make of thefollowing:

....and the whole agenda of the xyz, our mandate, is to look atsocietal challenges.

‘What design has done for this whole agenda that we’redriving in terms of independent living is to add that, and to support, and toboost, that social dimension to the independent-living agenda.

‘We have come from a very technologically-focused origin andtrying to broaden it in terms of the social dimension and how social innovationcan address underpinning social issues that undermine health, well-being, andindependent living was, you know, I use design as the vehicle to enable, enablethat.

‘I think what design also brings is a sense of openness, um,er, a willingness to interact with people, um, that I think is essential. I think it also brings a lot of fun, andinterest, and intrigue, and excitement to it.’

OK – do you have any idea what they are talking about?

I would like to thank my good chum Paddy for transcribingthis nonsense from a recently released video.

Why do people utter this verbal diarrhoea? Maybe they arestupid? Maybe they really have no idea what they are trying to door say. Maybe it is both reasons.

I suspect they live in a world, normally in aGovernment or Government funded environment, where their peers talk an equallycontent free variant of the English language. The trouble is when they leavethat world and have to express their views to those boring people like me thatexpect 130 words to have at least a tad of meaning.

Rant over. Dick Stroud

What bothers older people?

2012-01-29T16:35:00.004Z

There is a new venture in the UK called Tomorrow Together. The web site says ....

This is your chance to join a national conversation that asks how we can all work together in the UK to imagine and then help create a better future.
Tomorrow Together is a place for you to discover the exciting things that are already happening to improve the lives of older adults and be inspired to share your opinions and expectations. We are encouraging comment from people of all ages, lifestyles and sectors.

The more that people talk positively about catering for the ageing population the better – I wish them good luck.

The lead statistic in the organisation’s launch press release is the result of some bespoke research that they undertook that concluded that : “ 90 per cent of people in the UK are not looking forward to older age.”

I wonder why that is?

Let me suggest a few reasons. Here are a few headlines and detail from the past few months:

…Millions of elderly people are facing a "care crisis" as official figures show two thirds of councils have cut funding for residential homes.....A survey by the Commons Health Select Committee found that councils are cutting social care budgets by an average of 6% while raising charges for services such as home help. MPs warned that funding cuts were becoming "more urgent day by day".

New figures, from the Office for National Statistics, based on health conditions recorded on death certificates, show that in 2010, 218 people died in hospitals and care homes in England and Wales with bedsores recorded as the cause of death, while 2,121 died from blood poisoning - which experts say is caused in the large majority of cases by infected wounds. A further 25,343 died of other causes while suffering from bedsores or blood poisoning. The total numbers who died with one of the two conditions has risen by 56 per cent over 10 years.

A quarter of NHS hospitals visited by the health watchdog are failing even to provide basic standards of care for elderly people. The damning report by the Care Quality Commission Inspectors found patients in some wards were being prescribed water after nurses left them thirsty for more than 10 hours, while others went hungry after being denied help with eating. Pensioners were forced to spend all day in their nightclothes or were put to bed at 6pm, while staff ignored them to talk among themselves or played music.

Believe me this is the tip of a very big iceberg. Let's move onto finance.

Aviva has done some good work in recording the financial concerns of older people and the state of their finances. Have a read of a couple of their publications - June 2011 – Sept 2011

Here are a few of the things they found.

Unexpected expenses consistent worry over six months and five years. Over-75s worry most about health and care - I wonder why!!

The number of over-55s (17%) who have no savings is up from Q3 2010. Digging deeper into these statistics, a worrying trend is developing. Pre-retirees (55-64) are more likely to be working than the other two age groups but also have the smallest savings pots (£5,967) and the highest number of people without any savings at all (21%).

Over the next five years, over-55s are worried about the rising cost of living (70%) and the falling returns on savings (30%). The fact that the base rate has remained at historically low levels for 31 months and significant inflation has been experienced appears to be the reason.
The overall precarious nature of some people’s finances is clearly highlighted by the fact their fears focus on these issues rather than worries about a serious illness for them or their partner (20%) or the death of their partner (11%).

Two things dominate the concerns of older people. Their health and how will they be treated if they enter the loving embrace of the NHS and Social Services. Secondly, how will they be able to afford to stop working – even if they could find/keep a job? Let me say it again, health and finance dominate their concerns. Dick Stroud

Why aren't seniors wowed by tablets?

2012-01-28T08:48:00.000Z

This is the title of the latest blog posting by Laurie Orlov.

As usual the author makes a lot of good points. The latest Pew data showed that the 50-65 year olds in the US have increased their use of tablets, over the last year, from 8% to 15% but only 7% of the 65+ are using the devices.

The main profile of a typical tablet user is at the wealthy end of the spectrum and of course they need to have broadband access. A lot of older people don't fit that bill. So far I agree with the argument.

Where I depart from the logic is Laurie Orlov's 'pet rock' syndrome that argues that people don't really need a tablet. Of course she is right, in the same way as I really don't 'need' to 90% of the stuff I purchase .. but I do.

I suspect that at the core of the argument is that she doesn't see the point in the tablets herself and is falling into the trap, where I spend most of my time, of extrapolating the universe from her own opinions.

I believe that tablets will be (are for many) a key component of people's lives. The nature of the devices, touch screen, variable luminosity, single application interface etc. make them perfect for older people. As the price falls I think I will be proved right. Dick Stroud

To be customer centric or not - be both

2012-01-25T07:11:00.002Z

Today's FT has an article that covers some of the arguments that have been bouncing around the subject of marketing for as long as I can remember. Sorry it is behind a paywall.

Should you focus on customer acquisition or retention?

Do customers/prospects know what they want until it is stuck in front of the noses?

Should we treat all customers the same?

The technology that we use to deal with these issues might have changed but the core dilemma is the same as it was back in the days of Methuselah.

Recently we have had Steve Jobs forcibly telling us that nobody every said they wanted an iPad until they had one in their hands. This seems to have bent the argument in favour of new product development coming from innovative geniuses rather than focus group feedback.

We can monitor terabytes of online babble to understand the health of a brand and to reach the super influencers who hold the keys to a brand's success.

We have to be careful that we don't get too carried away with these arguments and ignore the one thing that we know that works but we invariably fail to do - make the path from a consumer's first interest in our brand to the point that they unwrap and use our product and service as efficient, enjoyable, fun, short, stress-free etc as possible.

This omission applies to the way we deal with all generations but especially older consumers who may not have the physical robustness or patience to put up with the barriers that brands construct throughout the customer journey.

The trouble is your customer sees your organisation and your products as a single entity. I bet you see the customer as somebody that passess through multiple processes in your organisation that are not coordinated or driven by the same priorities. Dick Stroud

Tablet and E-book reader ownership nearly doubles over Xmas period

2012-01-24T11:31:00.003Z

Pew Research has just published some data about the ownership of tablets and e-readers.

Can you believe this statistic: The share of adults in the United States who own tablet computers nearly doubled from 10% to 19% between mid-December and early January and the same surge in growth also applied to e-book readers, which also jumped from 10% to 19% over the same time period.
The number of Americans owning at least one of these digital reading devices jumped from 18% in December to 29% in January.

You can see what the most popular Xmas present was this year.

For the first time that I can remember, the sale of a new tech product to the 65+ is keeping pace with the other age groups. Clearly, e-readers are popular (rightly so) with older people.

The 50-64 year olds are also buying a lot of e-readers and tablets.

For those who haven't already appreciated it - we are a turning point for the consumption of media and the preferred technology platform used by all generations. Fascinating. Dick Stroud

Accenture's report about Asia's Consumer Product Trends

2012-01-23T11:20:00.001Z

There is much that is different but much that is the same about the Asian consumer and those in Europe and the US. Thanks to Kim Walker for telling me about this report.from Accenture about Asian consumers.

Two things screamed out of the report for me. I quote:

This recession has deepened the divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots – the Kings and Paupers. Each segment needs to be served and expects to courted appropriately.

Companies need to understand the ageing populace, and what an older consumer base means for product development and brand loyalty.

If you read my blog you will know that these are two themes I have been talking about ages. Dick Stroud

The need to work until you are 75

2012-01-23T11:06:00.000Z

There was an excellent article in the WSJ on Sat - thanks to Mary Furlong for highlighting it.

At the end of 2011 there were1.31 million Americans ages 75 and older were working, a 25% jump from 1.05 million in 2005, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Now, 7.3% of the oldest Americans have jobs, up from 5.3% a decade ago. Interestingly, the figure was higher in 1966.

By 2018, the government estimates, about 10% of people 75 or older—about two million Americans—will be working or seeking work.

I would be willing to take a bet that this is a gross under-estimate of the figure.

