Observations, insights and innovations that connect with the 50+ market.

Silver Market Phenomenon Second Edition - Advance Order Now
by Kim Walker 22 August 2010 23:49:12

We have contributed a chapter to the second edition of The Silver Market Phenomenon - Marketing and Innovation in the Aging Society to be published in Autumn 2010. Our chapter is titled: The Age-Neutral Customer Journey. The chapter demonstrates why and how businesses and brands should become age-neutral. Using three distinct case studies, we introduce SilverAudit, a uni... more

Broadcast audience aging faster than population
by Kim Walker 18 August 2010 19:20:12

No big surprise here but yet another wake up call for marketers still blind to the impact that an aging consumer has on the fundamentals of business. The median age for viewers at American TV networks including CBS is now 51 according to this report from AP. Furthermore, the broadcasters' audience has aged at twice the rate of the general population during the past two d... more

5 Things Retailers Need to Know About Marketing To Baby Boomers
by Kim Walker 09 August 2010 16:42:40

Okay, it's USA-based data, but regardless, some interesting learnings from recent reseach conducted by Matt Thornhill, of the Boomer Project and collaborators and detailed here. 1. Older and Younger Boomers Are Different The two groups have different frames of reference for decision-making, shopping, spending leisure time, cultural icons and involving themselves in medi... more

Networking Sites Reach Up To 80% of 55+ Internet Users In APAC - Download Report
by Kim Walker 23 June 2010 11:32:13

Older consumers in Asia Pacific are in line with global trends in social networking, revealed in an analysis of comScore data across thirteen APAC countries. Download the SilverMatters report here. Some Highlights: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia, (about a third of all countries surveyed) - have the highest percentage of mature internet users logging on ... more

1 in 3 Online Entrepreneurs Are 50+ - Survey
by Kim Walker 14 June 2010 15:02:31

A USA national survey of 25,000 businesses also found that the morning newspaper has become almost irrelevant to small business owners, with 48% going online immediately after waking (compared to just 3% reading print news). CityMax.com who conducted the survey said "We've seen a recent surge in older entrepreneurs making their own websites," The survey found California ... more

P&G launches digital network for "boomers"
by Kim Walker 13 May 2010 17:18:30

Procter & Gamble and NBC Digital Networks are targetting 'boomers' with the launch of 'Life Goes Strong' a vertical-niche site network devoted to 'Boomer' family life, style & technology, celebrating the interests of mid-lifers. Why? According to P&G and Mintel research (USA) in this WARC article; A third of all Internet users are adults between 45 and 64 ... more

Training Older Executives - The Economist
by Kim Walker 13 May 2010 12:07:49

I'm always interested when The Economist tackles issues related to ageing. Here's one where they look at Executive Education where they comment that "older executives are shunning corporate training. This is a problem both for them and the firms they work for" The thinking is that for older executives formal programmes are often seen as a repetition of lessons already le... more

Boomers Still Into Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n Roll - How Meaningful Is Age Segmentation?
by Kim Walker 08 May 2010 15:10:39

Middle and old age are traditionally seen as times of conformity, responsibility, risk aversion and settling down. Yet instead of retiring with pipe and slippers to listen to the classics, many of the new old are still pursuing the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle of their youth. So argued in this article. Here are some interesting stats from the USA: 61 percent ... more

Adapt To The Needs Of Ageing Customers And Reap Rewards - Article
by Kim Walker 27 April 2010 10:06:06

Here's an article from Hong Kong publication, Millionaire Asia in which I am interviewed about the 'Silver Tsunami'. ... more

New Technology Delivers Radio For Oldies
by Kim Walker 25 April 2010 17:09:08

Older Aussies will now be able to tune into a dedicated radio station through their television sets. The new Web2TV service from Aged Care Radio uses the internet to transmit radio programs into a facility's TV network. All that is needed to pick up the signal is an internet connection and a special set-top box. Aged Care Radio has been streaming programs aimed at aged c... more