The announcement continues: “All too many find themselves not evolving to meet changing demographics, either unsure how to harness the major trends Boomers are influencing or afraid that targeting older adults might threaten their initiatives reaching younger markets.”

Given that the Focalyst event in 2006 held all the promise of launching a new era “moving the marketplace forward, helping you stay ahead of consumer trends and respond strategically to the extraordinary opportunity the 42+ population represents” this assessment of the boomer marketplace terrain is simultaneously sobering and exhilarating.

Sobering, because if there are marketers who are still unsure how to harness the major trends, it certainly isn’t for lack of trying on the part of a growing legion of marketing pro’s, summits, initiatives, webinars and so on and on dedicated to this exact purpose over the past two years. My informed intuition tells me that if there are stragglers, the cause has more to do with the second possible explanation that Focalyst raises: that marketers are “afraid that targeting older adults might threaten their initiatives reaching younger markets.”

Although, there is plenty of evidence that companies can quite happily target both younger and older segments either through one unified message (who didn’t love Dove’s Real Curves campaign?) or through side-by-side marketing (i.e. tele-communications companies who have both youth and “senior” plans niched so tightly to their particular markets, neither knows the other exists.)

There is another possible explanation, but it’s something boomer-aged marketers only tend to whisper to one-another and don’t like to bring up in mixed company. And that is that when it comes to younger marketers, the stereotypes of aging are still more than alive and kicking around. I don’t suppose that any number of summits, conventions or data—no matter how compelling—can pierce this veil. Thank heavens there are younger marketers, and certainly the majority of boomer-aged marketers, for whom this doesn’t apply.

Which brings us to the exhilarating part. Exhilarating because from where we sit at FH Boom, we’ve seen tremendous progress over the past couple of years—but obviously, there’s still plenty of room to grow.

Addressing both the sobering and exhilarating aspects of Focalyst’s message, the impressive roster of experts representing top companies and brands from around the globe, speaks volumes.

• Andrew Bienkowski, VP of Global Brands, Kimberly-Clark
• Bart Turner, VP, Marketing Strategy, Advertising and Media, Ameriprise
• Bill Topf, VP Scotch and Irish Whiskey Marketing, Diageo
• Christian Oestlien, Senior Product Manager, Google
• Donald Reilley, National Sales Manager, Entertainment and Devices, Games Advertising, Microsoft
• Donna Sturgess, Head of Global Innovation, GlaxoSmithKline
• Dr. Alexis Abramson, VP of Research, Retirement Living TV
• Geoff Brooks, National Director of Premier & Retirement Strategy, Senior Vice President, HSBC Bank
• J. Walker Smith, President, Yankelovich
• Jeff Renaud, Director, Ecomagination, GE
• Jeffrey Glueck, Chief Marketing Officer, Travelocity
• Jeffrey Rothman, Marketing Director, The Dannon Company
• Jerry Shereshewsky, CEO, Grandparents.com
• John Forsyth, Partner, McKinsey & Company
• John Maeda, President, Rhode Island School of Design
• Julia Lennox, VP, Marketing, MetLife Retirement Strategies
• Kit Cody, General Manager Web Strategy, AARP Services, Inc.
• Ladan Manteghi, President, AARP Global Network
• Matthew J. Doyle, Director and Senior Researcher, Research & Development, Health Care Products – Worldwide, Procter & Gamble
• Maureen Shirreff, Creative Director for Dove, North America, Ogilvy
• Michele Garvey, Director, Senior Strategy, Walgreens
• Nancy Lewin, Director, The Caregiver Initiative, Johnson & Johnson
• Nan-Kirsten Forte, Executive Vice President, Consumer Services, Web MD
• Peter Drake, VP, Retirement & Economic Research, Fidelity Investments Canada
• Richard Dugas, CEO, Pulte Homes, Inc.
• Sandra Timmermann, Assistant Vice President and Director, Mature Market Institute, MetLife
• Terry Clark, Chief Marketing Officer, Enterprise Services for Ovations, UnitedHealth Group
• Timothy E. Wirth, President, United Nations Foundation and Better World Fund
The Forum is produced by Millward Brown. AARP Services, Inc. is the premier sponsor of the Forum. Complete Event information available at www.focalystforum.com.

Carol Orsborn