So what does this mean for companies if they have to keep their workplaces age-friendly fro 75+ year olds? Dick Stroud

Ken Dychtwald's comments about JWT's 2012 trends

2012-01-23T10:25:00.000Z

Ken Dychtwald is a name from the past - good to see that he is still involved in the ageing business.

In JWT's end of year pronouncement about trends for 2012 it identified the older consumer as something companies should do something about. Let's face it, that is not a conclusion that is that difficult to reach.

Anyway, JWT ask Ken Dychtwald to comment about the trend. Here are a few quotes

Generally, people think old age begins around 80. If old age moves back, what about all that territory between 50 and 80? What is that? All good stuff, unfortunately nobody has told our bodies that this happening and even if our perception of ourselves remains young bits of the body will keep telling us that that isn't true.

What’s replacing the linear life plan is a cyclic life plan, in which people are continually reinventing themselves and trying new things. For today’s elders, it was considered abnormal. I mean, if you were a dentist, and didn’t want to be a dentist anymore, people thought something was wrong with you. This might well be true for the professional classes but try telling this story to a 55 year-old factory worker who has been out of work for 12 months. We must not extrapolate the universe of older people from our own experience. It is a trap I fall into and as I suspect does Mr Dychtwald

Aging is becoming more ageless. Bang on the money with this observation, although I think age-neutral is far more expressive of the reality.

The one thing that was missing from the article was that dreaded word ' recession '. As I have said countless times - the recession changes and will change everything. Dick Stroud

You cannot have it both ways Mr Willetts

2012-01-23T10:05:00.000Z

This last week David Willetts MP, the guy who published the book Pinch (How the Baby Boomers Took Their Children's Future - And How They Can Give it Back) had the audacity to come out with the statement: "We need to avoid creating an artificial generational war. It is not helpful if we build up a dangerous mentality which suggests that older and younger people are a threat to each other."

Can you believe it. Unfortunately, all to readily. If you want to know the sort of thing that makes the older consumer angry then look no further than Mr W. Dick Stroud

What does it take for consumer products companies to grow in the UK market?"

2012-01-23T10:00:00.000Z

The title of this blog is the question that Bain Company's attempted to answer in the report: "UK shoppers and the choices they make."

At the core of the research is the influence and importance of the 20% of shoppers who make up about 60% of all sales in every category.

They, on average, spend six times more than the rest of the category’s shoppers. In categories such as jewellery and watches, they can account for up to 70% of all UK sales and spend up to 12 times as much as everyone else.

Bain concludes that it is very tempting to spend all your time (and budget) trying to attract them to your brand and make them loyal. That would be wrong (Bain believes).

These are the biggest mistakes that companies make.

They don’t spend enough time on activities that will make shoppers consider their brand at the point of sale, particularly for repertoire categories. It’s less about what they think about you and more about making them think of you in the ﬁrst place.

Too often, companies don’t invest the time to understand or act on the speciﬁc inﬂuences on shoppers’ brand choices and how they respond to in-store promotions, signage, assortment layout, point-of sale merchandising and advice from shop assistants.

Putting too much emphasis on online and mobile channels. Let me just repeat that one again in case you thought it was a mistake - Putting too much emphasis on online and mobile channels. The first priority should be to target shoppers who are researching and buying today.

Offering an overly complicated range of products that fails to offer shoppers relevant choices or reasons to trade up. Complexity is not only annoying, it can stop people from buying.

From the work we have been doing, these observations are bang on the money when it comes to the older age group who will comprise a significant part of the top 20% of buyers. Dick Stroud

This is really, really scarry

2012-01-14T06:29:00.003Z

The Economist Intelligence Unit has just published a survey entitled : "A new vision for old ageRethinking health policy for Europe’s ageing society."

In 2011 the EIU surveyed 1,113 healthcare professionals in several European countries, including the UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, as well as the Netherlands and countries in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Most of the respondents (741) are frontline healthcare staff, including doctors and nurses, and others are in policy/strategy; administration; research and development (R&D); manufacturing; or at non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Just look at the graphic. Wow, that is terrible.

Unfortunately, this is going to be a recurring theme that will drive the actions of people in their 60s and 70s who don't want to face their last years in a decaying health and care system. Where there is a very defined fear there is a very defined product opportunity.

How the hell did we get our state provided health system in such an almighty mess. Solution, don't get old.

The next two graphics are particularly concerning for Brits. We are continually being told how fantastic the NHS is but every shred of evidence, I mean real research not Government slanted stuff, shows the system is in terminal decline - at least in the way it deals with the ageing population.

The older, wealthy Brits are not going to trust the public health system. The conclusion, Private Health is in for a fantastic growth period. Dick Stroud

The future of gadgets is simplicity

2012-01-13T06:47:00.002Z

The FT reckons that simplicity was the theme of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. More complexity = good has been replaced with "the simpler the better".

I quote from the FT:

The latest models are on a diet of voice commands, gestures and even facial recognition that will be enabled by faster processors, built-in cameras and microphones.

These more natural ways of summoning up content, with simpler remotes and menus, should make access to apps and services much easier.
LG has added voice recognition to its Magic Remote motion controller, while Sony has simplified its own fiendishly complex remotes, partly by doing the same.

Samsung announced Smart Interaction – incorporating voice command, motion-sensing and facial recognition – which can identify different members of a family and offer their own personalised interface for entertainment.
Google TV sets were also being shown by LG and others, with Version 2.0 offering a simplified interface and more compelling apps.

This is good news for older people. What a quaint idea to make technology easier to use. Dick Stroud

The 'Silver Summit' at the International CES

2012-01-12T10:10:00.001Z

What is happening in the world of technology as it applies to older people? You would hope that being in Las Vegas this week would give you the answers.

This is the 'silver' conference at the Consumer Electronics Show.

This is what the conference is saying about itself. This is more interesting - Susan Estrada's blog on the Aging Place Technology Watch site.

As she says: "Even to a novice, it must seem rather silly to clump everyone 45 and older as a buying segment." I couldn't agree more. Dick Stroud

A glimpse of the future - burn body fat with a pill?

2012-01-12T06:49:00.000Z

During the coming decade we are going to see some 'interesting' new pharmaceutical/food developments that will have a massive market with the older age group.

Already we have products for cholesterol and intestinal issues - soon there will be products to counter the effects of muscle loss. The big daddy of them all could be this development described in Technology Review.

Researchers have discovered a natural hormone that acts like exercise on muscle tissue—burning calories, improving insulin processing, and perhaps boosting strength. The scientists hope it could eventually be used as a treatment for obesity, diabetes, and, potentially, neuromuscular diseases like muscular dystrophy.

It sounds like it is a long way from being something that you can buy at the pharmacy but it gives an insight into where research is being channelled. Watch this space. Dick Stroud

2012-01-10T11:39:00.000Z

Thanks to Kim Walker for telling me about this TED video of Jane Fonda talking about the subject of ageing. As Kim observered, Ms Fonda generates a lot of likes but also a lot of dislikes. Definitely worth a listen, however, I find it difficult when watching not to remember her as Barbarella.

That was the time they really knew how to make films (Mmmm - perhaps not). Dick Stroud

Entrepreneurs or just looking for a job?

2012-01-10T10:09:00.000Z

I was just reading yet another article about how Boomers are going to be the entrepreneurial powerhouse of the future. One minute you are working for ABC Inc next day you are the next Steve Jobs in the making.

For ages I have been very suspicious of this view of the future. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there is any reason why the older mind cannot hack it with a new start-up company. Nor do I think there isn't the desire to take control of your own destiny and run your own business. For as long as I can remember I have been writing about the business opportunities for franchise owners to tap the desire (and money) of the older demographic.

What disturbs me is the way that continual growth in the numbers of self-employed is always quoted as proof of this surge of entrepreneurial desire. For every one genuine self-employed person there is one, probably two, maybe three and could be ten others who are effectively unemployed but prefer the title self employed.

I have just stumbled upon a brilliant blog that makes this point far better than I could ever do. Flip Chart Fairy Tales gets right to the nub of the matter. Dick Stroud

Haven't seen one of these for a long time

2012-01-10T10:00:00.001Z

Faboverfifty.com, where fabulous women over fifty connect and share their style.

Another angle on getting an age cohort to a web site. Most fail, maybe this one will be more successful?

You can read the background in the Huffington Post. Dick Stroud

Yet another daft acronym

2012-01-10T09:48:00.001Z

Friends Life commissioned some research from the Future Foundation to look at the working life expectation of older people. Needless to say, things don't look good. Let me quote:

Forget putting the feet up and settling down in front of fire with a pipe or the knitting. Many of tomorrow's enterprising pensioners will become self-employed consultants, online traders or run odd-job businesses to make ends meet, according to researchers.
A generation of 'Wearies' – Working, Entrepreneurial and Active Retirees – could be forced to continue working into their seventies and beyond due to hardships caused by the looming pensions crisis.

