(Email) "I just
started reading your book 'Advertising to Baby Boomers' yesterday and I
think it's fantastic - one of the few written about this subject that
tells it how it is in plain language. It's going to be obligatory reading
for the staff in the agency ..... I'd also like to quote from your book at
a forthcoming conference I'm speaking at in Sydney Australia next
month..." - Kevin Lavery, Co-Founder and Creative Director,
Millennium Direct
Baby
boomers make up 25% of the US population, hold 70% of US assets and spend
$2 trillion annually. It's time we discovered opportunities for
infomercials, Internet ads and branding catered to the young-at-heart.
'Advertising to Baby Boomers' uses straightforward, jargon-free language
to guide advertisers, business owners and agencies on how to craft
campaigns successfully.
The
author, Chuck Nyren, a veteran creative strategist, explains how to
approach this important demographic. This second edition update is divided
into three sections. The first part helps us understand boomers'
self-image and desires; the second suggests how to market to them; and the
third offers practical resources.
Nyren
employs wit, helpful asides and experts' citations to refute stereotypes
that damage campaigns. He reinstates respect for the demographic that's
often insulted by well-intentioned- but-flawed advertising. Some of his
suggestions include abstaining from poking fun of boomers' age (i.e.,
targeting them for cliché products). He also advises showing facts instead
of using elaborate illustrations to explain why boomers need
something.
So, if
you want to avoid pigeonholing boomers and confusing or angering the
demographic with your humor, check out this readable 182-page foundation
for reaching them. We promise it will be filled with
underlines.
A strong advocate for making sure
you nail the product story first and foremost is Chuck Nyren, whose book
Advertising to Baby Boomers is a must-read.
John
Migliaccio, Maturity Mark Services - now Director of Research,
MetLife Mature Market
Institute:
I could give the briefest
review I've ever done for any book, appropriately enough by paraphrasing
an iconic advertising slogan of years ago: Just buy it. Think of it as a
personal treat for your brain - something like a Good Humor ice cream, or
a Haagen Daz, or a good long jog if you're more health
conscious...whatever it is that gets your endorphins singing. I haven't
marked up a book so much since cramming the night before that last big
college final exam.The book
is full of "Chuckisms" - i.e. down to earth, witty, insightful, and self
deprecating, but providing fascinating insights into boomer mentality
(he's one himself) and how to successfully advertise to them. For example,
about the constant struggle ads have about getting the right image of
youthfulness and maturity without going overboard, he observes, "People
don't walk around thinking about how old they are. I don't leave the house
being fifty-four. Nor do I walk about feeling my age...Sometimes I feel
eighteen, other times eighty-six. Rarely do I feel my age, whatever that
feels like. I don't know. I'm not sure I want to feel my age. I like the
variety." That surely resonates with every boomer out there.
He says
the book is targeted to businesses looking to get products and services
out to boomers, and maybe to small-medium sized ad agencies. It's more
than that. It's a short, sweet, easy to read business book for anyone
interested in boomer psychology, marketing, and advertising from any
industry. He points out the continued resistance to considering boomers as
a financially attractive market. Some of the blame he lays squarely at the
feet of ad agencies and the "too young to appreciate the market"
20-30-somethings who are the major crafters of ad messages. He does spend
a lot of time gently and not-so-gently skewering ad agencies about their
lack of attitude, but he's also a one-man campaign for The Ex-Ad Agency
Boomer Creative Full Employment Act.
And this
is not from an industry neophyte. He's a multiple award-winning
advertising creative himself and it seems his whole family was in the
advertising field, so it must be partly genetic. Back in the 20s and 30s,
Chuck's grandfather wrote what was then the equivalent to the "(Fill in
the blank) for Dummies" about advertising. So the guy comes with some
credentials. And he's not mean-spirited, so most of the jibes are well
intentioned and meant to instruct, cajole, motivate, and encourage
change.
