Both B2C and B2B marketers report they are "quite pleased with direct mail’s performance, with 70% saying that it has improved in the last 12 months and an additional 27% saying that it has remained steady." This is according to a recent survey. According to Marketing Charts, "the report shows... Continue reading

Researchers at Harvard Business School, Questrom School of Business, Bentley University and MIT Sloan School of Management recently interviewed 120 professionals to learn about the mental and emotional toll of retirement. They discovered that retirees go through two main processes: Life Restructuring and Identity Bridging. One of the researchers, Teresa... Continue reading

A revealing new Harris Poll conducted by the firm Age Wave has confirmed substantial shifts in Americans’ perceptions of aging and longevity. The study surveyed over 2,000 U.S. adults, including over 900 adults age 50 plus. Here are some key takeaways from the survey. “OLD” ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO... Continue reading

eMarketer reports that LinkedIn is rapidly gaining favor with B2B marketers because of the decline in usage of such text-based apps as X (formerly Twitter) and Meta (aka Facebook) Threads. Gen Z usage and B2B ad spend with LinkedIn is increasing: eMarketer projects LinkedIn usage growth will accelerate 6.3 percent... Continue reading

In general, Boomers are given far less credit than they deserve when it comes to embracing information technology. The fact is, Boomers are very plugged in to the use of online tools and streaming services. The AARP 2022 Tech Trends report indicated the following: "Three in four people age 50-plus... Continue reading

According to Kantar BrandZ as reported by Marketing Charts, the top 100 most valuable brands lost 20 percent of their collective value over the past year, shedding $1.8 trillion for a total of $6.9 trillion. Reports Kantar BrandZ: "Top brands have still come out ahead of where they were at... Continue reading

Interbrand, the world's leading brand consultancy, has launched its 2023 Breakthrough Brands Report—with the metaverse, AI and sustainable tech brands leading the way in disrupting the global market, shifting our understanding of the world and shaping consumer behavior. In partnership with Vox Media, Interbrand's influential Breakthrough Brands Report reveals the... Continue reading

The Boomer version of retirement is a new paradigm -- utterly different from past generations. One thing that has dramatically changed for Boomers is the reality that living longer means saving longer. In order to support themselves as they age, many Boomers are realizing they need more money than they... Continue reading

AI is changing the nature of search and brand marketers need to understand the implications. Google has now added Bard as part of its "Search Generative Experience (SGE). Microsoft's Bing search engine now incorporates technology from OpenAI. According to eMarketer's Insider Intelligence, "Brands can expect more targeted ads closer to... Continue reading

A recent survey of U.S. consumers indicated which companies ranked as having the best reputations. The survey, conducted by Axios and The Harris Poll and reported by Marketing Charts, asked consumers to rate 100 companies on various dimensions of reputation. The results revealed that the following ten companies have the... Continue reading

It is not as if we did not know it was coming -- but new data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau suggests an America that is aging, with people generally living longer. According to the Census Bureau: Between 2010 and 2020, median age in the U.S. grew older... Continue reading

Here are five key metrics every marketing executive should track, according to MarketingProfs: Return on Investment Customer Acquisition Cost Conversion Rates Customer Lifetime Value Social Media Reach and Engagement Read about each of these in more detail here: https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2023/49296/metrics-every-cmo-should-be-tracking-infographic? (Free registration required) This post is brought to you by 123... Continue reading

The third iteration of a landmark retirement study by Age Wave, Edward Jones and The Harris Poll has just been released. It sheds some intriguing light on three types of events that retirees have experienced: "Cannonballs, curveballs and windfalls." According to the study: Since retiring, a large majority of retirees... Continue reading

A recent article in MarketingProfs covers five important tips designed to help you "write and organize your website content so that it fulfills best-practices for on-page search engine optimization, pleasing not only search engines but also users." Here are two excerpts from the article: "Format your content for success. Large... Continue reading

Recently, the United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, released a new Surgeon General Advisory calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of... Continue reading

Only 29% of marketers are very confident in their current sales and marketing model/alignment, according to a study by the CMO Council in partnership with KPMG, as reported by Marketing Charts. Only a minority say that marketing and sales jointly own and implement customer strategy (39%). While there appears to... Continue reading

After rising to the highest levels in the last 15 years, marketing budgets dropped back to pre-Covid numbers, according to new data from The CMO Survey. The biannual poll, a collaboration between the American Marketing Association, Deloitte, and Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, was conducted in March 2023 and... Continue reading

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended and the FDA just authorized another Covid booster for adults 65 and over and individuals with weakened immune systems. A recent article in The New York Times cites the following data: Adults age 65 and over make up about 16... Continue reading

Based on new research reported in Marketing Charts, "Trust is a key component of brand loyalty, but it’s hard-won and easily lost." "According to a Razorfish and GWI survey of almost 1,700 consumers ages 16-64, 58% of respondents said it was a “'somewhat slow' or 'very slow' process to gain... Continue reading

According to new research reported in Marketing Charts, almost two-thirds (64%) of global respondents overall agreed that they try to buy products from brands that act responsibly, even if it means spending more, while 29% disagreed. Within the US a slim majority (53%) of respondents agreed that they try to... Continue reading

Is there finally a backlash coming against technology? That is the intriguing question addressed by the visionary agency/consultancy, Wunderman Thompson in an insightful post, "The New Luddites." The firm says "we’re seeing the emergence of a new movement of people, groups and brands who are questioning technology’s unchecked impact on... Continue reading

Guest Post by Lilian Lewis Are you about to retire? How are you preparing for it? Perhaps you have already retired. Having a retirement plan to accomplish your later life goals is the ideal course of action to take. However, if you haven't adequately prepared for this eventuality, it's never... Continue reading

An article in Marketing Profs offers five tactics to improve your email marketing strategy in 2023. It offers valuable examples as well. Two of the areas are: Double-down on personalization "One of the best email marketing tactics for businesses is to get personal with potential leads by sending tailor-made messages.... Continue reading

Guest Post by Julie Gorges Editor's Note: My colleague Julie Gorges writes Baby Boomer Bliss, a blog I highly recommend. She recently posted an article that referred to "5 positive traits of boomers." At a time when there seems to be a fair amount of boomer bashing in various media,... Continue reading

In a conversation with Karen Breslau of Bloomberg News at the Century Summit 2022 sponsored by the Longevity Project, Maria Shriver spoke eloquently about the concept of "reframing aging." The 67-year old Shriver is a journalist, best-selling author, entrepreneur, Alzheimer's advocate, film maker and more. The former first lady of... Continue reading