This tells us nothing new but at least it gets some press attention. Unfortunately, the better the daft acronym the more coverage. Unfortunately, the better the acronym the less value is the research. Seems to be one of those strange laws of nature like the need for the Higgs Boson to exist. Dick Stroud

Today's Lempert Report worth watching

2012-01-09T13:02:00.000Z

Phil Lempert publishes a regular videocast about the US Retail Industry.

Today's issue is worth watching since it contains some interesting insights into the importance and changing needs of the older retail shopper. Much of the material is taken from the AT Kearney report that I have previously reviewed.

Well worth 4 minutes of your life. It's a pity that there is no facility to embed the video - would help to give it broader coverage. Dick Stroud

A report by MGM Advantage about people near to or in retirement

2012-01-08T18:54:00.002Z

What is the biggest worry in retirement.

This new report from the Finance Company MGM Advantage can answer that question as is clearly shown in the graphic. Money and Health dominate.

The analysis contains a simplistic categorisation of retirees into lifestyle groups and few other assorted observations about how older people feel about themselves and their position in society.

Nothing in the report that will shock you but worth a quick read. Dick Stroud

Want to launch a boomer/senior, home health tech, product or service?

2012-01-08T18:31:00.001Z

In her usual pragmatic and sensible style, Laurie Orlov (Aging in Place Technology Blog) has some good advice that could save you a lot of time, money and hassle.

These tips apply if you are in Washington or Woking. Dick Stroud

Conflicting messages about relative wellbeing of the generations

2012-01-03T06:58:00.000Z

Yesterday I was reading an article in the WSJ titled: "Aging and Broke, More Lean on Family." Much was made of research from Pew about the increase in multigenerational households because of the inability of older people to afford to life alone. The article is behind a paywall - don't worry - it was long on anecdotal stuff and short on detail.

Whilst trying to find the original research I came upon another Pew research report of November 2011 (the second graphic) titled: "The Rising Age Gap in Economic Well-Being". As you might expect, the theme of this report was to show the way that those under 35s had seen their net wealth decline, since 1984, relative to the 65+.

So who do you believe? Of course the answer is that they are probably both correct since they are talking about different groups of people and looking at the issue through very different prisms.

At the poorest end of the spectrum older people are having a tough time and it is set to get a hell of lot worse - then so are younger people - the difference is that if you are young you have some chance of repairing your finances - not a luxury you have when you are old.

The top tier of older people have done very nicely because of the increase in property prices, even allowing for the recent falls.

Whichever way you want to cut the numbers, and they apply just as much to Europe as the US, you have a smallish group of older people (around 15%, who are older than younger) who are doing very nicely thank you. They are the people you should be talking to. Dick Stroud

My favourite things - 40 years on

2011-12-31T14:04:00.001Z

To commemorate Julie Andrew's birthday she made a special appearance at Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP.A friend of mine was good mates with the guy who produced the show.These are the words that she used - I found them amusing.

The video was produced in 2010 and contains the same lyrics. Something to bring a smile to your face as we enter 2012.

Botox and nose drops and needles for knitting,
Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings,
Bundles of magazines tied up in string,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Cadillacs,cataracts, hearing aids, glasses,
Polident, Fixodent and false teeth in glasses,
Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings,
These are a few of my favorite things.

When the pipes leak,
When the bones creak,
When the knees go bad,
I simply remember my favorite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions,
No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions,
Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring,
These are a few of my favorite things.

Back pain, confused brains and no need for sinnin',
Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin',
And we won't mention our short shrunken frames, When we remember our
favorite things.

When the joints ache,
When the hips break,
When the eyes grow dim,
Then I remember the great life I've had,
And then I don't feel so bad.

Last post of 2011 - very best wishes for 2012. Dick Stroud

Why making 2012 forecasts is a waste of time

2011-12-30T07:49:00.002Z

As we approach the New Year we all try and forecast what will happen in the coming 12 months to both our social and professional lives.

Most of the time this activity is no more than daydreaming about our hopes and desires rather than formulating rationale predictions. Some may attempt to predict how the events that were shaping the world on the 31st December 2011 will play out by 31st December 2012. However rigorous the process the outcome is unlikely to worth the effort.

With the exception of cataclysmic convulsions of nature the events that are shaping the future are obvious. What is impossible to know is the timing of when a nuisance grows to an annoyance that becomes a problem that morphs into danger that ends becoming a catastrophe. Add to this an inability to know (or a willingness to recognise) if we are reacting to the manifestation of an event or its fundamental causes.

Let me give you a couple of examples. Today’s newspapers reveal that in 1981 the Government debated/discussed the “managed decline” of the North of England. The argument was that instead of spending public funds ‘invigorating’ Merseyside it would have been best to accept the fact that the city was in terminal decline and make that process as painless as possible. For Liverpool read the other large Northern towns. Even to Mrs. Thatcher this latter option was not palatable.

The policy then, as is now, has been to reshape the North of England. For periods the figures suggested this was happening. A bucket load of money was spent on Liverpool. There were a few good years in the sun but the population has halved and it bounces along the bottom in a downward direction. The policies to ‘invigorate’ have failed and still nobody can even mention the option of “managed decline”.

Another example is the Euro. In today’s Lex Column of the FT he argues that we have spent the last few years mucking about trying to cure the symptoms but ignoring the underlying problem. The Euro will fail, or certainly not look anything like it does at the moment, of this I am certain. What I have no idea about is when the demise will occur. By continuing to focus policy on the symptoms the currency might go on for years or days. Like the North of England, the European politicians cannot face the solution of “managed decline” and keep looking for the magic bullet to cure the symptoms.

So what does all of this mean to us marketers?

I suggest you make a list that has two columns. In column one you list the things you know will happen – be really, really, honest about what you write. In the other column detail your ability to predict the timing and the magnitude – be really, really, honest about what you write.

Let me start you off with a suggestion.

Young people (18-24) will suffer an accelerating decline in their disposable expenditure for at least the next 24 months. So do you face this fact and propose policies equivalent to the “managed decline” or do you try and ‘invigorate’ the market? You might be able to delay the event (at a cost) but you will not be able to change the eventual outcome.

So your choice. Do you make 2012 the year you are really honest about what is really happening and your lack of ability to predict the outcomes or will it be “service as normal” and you surf along the top of the waves without any idea where they are taking you? Happy New Year. Dick Stroud

Cognitive decline some is behavioural

2011-12-29T09:46:00.000Z

An academic paper just published has come to a fascinating conclusion.

Older adults don’t necessarily have slower brain processing than younger it is that older people don’t want to make any errors at all, and that causes them to slow down.

The researchers found that it was difficult to get them out of the habit, but not impossible.

From a personal and professional point of view it is nice to know that, according to the researcher: “The older view was that all cognitive processes decline at the same rate as people age but we’re finding that there isn’t such a uniform decline. There are some things that older people do nearly as well as young people.” Dick Stroud

Fitness for older adults - the trend that never happens?

2011-12-28T08:24:00.001Z

I have just been reading this article about fitness trends for 2012. Number three in the list is "fitness for older people". The same organisation has published its trends for the past 6 years and each year this prediction appears in the top six. Theoretically these are worldwide trends.

I would really like to think this is happening - maybe it is in the US - but my experience in the UK is that if it is occurring it more by accident than desire.

Looking at the composition of classes at my gym you can see that some are definitely more popular with older people (almost always ladies). I would like to think that those responsible for the gym's business had sat down and planned their classes and marketing approach in an age neutral way. Somehow I doubt it.

Everything we know about demographics and the fitness/wellness desires of a sizeable proportion of older people suggests that the prediction will come true. Dick Stroud

Saga Q4 analysis of UK over-50s

2011-12-28T07:48:00.000Z

It has taken forever for Saga to publish this report but it was worth waiting for.

In my view this Saga analysis gives the best insight into what is going on in the households of older people in the UK. Its strength is that it is regular and breaks the older population down by age and socio economic group plus it is very professionally produced.

These two charts give a good view of what is happening. The younger old are still suffering the most as they get bashed by the demands of their kids and parents. The older-old, whilst still suffering, have less to worry about - other of course that their bodies are ageing!

The bottom of the socio economic scale as always does the worse. Doesn't matter if we are talking about yoofs or their grandparents.

Saga' main conclusion about this research was that there were sign for hope because the downward trend seems to be stabalising. My take on this is a bit different.