The first
section provides some worthy insights about boomers, how they perceive
themselves, what they want, and how to use this information to your
advantage when advertising pharmaceuticals, housing, food, wellness,
nutrition, ice cream...you name it. The second part talks directly
about how to be successful in advertising to boomers - or find an agency
that can do it well. The book's last section provides a selective and
personal list of recommended resources and final thoughts.I found a
lot to like in the book. First, it's not a rant, more like a casual
conversation over cocktails and bar munchies. There are lots of little
asides, and the conversational tone is there throughout, albeit more
strongly in the first and third section. Nyren also scatters tidbits of
wisdom from some of advertising's greatest practitioners, which reflect
the legitimacy of what he's saying. I'm not
in the advertising business, but have reviewed and critiqued a multitude
of ads in publications like the "Selling to Seniors," and for clients. If
I were in the ad industry or looking for a good practitioner, the middle
section of the book is where Nyren gives the most serious and perhaps sage
advice to his professional colleagues and their clients. It's really
targeted at advertisers, potential advertisers, ad agencies, and business
owners. Nyren has
used experience, creative thought, and an engaging style to give everybody
food for thought about how to get to all those boomers. Abbie Hoffman
exhorted us in our earlier years on the front cover of his book to
"Steal This Book." This
one's worth the price. Just buy it.
 "Advertising to Baby Boomers is an easy, informative
read that will resonate well with Boomers and will give non-Boomers some
useful insights when advertising to this important market. As a member of
the generation myself, I now know why so many advertisements leave me cold
(e.g. either I do not understand the humor or I don't care enough to work
at deciphering the advertisement). I thought it was just me, but after
reading Advertising to Baby Boomers, I now put the blame squarely where it
belongs."
"The second section (of the book) addresses the
process of finding the best marketing or advertising agency. It identifies
the myths that traditional ad agencies hold regarding Boomers and advises
business owners who want to sell to this group to walk away from agencies
that think this way."
"The third and last section offers
resources, a case study, and final thoughts. He sharpens some of his
earlier points and cautions readers that some of the recent buzzwords in
advertising, such as branding, are not all that they are cracked up to
be." - Dr. Joyce M.
Wolburg, Marquette University
Review
by Brent
Green:
Chuck
Nyren is the Baby Boom generation's advertising debunker.
His
book, Advertising to Baby Boomers, exposes the heehawing, habits, and
hang-ups that are preventing companies from making fortunes from this
wealthy demographic. Straight from the fractured keyboard of a
third-generation seasoned copywriter and creative strategist, wise and
welcome advice pokes up from every page, packaged with occasional satire
and silliness.
Do you
want to have fun reading a business book and still learn what it takes to
cash in?
If
you're on the agency side, you might sense discomfort dribbling down your
spine as Nyren denudes the biz so clients understand how to win the
perpetual tug-of-war. (If clients prevail, however, they still keep paying
the bills.)
If you're on the client side, stay
alert because you'll finally figure out why your agency irks you when they
fail to "get it" - especially that most deliberate assignment of wooing
Boomers as customers. And while following this yellow-brick road, even the
most seasoned, "been-there, done-it" pros can expect to discover
underdeveloped opportunities for infomercials, internet advertising, and
Boomer branding.
This fascinating book reveals how to
rethink current advertising strategies to effectively reach the thriving
boomer marketplace. Nyren passes on key information about how the
generation responds to advertising, cleverly pointing out that this group
grew up during the
years when advertising really flourished
and expanded. So, their level of advertising sophistication is key to
consider when developing advertising strategies and campaigns. Additionally, a
special section of the book focuses on helping baby boomer
entrepreneurs jump-start their marketing and advertising. - GRAND Magazine
Chuck
doesn't think too much of the work of modern day ad agencies when it comes
to creating campaigns to capture Boomers. He breaks down the process for
selecting and managing an ad agency. He also argues that marketing
messages should focus on a product's features and benefits and not on the
age of the intended customer. Boomers are smart enough imagine how these
features are applicable to them without having to have it spelled out
(especially in a negative manner). Boomers are also impatient enough to be
turned off if they feel like they are having their time wasted with fluff.
