Pet Peeve: that certain companies get elevated as the case histories for one positive thing or another. Maybe they got mentioned in a Tom Peters book ten years ago (the rest of us forgetting and/or going into our own denial that he has been revealed as having fudged some of his research...) Or did something positive once (i.e. how this or that company handled some PR crisis in a forthright manner, again some years back.) Then the same stories and company names get recycled over and over again. New articles come out talking about who's doing such a good job, patching together anecdotes and unattributed references in new variation of old, unquestioned themes.

Last week, I suggested that 50+ search engine Cranky.com misses the mark with boomers because when it comes to technology, we want what are kids are using—even if we’re a cycle or two behind. But there’s another issue that dampens interest from the get-go: the name.

When it comes to marketing to boomers and beyond, intuition doesn’t always do the trick. It’s critical that we learn from others. That’s one of the real values of attending an event such as the “What’s Next Boomer Business Summit”, recently concluded in Chicago. The American Society on Aging’s Business Forum on Aging and Mary Furlong and Associates produced the event, while our Fleishman-Hillard’s FH Boom was a sponsor and I had the big fun of sitting on a panel with Gail Sheehy, among others.

For the rest of today's blog, continue at The Boomer Blog.

Recently, a Gen X marketer from a major company called to ask if FH Boom does “senior marketing.” We had to pause for a moment. No self-respecting boomer—the core of our target demographic—would identify with the term “senior,” and it’s been awhile since anybody other than a retirement community or diaper manufacturer has used the terminology.

For rest of today's blog, continue at The Boomer Blog