There is only so much doom and gloom that people can take. To begin with it makes them apprehensive and they genuinely suffer if their disposable income reduces. Then there is a period when the misery level reaches a plateau.

What comes next? This all depends on the economy - stupid. The smallest signs of hope lead to a disproportional increase in the feel-good factor. Another quarter of increasingly bad news will wrench the index lower. In the immortal words of Clint Eastwood: “You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?”

I put my "feel lucky" measure at less than 30%. Dick Stroud

2012 forecasts from Aging in Place Technology Watch

2011-12-28T06:54:00.000Z

It is very easy to spin out 500 words that takes the current trends, spices them up a bit, and presents them as what is likely to happen during 2012.

It takes a lot more time, effort and knowledge to put together the forecasts in Laurie Orlov's blog.

If you are in the least bit interested in technology used by or used to assist older people then do read her 2012 predictions. Dick Stroud

The Met Life Mature Market Institute Newsletter - a good read

2011-12-23T15:43:00.001Z

I really like the way that Met Life uses its research capacity to engage with its existing and potential customers.

The Quick Facts publication always contains stuff that I find interesting. Definitely worth a glance, especially since it is now trying to take on a more international perspective. Dick Stroud

Technology designed by the young for the young?

2011-12-23T15:42:00.001Z

In Aging in Place Watch, Laurie Orlov ponders why so much technology is not used by older people.

The blog posting title "Retro is a word that needs a tech future" says it all.

I think she has a point but perhaps overstates the issue. Personally, I think that the current generation of technology has great possibilities to make the interface between person and silicon much easier.

Gestures and voice commands will become (in my view) key components of how we control our technology. That can only be a good thing (I think). Dick Stroud

I am the 9,207,410th person to watch tech bafflement in action

2011-12-23T13:59:00.002Z

I know I should not find this funny but I do. Looks like a lot of other people had the same reaction. You can see see that it is nearly Xmas!

Kim Walker has found another version of this on YouTube - this one only has a couple of million views. Dick Stroud

Bridging the digital divide by using a digital frame

2011-12-23T12:30:00.001Z

I think this video says it all. Nice idea. Dick Stroud

Smart Accessibility Awards organised by the Vodafone Foundation

2011-12-23T07:37:00.001Z

This week I had a coffee with David Sinclair of the ILC. He was telling me about the competition he was asked to judge about apps that could assist the lives of older people.

He has written a blog posting about the winners and there is also this great video explaining what the apps do. I reckon they are brilliant.

Well done Vodafone Foundation and its partners the AGE Platform Europe and the European Disability Forum (EDF). Dick Stroud

Living to a hundred is not what it once was

2011-12-22T14:03:00.000Z

Blogging about the ILC reminded me that a couple of weeks back I attended an event they organised about living to a hundred. You can read the report here.

The older-old are going to be the group that have probably the most impact on our (and their) lives during the next couple of decades.

Just look at this analysis that shows the percentage of different gender and age cohorts and their likelihood of living until they make a century.

Nearly a third of females aged 0-15 years old. If were to superimpose socio economic groups onto this analysis then we get some amazing numbers. Would the number of young women in AB groups living to a hundred exceed 50% - might well do. Dick Stroud

A heavy duty article about food and ageing

2011-12-22T13:53:00.001Z

If you are involved in the food or wellness business then you should file this article/report.

My experience has been that there is no single attitude that older consumers have towards nutrition and healthiness.

Some take it very seriously, some don’t give a damn. There is a correlation between social wellness and social economic group but as the bulging waistlines of many older, wealthy people testifies, a lot of those who should know better share the bad habits as their DE contemporaries.

The research quotes that 31% of those surveyed cited future good health as their primary driver for seeking better nutrition, a motivation that held even stronger among the survey’s older respondents. Topping the list of concerns in the survey were cardiovascular health, eye health, cancer, retaining mental sharpness, engaging in normal activities, lack of energy, stress, muscle health and osteoporosis. The illnesses that are now at the top of the list of ‘concerns’ are conditions that affect independence, mobility and wellbeing: Alzheimer’s (up 14%), eye health (12%), lack of mental sharpness (10%), stress and arthritis (both 7%) and tiredness/lack of energy (6%). These are the changes between research in 2006 and 2010.As the article explains, there are lots of things that you can do to try and fend off the worst of these conditions. I expect that older people are going to be willing to pay a lot of money to delay the inevitable. Dick Stroud

The message service that starts on the screen and ends on the mantlepiece.

2011-12-20T14:47:00.001Z

The need – son, daughter and grandchildren are taking zillions of photos with their phone and loading them to every social networking site that exists.

Poor old grandparents who are digitally challenged are missing out on their loved ones lives.

The solution – a simple way of taking the photos from your Facebook site or the desktop or tablet-top and sending it via the post as postcard.

I first saw an app for doing this in the US from an outfit call Postagram.
This is how the product is described:Instantly print and ship photos from Instagram, Facebook or your phone with free Postagram apps for iPhone and Android. Send high-quality photos in the mail to friends & family, anywhere, anytime.

We Brits now have our own version of this application with a product called Hugmail.
This is how they describe themselves:Our mission is to make it easier for the different generations to stay in touch.A lot of older people end up missing out on news from family because they don't own smartphones and aren't on Facebook or email. And we know from our own experience, that finding time to write that letter or send that printed photo just doesn't happen often enough.That's where Hugmail comes in, the message service that starts on the screen and ends on the mantlepiece.

I feel sure that there are other application for this portal between digital and paper images.I really like the way Hugmail has been set-up. It was easy to use and 2 days after taking my photo it came back to me via the post. I wish the venture good luck. Dick Stroud

Everything you need to know about UK mortgages

2011-12-19T10:27:00.000Z

The FSA has just published a new set of proposals for the awarding of mortgages. To back up these recommendations it released a zillion pages of analysis about every conceivable thing you can think about mortgages and few more besides.

The bell graph shows the distribution of people taking equity release on their property. Looks like the media is about 70. There is a frightening number of people using this way to raise cash who are under 65 years old.

The proposals appear to mean that there will be a crackdown on mortgages being awarded to the over-50s.

A lot of people thought that their property was a money making machine that they could use to fund other capital spending and day-to-day living. The combination of making mortgages harder to obtain and falling property prices leaves a lot of older people in a not nice place. Dick Stroud

Smartphone penetration by age - Nielsen data

2011-12-18T15:17:00.001Z

I think this graphic from the latest Nielsen report about smartphones says it all.

Nice numbers for your next presentations.

You will need to click on the image to see the details.

Nielsen has just released another report (The most popular Android Apps by age). Can you believe it - they don't record data above the age of 44 years old. Dick Stroud

Great way of presenting year-end forecasts - well done JWT

2011-12-18T14:57:00.000Z

Full marks to JWT for adding some humour to its year end forecasts for 2012. Don't be fooled by the cartoon the content is a bit scary. If you want the usual format you can view the slides.

Make sure you look at Trend 9 (Celebrating Aging). Not sure I agree with all of the ideas but I doubt if they are that far away from what will happen. Dick Stroud

Ageing and Disability - two words that don't like each other

2011-12-18T13:29:00.004Z

I have just re-read these words:

I despair. I have just read that OFCOM, which is the regulator for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services has just established a committee to provide advice about the interests of older and disabled people on communications matters.

What message does that send out?

Sure there are areas of cross-over, especially for very old people, but to lump the two together is dreadful. No marketing messages in this post other than the vein of age stereotyping runs very deep – especially in government and quasi government institutions.

I wonder who was getting so hot under the collar? Well it was me in a post I wrote in 2004.

How times have changed.

There is a fascinating article in BrandChannel entiled: “Baby Boomers the new disability market”.

The following quote explains the core of the author’s argument.

Marketers may well look to a market that millions of baby boomers will become part of because of debilitating conditions associated with ageing: people with disabilities.

People who have spent their lives living with specific disabilities have long experience with purchasing products that enable them to function effectively in society.

The article makes a number of references to a report that I have already reviewed from AT Kearney called "What do Mature Consumers Want?".

By now we all know that 2012 is going to be overshadowed by bad economic times. The only question is how bad, bad is going to be.

I am confident that 2012 is also going to be the year when we start to come to terms with the opportunities and issues created by the physical ageing of the boomer's minds, senses and bodies. Dick Stroud

What is the value of academic research to understanding and responding to older people?

2011-12-18T10:35:00.000Z

I have just come across another organisation, associated with academia and involved in ageing, that I have never heard about. New Dynamics of Ageing – a cross council research project.

I found this presentation, at an event hosted by my mates at ILC, where the results of their research was presented.

