Happy Monday! Let’s get to it – these are the mature marketing stories that had people talking this past week. Have an interesting piece that we should share? Please be sure to post in the comment section below.
MOST CLICKED: A retirement article from Time entitled Here Come the Three Horsemen of the Retirement Apocalypse had many clicking away this past week. The article focuses on three key retirement plans in the US – Social Security, employer plans and personal savings, all of which have weakened over the last several years. According to the article and Barbara Novick of BlackRock:
The time has come for “out-of-the-box thinking” and a “holistic solution.
Recommendations from BlackRock for making the most of retirement investments include looking to annuities and setting aside more of that monthly paycheck. Regardless of the approach, this is a topic that has many boomers nearing retirement watching closely.
MOST SHARED: Boomers are going gaga for hybrid cars, according to a recent study by Baylor University detailed within Quartz. According to the article boomers, who account for more than half of all consumer spending, are flocking to more environmentally friendly vehicles, with the average age of owners surveyed being 70. The appeal of hybrids for this cohort? The pride of doing their part to help protect the environment.
Today’s older consumers came of age during the height of the environmental movement in the 1970s, and for some the propensity to pay more for products perceived as green, whether it’s organic food or a $30,000 car, has been baked into their purchasing habits.
That suggests carmakers should tweak their marketing: less Raphael and more Rolling Stones, for one thing. And emphasize the greener-than-thou psychic benefits of buying a hybrid. And keep hyping the fuel savings.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: The Creating Results team is currently attending the Annual LeadingAge Conference in Dallas. Be sure to be on the lookout for tweets and real-time news from the conference and, if you are attending, we’d love to share your insights and takeaways as well.