This weekend saw many reasons for celebration, including the fantastic Fourth of July. We’re breaking with our usual “most clicked” mature marketing links approach to bring you a handful of links that I “most liked.”
If you can figure out the reasons for today’s headline and theme, share your guess in the comments below!
1. That’s Right, The Women Are … Soccer Fans:
I was part of the first wave of women to benefit from Title IX, arriving at high school just when they were forced to add several girls’ teams, including soccer. (We went from no program to state champs in two years.) As we’ve all aged, women are continuing to show their passion for sports – and our desire to support female athletes. This is especially true for women’s soccer in recent years, reports the Associated Press.
“The shifts are also generational, though in the opposite direction of most trends. Soccer’s burgeoning popularity in the U.S. in recent years has been driven by younger viewers… But it’s their older siblings and parents who are inflating the audience for this Women’s World Cup. Among adults ages 25-54, viewership is up 40 percent from 2011. That’s compared to a 14 percent increase for the 18-34 group, which may also reflect them watching less TV in general.
… Even more promising for soccer’s mainstream appeal is the intergenerational appeal of this tournament. Of the adults ages 25-54 tuning into U.S. games during the Women’s World Cup, nearly 23 percent of them are watching with a child or teenager. That’s close to double the rate for the NFL”
2. That’s Right, The Women Are … Searchers:
3. That’s Right, The Women Are … (Not) Savers:
65% of all baby boomers expect to work past the retirement age of 65 and it’s a good thing, because as a cohort they have well-documented savings shortfalls. The situation is even more stressful for baby boomer women. Compared to the men, women save less and are too conservative with their investments.
“American women age 55 to 64 with retirement savings have accumulated an average of $81,300 compared with $118,400 for their male counterparts, the [BlackRock] survey reveals.
A 2015 analysis of retirement readiness by the Employee Benefit Research Institute also found that single females on the verge of retirement (early baby boomers) have a savings shortfall of nearly $63,000, while single males of the same age group have a deficit of $34,000.”
Read some of the reasons why there is such a gap: http://cnb.cx/1KKI2JD
RELATED: How do boomers compare to younger generations, savings-wise? Check out this infographic from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies: http://bit.ly/1J0n0Cr
4. That’s Right, The Women Are … Solo and Social Travelers:
Creating Results’ Martha Schultz took a look at older adult travelers, and how one major organization meets the needs of single and savvy seniors.
“Dorinda Galbraith, a Road Scholar alum, explains her priorities for comfort, both physical and social: ‘I like Road Scholar because I can safely travel with a group [that] will be interested in learning. My meals, lodging, transportation and activities will all be arranged for me. I am single, and I love learning, adventure and meeting new people!'”
Read about “Giraffes, Cheetahs and Seniors, Oh My!”: http://bit.ly/1LSmJYm
5. That’s Right, The Women Are … Secretly Furious:
A new report from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Foundation took a hard look at the attitudes of consumers towards marketers when it comes to privacy. The upshot? Consumers are not happy. They’re not happy to trade their privacy, their personal data for promised trade-offs. However, they feel helpless to stop or change the situation.
“[A] majority of Americans are resigned to giving up their data—and that is why many appear to be engaging in tradeoffs. Resignation occurs when a person believes an undesirable outcome is inevitable and feels powerless to stop it. Rather than feeling able to make choices, Americans believe it is futile to manage what companies can learn about them. Our study reveals that more than half do not want to lose control over their information but also believe this loss of control has already happened.”
While women and men are somewhat equally resigned (and unhappy), there’s a little bit of an uptick when you look at the data by age. Also, curiously, those who are most educated are most resigned (and unhappy).
What should we, as marketers be doing about this? I recommend streaming the most recent Marketing Companion podcast from Tom Webster and Mark Schaefer. Then start listening to your targets and talking to your team. Do you REALLY need to collect all that data? Who is it REALLY helping?
Read the Annenburg “Tradeoff Fallacy” report: http://bit.ly/1TgnviR
Listen to the Marketing Companion: http://bit.ly/1JJaDAi
Have you figured out what two weekend milestones combined for today’s theme? Make a guess in the comments below!