I know that I am becoming an overly critical and cynical sort of bloke but when I look through the conclusions of this research I am left wondering why they bothered. I know the argument that says that you cannot trust common sense and anecdotal evidence but there comes a point where you have to draw a line.

It is a bit like saying that I think that the majority of people walk on two legs. I don't need to spending money researching the evidence to make this statement.

Here are some of the conclusions :

There are a number of drivers for quality of life in old age, including social comparison, personal expectations, having good health and mobility, and feeling safe in the community

Survey respondents emphasised the importance of living in a neighbourly and safe area, and having good local facilities to promote friendly and helpful relationship with other people, including neighbours.

Regular contact with sons and daughters was important to most respondents for enjoyment, help and security. Contact with grandchildren (and being able to play and go out with them) was seen as important to playing a reciprocal role, and to feel useful and valued

Many respondents referred to the importance of having social or voluntary activities to ‘keep busy’ – to stop them worrying, feeling alone, or dwelling on the past.

In the consultancy business this was called "wet towel research" (i.e. it is as good a wrapping a wet towel around your head, sitting in a hot bath with a glass of chilled Sancerre and making up the conclusions). You just feel certain that there are better ways of spending public money than researching the obvious. Dick Stroud

Nice videocast from David Weigelt

2011-12-16T14:36:00.001Z

David runs a US company that is the leader in delivering digital stuff that works with older consumers.

I really like his regular videocasts. These are not easy things to do - believe me.

I guess I also liked this edition since he picks up on some of the topics that I have been going on about for the past couple of months - Apple Siri, QR codes and intergenerational angst. Well worth viewing. Dick Stroud

Marketing part of sales or the other way around?

2011-12-15T17:54:00.002Z

The CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) has put the cat amongst the pigeons by suggesting that marketing should become part of sales. This has got Marketing Magazine all hot under the collar.

This has nothing to do with older consumers but I do know the guys at CIM and have taught courses for them for longer than I care to remember.

One of the advantages of age is that you have seen this sort of issue come and go with people getting very cross about it but of course nothing changes and life just goes on.

I wonder if this question even counts in the B2C world - in the B2B world I suspect it is getting less of an issue.

We all know that marketing rules the universe, the only problem is nobody told the other functional groups that this is the case. All rather amusing. Dick Stroud

Nice blog posting about tools for measuring the effectiveness of social networking

2011-12-14T10:30:00.005Z

This is a nice blog posting about tools for measuring the effectiveness of social networking.

Created by the guys at Mature Marketing Matters the theory applies to ages but it is great to see social networking effectiveness discussed from the perspective of older people. Dick Stroud

OFCOM International Communications Report

2011-12-14T08:50:00.002Z

It's comprehensive, it's free and it's available now.

At some stage somebody will ask you a question about international comparisons of Internet, Radio and TV use.

You might just as well download this report and have it on file for such an eventuality. What is the use of home internet connection for social networking by age - now you can answer the question. Dick Stroud

Age Neutral Women - so says Anthem Worldwide

2011-12-14T07:39:00.005Z

Anthem Worldwide is a brand development agency and has just published a white paper entitled: "Today's Women: Newfound Power, Persistent Expectations."

First things first. This is a beautifully presented white paper. Before you start reading the details you are impressed.

The bottom line is that there are many emotions that appear to be age neutral. A very short conclusion but with lots of implications.

In the words of the report: This paper looks at broad cultural and attitudinal trends across three generations of American women—Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers—and finds that while women are seeking to embrace their newfound power, there are persistent expectations for women to do it all, look good, and be nice, regardless of their generation or their age. For marketers, this means there is an opportunity to forge a new relationship with women, one founded on empathic understanding instead of simply from an informed vantage point, one founded on women’s internal motivations—not just the expectations they feel.

And the nice thing is that this applies across the age spectrum.

This is the press release describing the reports findings. Dick Stroud

At the weekend did the UK miss the Titanic or a life raft?

2011-12-13T09:54:00.002Z

There have been zillions of words written about this weekend’s EU summit but none of them adequately explain (at least to me) what happened.

Terry Smith is a very respected UK business commentator said that the ejection of Britain from the EU leaves us: "as isolated as somebody who refused to join the Titanic just before it sailed".

Another stream of comments portray the result as a catastrophe for the UK.

Let’s forget the detail of the “who said what and why” and look at the group dynamics that must have gone on over that fateful supper in Brussels.

Cameron annoys the hell out of me – don’t know why, but he does. I suspect he has that effect on others, including his fellow heads of state.

However, I am sure that the other egomaniacs who run the countries of Europe are equally objectionable. Cameron’s personal foibles might have contributed to the outcome but I just cannot believe they were the cause. So what was?

I think two factors were at play. UK Prime Ministers and the UK populace have viewed, in varying degrees, the paraphernalia, regulations and directives that the EU is a world leader in generating as being at best an annoyance and at worst downright dangerous. The UK didn’t enter the Euro because it didn’t think it would work and hasn’t been silent in reminding the world that it was right.

Nobody likes a Smart-Alec who was right and is not restrained in telling you so.

Finally, there is fear. European prime ministers are terrified of what comes next. All they know is that it is not going to be nice and that they have minimal chance of influencing the outcome.

There is a famous line in the Godfather when Tom Hagen says to Sony, after he suggests some violent act that: “This is business not personal.” The point being that professionals strip out personal/national feelings and make decisions based on facts not emotions.

I think what happened last Friday was personal not business.

OK, enough of the ‘why’ what about the “so what”? The European states that have agreed to this pact, or whatever it will be called, have effectively discarded one of the very few levers of the economy they controlled. If you are in the EU you don’t control your interest rate, money supply or the exchange rate and now you don’t control your budget deficit.

As the FT said: The only immediate prospect offered to the indebted states of Europe is “internal devaluation” – for which read cuts in wages and pensions, higher taxes and much higher unemployment.

A quote from the Times said: Euro-zone countries have been deprived of all policy levers to combat deflation and reverse their crushing debt spirals: They can't devalue; they have no control over spiralling borrowing costs; credit creation is being suffocated as confidence in banks evaporates and liquidity dries up.

I have absolutely no idea how all of this is going to play-out. All I know is that a group of people who should know better made a decision (that might have been right) for very wrong reasons. A situation that cried out for clear thinking ended up being a school playground punch-up. Not good. Dick Stroud

Agewave - a new PR consultancy specialising in the over-50s

2011-12-11T15:57:00.001Z

Always good to see a new PR company that is focusing upon the older market.

Agewave is new to me. Based in Bristol and targeting companies wanting to communicate with the 50-plus.

I hopefully will speak to them in the New Year. Dick Stroud

Greying consumers are a gold mine for VCs

2011-12-11T15:33:00.001Z

I always love it when an organisation discovers the older market and then eulogies about it as if they have discovered something unknown to mankind.

Don't get me wrong, the more organisations that talk about the value of the older market and that add insights into the types of products and services it will require and how best to engage with it, the better.

I had all of this in mind when I read the article by Gigaom. I quote:

Most venture capitalists obsess on the latest shiny object for the 18-34 demographic. That’s remarkably shortsighted. The aging U.S. population is a potential gold mine for entrepreneurs who can build technologies to help this huge demographic remain active and stay in their homes as long as possible.The cohort of Americans over age 55 is massive. “This is a huge market — $3 trillion in annual disposable income” and so on and so on ...

Much of the article was about the conference that has recently been run by Redstar and that featured speakers and content from MIT AgeLab.

Nice to see another organisation that states that its future is aligned with the older consumer. Dick Stroud

Politicians really are a stupid bunch

2011-12-08T16:39:00.001Z

Way back in December last year I was suggesting that what was needed was a Tripadvisor for Care Homes

Since then, as the state of care in NHS hospitals has declined (that is putting it mildly), I and a lot of other people have been saying that the only way to inject some discipline and decent standards of care is to apply user generated content to shame hospitals into treating their patients - especially older patients - with a smidgen of decency.

Like a lumbering mule, the minister for Health, suddenly gets the idea and thinks that we should have a Tripadvisor for GP practices. Not only is he years behind the curve the idiot has chosen the wrong target - it is hospitals where the standards are falling not GPs.

I guess you could say that better late than never the political class 'gets' the power of users to influence large organisations. I wouldn't hold my breath if you expect anything to materialise anytime soon. Dick Stroud

Do you know your ding from your bling? Your butterz from your crutterz?

2011-12-08T08:48:00.001Z

It has become very fashionable to whinge on about intergenerational equity.I think one of the biggest intergenerational problems is that the language the generations use has lost a common meaning (I jest, but only a bit).

Wouldn't it be great if oldies had mechanism to understand what their grandchildren are talking about?

