The first rule of advertising is to know your target audience. The second rule should be a no-brainer: don’t actively offend them. Somewhere on the way to being creative Bloomberg Businessweek advertisers seem to have forgotten rule number two. In a “funny if it didn’t happen to you” subscription campaign, the Bloomberg affiliate encourages parents, friends and family members of Millennials to send the young workforce a pithy e-card and a 12-month subscription to Businessweek. Problem is, the e-cards appeared more pithy to the givers than to the intended recipients. What I find particularly odd about this campaign is that… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Generations, Recession EconomyWhile everyone seems focused on capturing the attention of Millennials, the Baby Boomers are still the “most valuable generation,” according to a Nielsen report. Over the next five years, Boomers are expected to account for 50% of all consumer spending and to control 70% of all disposable income, according to Nielsen. Fueled by aging Boomers, the over-50 cohort will account for 50% of the population in 5 years. That age group is growing at 3 times the rate of the coveted 18-49 demographic. Still, it accounts for only 5% of advertising. Boomers stand to inherit $15 trillion over the next… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Baby Boomers, BlogMillennials are open to advertising, like to be entertained by it, and, if they like the message, they are likely to pass it on. A study of 4,000 Millennials by Edelman Berman revealed that only 3% of Millennials are resistant to advertising. 80% of them said they like to be entertained by advertising and 70% like to provide feedback. Millennials also like (40%) to influence, or “co-create” new products. Less than a third said they wanted entertainment (videos, games, etc.) from brands instead of advertising. On the other hand, Millennials’ fondness for learning and connecting comes through in the survey:… Read More
Categories: AdvertisingA new study by Nielsen shows that Generation X responds to authenticity in advertising above other qualities and approaches. Advertising that is calm, reasonable, and based on real life will appeal to Xers in contrast to more aspirational, extreme, and exaggerated styles that appeal to Millennials. The study found some subtle differences between men and women of Generation X. Gen X women are more responsive to sentimentality, while Gen X men respond to competence. Both place a high value on real-world, relatable situations. The study acknowledges that Gen X is smaller than the others but represents an opportunity for marketers… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Blog, WomenCampbell’s Soup may have outdone themselves, and everyone else, with the generational marketing of their new product line, Campbell’s Go. “Designed by Millennials for Millennials,” is Campbell’s pitch for a new line of soup in a microwaveable pouch. The immediate reaction is that the effort is, well, overcooked. Brian Williams of NBC News said the product launch, which overtly pushes lots of Millennials’ hot buttons, “marked the end of the world.” The soups’ packaging recalls Capri Suns, the product page looks like Tumblr, and Millennials are encouraged to create playlists about the soups. Millennials pictured on the pouches look like… Read More
Categories: AdvertisingA new study by comScore shows that Millennials are more responsive to ads they view when watching “digital” content than they are to ads they see on TV. The study measured the “lift,” or influence on brand preference, that each ad medium produces. It shows that while Millennials are less likely to influenced by advertising than any other generation, that difference disappears in the case of digital advertising. In general, the study shows, younger generations are less impressed with ads than older ones. In fact the average “lift” for Boomers and Matures is almost 50% higher than for Millennials for… Read More
Categories: Advertising, BlogAppeals to nostalgia are known to be effective with Baby Boomers, particularly in marketing campaigns that evoke memories of the Boomers’ “flower power” youth of the 60s and 70s. Now General Mills has launched a campaign aimed at Boomers that features Cheech and Chong, counterculture heroes, and their “magic” brownies. While Cheech and Chong appear in their familiar roles, it’s the brownies that have changed. Now, appropriate to Boomers’ age, the “magic” ingredient in the brownies is fiber. General Mills is using the famous hippies and their association with “magic” brownies of the past to market Fiber One brand 90-calorie,… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Baby Boomers, GenerationsHave you ever noticed a blinking or dancing ad to the side of the web page you were reading and wondered, “Who clicks on that?” Now we have an answer, at least a generational one. According to a recent JustAsk! survey, older Baby Boomers and Matures are the most likely to click through online ads while Millennials are the least likely. According to the survey, over three quarters of those over age 55 reported clicking through an online ad in the last 6 months. In comparison, just 58% of Millennials age 15-24 report clicking online ads. And the group in… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Baby Boomers, Downloadable MediaMillennials love free stuff. The Napster Generation is accustomed to getting a lot of what it wants for free online. And that attraction to freebies is proving to be boon among Millennials for loyalty and rewards programs that appeal to it. According to an Aimia survey, Millennials are more likely than other generations to take part in customer loyalty programs when there is a giveaway offered. In general, Millennials lag slightly behind other generations in participation in consumer loyalty programs. About 77% of Millennials report participating in some kind of loyalty program, slightly less than older generations. But when a… Read More
Categories: Advertising, Blog, Downloadable Media