Much to my amazement Saga has created an app the provides a translator from you yoof to oldie.There is no doubt about it, Saga has “lightened up" in the last year or so. I just could never imagine the ‘old’ Saga coming up with this idea.

Woteva is a light-hearted application that I am sure will bring a few smiles to the faces of all generations and it is not a bad way for Saga to promote its brand and to demonstrate its lighter side.

Well done Saga. To make my week, please publish your 4th Quarter Index results that you talked about over 10 days ago. Dick Stroud

The 50-plus market in Asia Pacific

2011-12-07T10:33:00.001Z

The older market in the US is big - in Europe is big as well - in Asia Pacific it is huge. Take 15 mins out of your day to hear Kim Walker explain the dynamics of ageing in the Asia Pac region.

The business opportunities that arise from the ageing of the population in this region will dwarf those from Europe. And don't forget, as if you need me to remind you, that this region is not in recession and will be (is) the dominate economic power of the future. Dick Stroud

My mates in Australia win a couple of advertising awards

2011-12-07T09:02:00.001Z

Really good to hear that Evergreen Advertising & Marketing has won awards for their advertising to the older market.

Gill Walker, the founder and MD of Evergreen, has done so much to promote the cause of marketing to older age groups - more than that she has shown how it should be done.
It is great to see that her company's work has been recognised and rewarded by winning awards in the Advertising category of the Generations Award.

This is the first time that an Australian agency has been recognised by winning one of these awards.

Good luck to Evergreen as it goes into its 9th year of operations. Dick Stroud

Initial investigation into Subjective Wellbeing

2011-12-06T07:04:00.001Z

The ONS is including 'touchy-feely' questions into its survey of Brits. This report is stuffed full of data about our satisfaction with life today. I have to be honest - I really don't think this is worth the paper it written on - or the disk space it consumes.

What is of interest is the relative measures, like the above chart showing the life satisfaction and worthwhileness of life, of different ages.

Looks like the 65-74 year olds are a pretty contented bunch. This conclusion keeps coming up in research - like the Saga Index survey. Hint to Saga, please publish your Q4 results not just the press release.

Back to the data. I guess it is not surprising why this age group seems relatively happy. Their health is probably not that bad - their financial commitments are declining and they don't have to worry about getting fired. This is a gross generalisation of the age group but you get the drift of my argument.

I wonder how these numbers are going to change throughout 2012. No doubt we will find out. Dick Stroud

Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising

2011-12-06T05:54:00.001Z

At the beginning of 2011 I said that that the defining factor affecting marketers is the ultra fragmentation of consumers into the haves and the have nothings. I hate being right.

As we approach the end of the year the OECD has just published a report that looks at the rising inequality in the world's major countries. It contains a lot of pages but I think the video (well done OECD) says it all.

Companies had better get used to having two very different types of customers who will demand (can afford) very different types of products. Dick Stroud

More thoughts about QR codes - now you can get them customised

2011-12-05T16:44:00.001Z

I don't really know why I keep writing about QR codes - this will be my final posting unless I encounter something really special. Today I received an e-mail from this company that produced customised QR codes. I thought it was a rather innovative idea. Dick Stroud

Making products bought by oldies attractive to the young

2011-12-05T06:57:00.001Z

There are not too many instances of companies that revel in their success in selling to older people doing all they can to become attractive to the young. Normally, age silo products are age silo products and stay that way.

Not so with Harley Davidson who wants to get the poor unemployed young to buy its bikes. More likely it wants get the children of rich parents to want to buy their bikes.

Reuters has an interesting article about the issues involved in transitioning from being an old ghetto product to age neutral. Not surprisingly, the real hassle comes from the Harley fanatics who don't want a single bolt changed on their beloved bikes.

I liked this quote from the ceo: "extending the reach of the brand beyond our core customers can be a touchy situation ... our core customers have allowed our company to be successful - so there's a certain amount of jealousy, if you will, around the brand." I bet that is an understatement. Dick Stroud

David Wolfe the author of Ageless Marketing has died

2011-12-04T08:15:00.001Z

Brent Green has written a very moving blog posting about the death of David Wolfe,

I will always remember visiting a book store in New York and seeing his book Ageless Marketing at the time I was deciding the name of my own book. To be honest, I would have taken Ageless Marketing if David hadn't got there first.

I never met the man but had several e-mail exchanges with him and know how much respect he was held by many people in the age marketing business, like Brent and David Weigelt. I am very sorry to hear about his death. Dick Stroud

QR codes still fighting to be seen and understood

2011-12-04T05:27:00.001Z

Thanks to the guys at Creating Result for blogging about research done about QR codes.

A while back I blogged about QR codes and the surge of the little suckers that were appearing like confetti on printed advertising. At time I couldn't see the point of the things, however, over time I have been converted - well changed my mind a bit.

This research appears to show that a high number of US consumers lack any understanding as to what QR codes are or how they work. It would seem that 72% of consumers say they have seen a QR code, but nearly 30% do not know what it is. In addition, nearly one in five consumers who regularly use the internet via mobile phone do not know what a QR code is. Consumers age 18-24 have the highest rate of having seen a QR code (more than 75%), while those age 25-34 and 35-44 both have seen a QR code at a rate almost the same as the overall average. Interestingly, a slightly higher percentage of consumers age 55 and up report having seen a QR code than those 45-54.

I reckon that with in the UK the over-50s the awareness of what a QR code is, how and why to read it, is less than 1%. Pure guesswork but few of my friends, many of whom are tech savvy wouldn't have a clue what to do with them. Dick Stroud

Bad news for trade promotions and print - celebrations for social media

2011-12-02T07:07:00.001Z

Booz &Co has published some research called: "Shopper Marketing 4.0 - Building Scalable Playbooks That Drive Result".

Fortunately, some of the research's conclusions are easier to understand than the title. I was particularly taken by chart showing the change in CPG manufacturers' promotion mix. Even I can understand the message that is conveying. Dick Stroud

Gadgets that link directly to apps to improve wellness

2011-12-02T06:02:00.001Z

In this week's FT there was an article about products that interface with apps to monitor various aspects of wellness. The three products reviewed were:

Jawbone UP (A combination of a wristband and iPhone® app that tracks your activity and sleep and "inspires you to move more, sleep better and eat smarter")

Fitbit widget (A "super sensitive 3-D motion sensor tracks your day down to details a pedometer can't catch, showing your exact steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled")

BodyMedia FIT armband that (A system gives you "highly accurate information on activity, calories and sleep patterns").

I have used the company's own product descriptions. In my view this is going to be a big big market. I am not sure about the current generation of products but devices that directly interface with apps are going to be big business. I expect them to be popular with older consumers as aids to fight the ravages of ageing. Dick Stroud

Goodbye home page - all change to mobile

2011-12-01T19:31:00.001Z

McKinsey has published an article about what marketers think about working online and how they see things changing in the future.This chart has a very clear message that even I can get. Dick Stroud

Baby boomers key to brand segmentation - Errr

2011-12-01T06:49:00.001Z

A couple of weeks ago Marketing Week had a throwaway comment about its coverage of Baby Boomers during December.

Yesterday the UK magazine had an article with the same title as this blog. Sounds interesting I thought. I was disappointed.

It looks as if the magazine had got hold of some research from a company called The Sound Research (interesting web site) about Boomers but it then failed to make any real mention about its conclusions. Instead there were a couple of odd and quotes like this:

WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell tells Marketing Week: “Baby boomers are where the wealth and income is. I don’t know whether you can aim at both boomers and younger groups or whether you have to use more segmented and targeted strategies. But you ignore either at your peril.” Well of course you would be brain dead to ignore both groups of people.

Parents and grandparents combined with the 15to 24-year-old group make up about 50% of Skype’s customers. “Skype has typically had a really broad appeal across the age range,” says Skype marketer. About a fifth of its users are boomers. Interesting that Skype quantifies the number of Boomer users but so what?

The article features a case about New Balance trainers but for the hell of me I cannot see what point it is making.

I suspect there was more interesting stuff available to the journalist who either didn't want to or couldn't use it. Worth a quick scan but don't get too excited. Dick Stroud

Microsoft at last learns something from Apple

2011-11-29T06:53:00.001Z

Kinect is an amazing technology that could/can radically improve the interface between humans and computers.

I recently attended a presentation given by a senior MS guy who showed some video of a hacked Kinect box helping somebody in a wheelchair navigate a supermarket.

This video and article demonstrate that MS have got the message that there is a bigger world than games for the technology.

As I keep saying, the interface is where we are going to see the greatest improvements for oldies.I can imagine the ad agency briefing for this video. "OK, guys what we want you to do is think how Apple would advertise the technology and then do it".

MS, better late than never you are understanding that emotions sell kit. Dick Stroud

Retirement Reset - and reset again

2011-11-29T06:18:00.001Z

I haven't heard anything from Ken Dychtwald for ages. Looks like he has been working with SunAmerica on a study about how the recession affected the attitudes and plans of older Americans.

You can watch a quick video, read the report or skim through a press article about the conclusions.

My fear is that it is a bit to premature to be talking about the effects of the recession since the recession is still in the process of emerging. Perhaps the report should make it clear that it is about Recession 1 (sub prime induced) this will be small beer compared with Recession 2 (soverign debt related).

As always, he is an interesting guy to hear.

The Saga Index report for Q4 is in the process of being released - a press release but no report - not good Saga. Once it is ready I will comment upon its conclusions. One thing appears to be emerging is that attitudes in the UK are still going south but may be stabilising.

Either that or they are having a rest before another plunge. Seriously, there is only so much doom and gloom that you can deal with before older people start to find coping mechanisms. That doesn't mean that the situation has improved but that we get better at handling the negative emotions it creates - for a time. Dick Stroud

The ageing population is big business – but please don’t involve the planners

2011-11-28T06:28:00.001Z

There is an article in today’s FT entitled: “Time to end the taboo and have an industrial policy again.” Sorry, it is paywall protected.

The gist of the argument is that we need to let the planners loose on the economy rather than have the the markets sort it out.

The example they give for why we need gaggles of planners is the ageing population.If only we could get everybody around a big table, knock a few heads together, do buckets loads of coordinating (employ lots of consultants like the article’s authors) then the promised land would heave into view – old people would have the benefits of ‘new technology’, the UK would ‘grow’ and cows will fly.

I have sat through more meetings of the type proposed, contributed to more UK and EU studies (costing zillions) about ageing and business and heard more ‘strategic’ claptrap than most people. Are they worthwhile – do they work – is this the way forward. No, no, no and thrice more no.

There is a wall of technology and good ideas to aid the older age group. There is a library full of reports about every last aspect of demographic change and its implications.So why don’t all of the pieces fall into place and things start to work?

Listening to experts - I mean people who really know what is going on and who work day in and day out in this area – not a couple of strategic thinkers – the message is crystal clear. The problem is government and government institutions.

The thought that the very people that are the biggest barrier to the adoption of technology are capable of planning its development is beyond ridicule.The FT should be more careful who it selects to write its articles. Dick Stroud

Blimey I thought I was a pessimist

2011-11-27T13:09:00.001Z

The End of the American Dream is the sort of web site that is bound to make even the greatest optimist miserable. Read these two articles about the over-65s and Boomers. You will see what I mean. Unfortunately, I agree with a lot that is said. Dick Stroud

Could Sarcopenia and Metabolic syndrome be important to your marketing

2011-11-27T07:15:00.001Z

The odds are that you don't have the faintest idea about the difference between Sarcopenia and Metabolic Syndrome. Why should you?

If you are interested in the older market then you might want to get an understanding of why these medical conditions could be important to how you go about doing things.

Brent Green has an excellent blog posting about Sarcopenia (it is all to do with how we lose muscle strength as we age). Very comprehensive.

What about Metabolic Syndrome? This is an age-neutral medical condition but has a lot of takers in the older age group. The term refers to the combination of medical disorders that increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

These conditions have a direct impact on the products we buy, consumer attitudes and the customer touch-points. I think that 2012 is going to be the year that Physiological Ageing and how it impacts all factors of business gowa mainstream. You have been warned. Dick Stroud

Boomer Values Realignment Study - a disappointment

2011-11-27T07:01:00.001Z

A read the title of this study and thought that it should be interesting. It wasn't.

A group of Boomers, minimum household income of $75k, were questions about their concerns and desires and how things have changed because of the big 'R'.

I suppose my test for a good research study is if it surprises me or tells me something that I (and zillions of other marketers) didn't know or couldn't have guessed, if we had been plied with a few decent glasses of chilled Sauvignon Blanc.

I mean, who is surprised with results like these:

70% are concerned that the U.S. is slipping in its global position66% are concerned for their children’s future more than their own
61% believe it is “very” hard to be confident about the future with all the media talk about the economy
86% believe obesity and sedentary lifestyles are a big problem in the united States
83% believe companies need to focus more on long-term growth rather than short-term profits
61% agree there are too few “haves” and too many “have nots.”
93% want to put more intention into their “health and wellbeing.”
88% describe a positive aspect of retirement is the ability to “spend timewith family and friends.”

OK, so these are the sorts of eye candy 'facts' that litter presentations but aren't they just plain common sense?

I suppose there are a few things that surprise me - only 70% think is slipping in its global position and that 'only' 66% are more concerned for their children's future than their own. But so what? Dick Stroud

Employment stats for 50 - 64 year olds

2011-11-26T07:20:00.001Z

These are the latest numbers (Nov 2011) for the change in the employment status of 50-64 year-olds in the UK.

A very mixed picture. Of course the stats don't take account of the difference in the total number of older people in the age category since last year. Without that bit of information it is hard to see what is happening.

It would be much better to express the numbers relative to the total universe of people in age cohort - anybody from ONS reading this? Dick Stroud

Who will inherit the passwords?

2011-11-26T06:51:00.001Z

I do hope High50 is doing OK. I really like the design of their site and their style of content.In this week's e-mail newsletter there was an article about digital inheritance, a subject I have never considered.

The article is based on a report by rackspace (cloud hosting company) that draws attention to the value of all of those bytes of data that we have stashed away on our computers.

The key finding is that Brits have £2.3bn worth of digital possessions in the cloud.

Who knows if this figure is remotely correct but it does raise an interesting point and highlights a business opportunity. A quote from one of the report's authors.

“People pass on things they would have valued traditionally but that have now taken digital form: photographs, home videos, books and music. Some people pass on a list of log-ins to their accounts, though not everyone wants their heirs having access to private communications and thoughts, and some opt instead for a specific filtered set of things they value and believe their heirs will value.

“Lawyers are driving a lot of the early adoption of digital inheritance practices by raising the issue with clients when drawing up or updating wills. Often people simply wouldn’t have thought about it but suddenly realise that, yes, there are digital objects or accounts they value and want to pass on.”

As a Wired columnist said: “The internet has the same issues any other repository – the balance of accessibility and security. That is, if you give your wife the keys to the safety deposit box for when you die, you run the risk that she will use the safety deposit box key during your lifetime and find out about your second wife in Derby. And vice versa.” Guess he has a point.

Rackspace certainly thinks that there is a chance to make a few bob out of high security cloud computing to lock away your digital secrets. I am sure other companies will follow. Dick Stroud

Why the Boomerang 'child' might have their 30th birthday at home

2011-11-26T05:25:00.001Z

VibrantNation.com has done some research in the US and concludes that: "“Today’s tough economic climate makes the ‘empty nest’ a dream deferred, at least for Boomers.” That is not going to come as a shock to most people.

86% of the their sample expect their adult children to remain at home for six months or more, up from 84% in 2010. Three quarters of respondents blame the economy.

The thing that interested me was that nearly a third of 'children' living at home are 30-plus.

In the UK 'children' do not expect to purchase their first home until they are 38 years old, according to Moneysupermarket.

I really don't think companies have got their head around the impact of multigenerational households and the affect on purchase decisions and consumption patterns. Dick Stroud

L’Oreal is to use a geo-location app to target "time poor" baby boomers.

2011-11-23T05:48:00.001Z

L'Oreal, which also owns Garnier and Maybelline, is targeting people born after WWII with much of its app development because it believes they are the generation that want to make the most of their leisure time.

Speaking at the Forrester Marketing and Strategy Forum the head honcho of the company's digital business, says: “If we can give them the information in their hand it simplifies their life, it saves them time. Free time is a luxury and if you can tap into that, it is great and we can do it. The big transformation in the retail market is that more and more people believe in proximity. So if you combine the power of technology with proximity you start have a powerful tool”.

I had a quick look on iTunes and there is no sign of the app - maybe it is a US only release or maybe it is still in development.

Maybe this an app looking for consumer? Dick Stroud

Gay retirement communities - a lucrative market segment

2011-11-22T07:51:00.001Z

For the last couple of years I have been talking with Out Now, Europe's top gay and lesbian marketing consultancy, about the business opportunities presented by Grey and Gay consumers.

The more articles like this I read the more convinced I am that marketers should start to take this group seriously. Dick Stroud

Making the best of the recession

2011-11-19T07:19:00.001Z

A couple of years ago I wrote a lot about the impact of the recession on marketing. I was about 2 years too soon in my analysis.

It is only now that we are seeing the marketing world wake up to the fact that things are changing and there is money to be made from consumer anxiety.

Well done JWT for launching this web site dedicated to the anxieties of American consumers.

I thought this was a nice way of visualising angst and its causes. No idea what you do with it but it would make a nice PowerPoint slide. Dick Stroud

Government policy of hitting the over-65s

2011-11-19T06:57:00.001Z

This is a Saturday morning rant, althoughthe consequences of what it describes affect marketers targeting the over-65s.

I am not a subscriber to conspiracytheories. I always wince when I hear people trying to convince me of howpoliticians concoct complex events to achieve their goals. When I am listening,in the back of my mind, lingers my abysmal experience of dealing withpoliticians and their advisers. It is a mystery to me that they are able tie theirown shoelaces let alone string together complicated economic intrigues.

I have started to think I might be wrong.

I have always wondered why David Willettswrote his book ‘Pinch’ which set off a tirade of “nasty boomers” emotion. The ripples of his nonsense continue withsecond and third generations of useful idiots like the intergenerationalfoundation.

Any objective look at government ‘policy’can only conclude that they have been anti-old.

The highest profile of these is the lack ofpolicy and any real concern about the chaotic and cruel way that older peopleare dealt with by hospitals. Report after report, press comment after presscomment shows that there is a systemic failure within UK’s hospitals thatresults in terrible hardship and deaths of the frailest people in our society.

Sure, each report generates the usualclaptrap about “lessons have been learnt” and “we need more training” ….. butnothing changes. If children were suffering the same level of abuse thensomething would have been done. The government has decided to turn its eyes andhope it goes away.

Allied to the NHS disaster is theunwillingness of government to act about the cuts to care budgets by localauthorities. The only way that care can be guaranteed it to ring-fence thebudgets. They have been told this time and time again but refuse to act. It nowlooks like the issue will be sorted in the courts.

Willetts was told about the disaster of theunstable finances of the care industry 18 months before the Southern Crosscollapse – he and his government just sat there and watched the nightmareunfold and its continuing descent in chaos.

We now move to the policy of lettinginflation rip. We have the pantomime story of the Governor of the Bank ofEngland writing countess letters to the Chancellor of the Exchequer explainingwhy yet again he has failed to do anything to cut the rate of inflation. Ofcourse we all know that it is government policy to run a high rate of inflationto burn up the pile of debt it inherited. Who suffers? Primarily people withsavings – who are they? The old.

Now we have a government minster telling usthe obvious that: 'Clearly, there is a short and not-so-short-term hit in allof all this, I fully accept that. 'Low interest rates and quantitative easinghave their impact, but if what it does is get the economy on a firm foundationand the economy is growing and we get prosperity – and pensions ultimatelydepend on that – that’s the trade-off.'

Surely he doesn’t believe this idiocy? Ibet he does.

The result of letting money supply rip (nowgiven the daft name of ‘quantitative easing’ has been to reduce the incomeavailable on a £100,000 pension pot for a 65-year-old man from more than £6,100to less than £5,500 since this policy started two years ago.

The final piece of the conspiracy pie isthe answer to the question: “ surely they wouldn’t do this if it resulted inthem losing the older vote.” The simpleanswer is they have calculated that it will cause little electoral damage. The older vote has an inbuilt Conservativebias and it appears that the government is working on the assumption: ”Theyhave nowhere to go” (i.e. thealternative political parties are even worse). Ask most 65+ how they would likeMiliband and Balls running the country and it is enough to initiate a cardiac seizure.

All my instincts tell me that what I havejust described is well beyond the ability of politicians to do but with everynew bit of “kick the oldies” policy they enact makes me wonder. Dick Stroud

Apple get it about Boomers - nice that more people agree

2011-11-18T15:13:00.001Z

For a year or so Kim Walker and I have been explaining how Apple "get ii" when developing products and marketing them to Boomers.

I don't think for a minute that they sit down to try and achieve this objective but the result is that what happens.

This item in Mashable comes to the same conclusion. Dick Stroud

Segmenting the older market - podcast of conference speech

2011-11-18T10:43:00.001Z

A few weeks back I was a speaker at an ageing business conference in Singapore.

More so than usual I gained a great deal from meeting the other speakers and spending time in one of the world's most vibrant economies. A fantastic (and horrifying) reflection on what is happening closer to home.

Like so much of what is happening in the world today I think that AsiaPac might well become the centre of leadership in all things ageing.

I thought I would share with you the podcast. Dick Stroud

Don't lecture me - don't make me feel guilty

2011-11-17T10:22:00.001Z

In the UK we have a weird payment that drops through the letter box of all retired people at Xmas called the Winter Fuel Allowance.

In these troubled time it has been the target for a lot of intergenerational griping.

As you would expect there are a lot of young people who "don't think it is fair" that oldies get a cheque from HM Gov at Xmas whilst all they get is the thought of paying fees for their education. I guess you can see their point of view - but only up to a point. A very, very small point.

The worst gripers are the wealthy old themselves who either because they want a few more minutes in the media spotlight or who genuinely feel guilty having amassed larges sums of money having never exhibited any real talent. A classic case of somebody who suffers both of these ills is Joan Bakewell.

Why am I telling you this? Well, I have lots of debates with others (and myself) about the importance of attitudes that are associated with age cohorts. In the main I don't think they exist or if they do they are far less important than the attitudes that arise for other reasons (i.e. the person's education, income, health etc).

There is one emotion that I think does touch a lot of my generation and that is that they hate being lectured, especially by others who have their own agendas. Secondly, there is a distrust of giving money to a bunch of do-gooders rather than giving it directly to somebody who would spend it wisely.

As you can see I am disclosing some of my own thoughts.

So I will make a prediction that this campaign Surviving Winter will be a flop. It will be interesting to see how it works out. Dick Stroud

Why bother with the rest of the UK?

2011-11-17T08:41:00.001Z

This graphic shows the distribution of millionaires in the UK. Notice anything? See the long blue line on the bottom? The number situated in that small bit of the UK is roughly the same number as the rest of the UK put together. The data is from Barclays.

As the recession really starts to bite I suspect this difference is going to become even more extreme.

If you are targetting the upper income groups it makes your decision about where to focus your marketing really easy. Dick Stroud

2011-11-17T06:31:00.001Z

According to the US press (using Census data) the number of Americans ages 55 to 64 who moved to Sun Belt states since the recession has been on the decline.

The slowdown is part of a continued drop in the mobility of all Americans. Only 11.6% — 35 million — changed residence from 2010 to 2011, the lowest rate since the Census Bureau began collecting the statistics in 1948. In the mid-1980s, more than 20% were moving each year.

Instead of heading off to the sun the older boomers are staying put because they can't sell their homes or can't afford to retire."There's economic uncertainty in all areas," says the head of marketing PulteGroup, the largest developer of 55-plus communities such as Del Webb and Sun City.

Recently I spent some time with a US developer of retirement villages and he was telling me just how tough it is to generate money for new developments. It seemed that at the top end of properties that things were holding up but at the high volume end it was tanking. I suspect the same could be said about the UK. Dick Stroud

Just watch this it will only take 4 minutes of your life

2011-11-16T13:02:00.001Z

I think this is one of the most amazing presentations in terms of the energy, information imparted and the technology used to make the data 'sing'. Hans Rosling's 200 countries, 200 years, 120,000 data points in 240 seconds.

It will also give you an idea why the world is as it is today. Just brilliant. Dick Stroud

Some good news for the Care Industry - bad news for local authorities

2011-11-16T10:27:00.001Z

A High Court judgement has recently declared the actions of a local authority (Sefton) illegal when it tried to freeze the funding it made available for the care of the elderly. Read the full article on the BBC web site.

The way local authorities have been behaving in the UK has been disgraceful and now we find it is also illegal. Old people were seen as easy targets for cuts so the the councils could maintain the payment of sky high pensions to their own workers. As I have been saying for a couple of years the care industry is in a mess - just read this.

Now maybe councils will have to get to grips with looking for real savings in their budgets rather than putting all of the pain onto the elderly. Great decision by the courts and a good news for the care industry who whilst still suffering from the recession will at least get some chance of increasing their fees in line with inflation. Dick Stroud

The young apprentices market to the over-50s

2011-11-16T06:54:00.001Z

If you are in the UK you can watch this amusing and instructive episode of the Young Apprentice when they are set a task of sourcing and selling products to the over-50s.

Personally, I think they made a much better job of it than when the older apprentices were given the same task.

The venue for testing how good their product sourcing had been was the 50+ Show in London.

Having spoken at this event and attended it I know the audience are a tad older than 50. I suspect the median age is in the mid-60s as you will see from the iPlayer video. When you want to take a break from the traumas of the day then do watch. Dick Stroud