Also,
even if you are trying to be funny, don't present Boomers or seniors as
"doddering" as you'll push away more than you entertain. (After reading
the book I realized that it was probably a good idea that LifeTwo rejected
the proposed ad copy, "Hey aging Baby Boomers, write down our URL before
you have a senior moment and forget it!" To be clear, this short sentence
violates every single maxim of Chuck's book.)
It seems
simple enough, so why aren't ad agencies doing it right? - Wesley Hein,
LifeTwo.com
It's
amazing to think about the fact that Baby Boomers (me being among them)
make up 25% of the US population, hold 70% of US assets, and collectively,
spend over $2 trillion a year in products and services. Wow!
Savvy
direct marketers are learning how to more effectively communicate with
this large group of consumers so they can cash in with them -- and get
some of that $2 trillion applied to their bottom line. In fact, a new book
has been released to help direct marketers and advertisers do just that.
Advertising to Baby Boomers by Chuck Nyren, a veteran creative
strategist, explains how to approach this important demographic. This
second edition update is divided into three sections. The first part helps
us understand Boomers' self-image and desires; the second suggests
marketing strategies; and the third offers a listing of some practical
resources. This book is a great resource for all of us in understanding
the uniqueness of this large group of potential and/or current customers.
In case
you aren't aware, there are an unprecedented five generations alive today
that we must take into consideration as we plan direct marketing and
advertising efforts. And, as you can imagine, each generation has very
different needs and desires in terms of how they want to be communicated
with, marketed to, etc. The Baby Boomers represent the largest generation
alive today and (as Nyren points out) it is imperative to effectively
communicate with them, while not alienating them in the process. - Nancy
Arter, RRW Consulting
The Baby Boomer Generation
Site
Chuck Nyren is a funny writer. Well, he's a serious writer who's
funny. Since everyone is trying to figure out how to market to Baby
Boomers, his book will probably be the best guide yet. - Jan Reisen
Excerpts from
GenerationTarget.com
:
Advertising to Baby Boomers
unlocks the minds and hearts of the large and affluent generation that
challenged and reconfigured society's rules at each stage of life ....
Nyren is serious about his precepts, but easy to read and humorous in his
writing style ... Companies who want to reach a baby boomer market should
look carefully at their current ad strategy, Nyren suggests. He debunks
some of the advertising industry's most common misconceptions about baby
boomers, showing how agencies often espouse unfounded notions about baby
boomer consumers in an effort to conceal their ignorance ... These aren't
the same old leftovers: even the most experienced professionals are likely
to hit upon new ideas for increasing their products' appeal among boomer
market consumers.
I liked the way you seem, between the lines, to be
giving us boomers our dignity back. - Julie Muhlstein,
The Everett Herald
From Marketing Magazine in
Canada:
http://www.marketingmag.ca/
Worth Reading
by
Rebecca Harris
 If your ads
targeting baby boomers feature "houses burning, burglars ransacking or
people tipping over from heart attacks or hay fevers," read Chuck Nyren's
latest book, Advertising to Baby Boomers (Paramount Market Publishing, May
2005). Nyren debunks myths about boomers and tells how to make the most of
this demographic. "Contrary to social commentators, the media and
certainly advertising agencies, most of the time we know who we are:
people in our middle age... We're not jumping in mosh pits while juggling
cans of soda, trying to be 18 again." Nyren's advice ranges from how to
attract boomers to planned communities and travel websites, right down to
the smallest details: "Fonts should be larger than normal, but not
insultingly so." Nyren tells marketers to use humour in campaigns but not
to rely on age-related foibles. "You can amuse, but don't assume. Give us
the facts." Nyren believes (that)... companies should target boomers "for
most products and services, not just the obvious ones."
Financial Advertising Review
 Trying to reach Boomers? Author
zeroes in on the challenges
Paramount Market Publishing, Inc., Ithaca, N.Y., has
just published Advertising to Baby Boomers, a volume of thought-provoking
ideas for advertisers who seek to reach this ubiquitous market. Author
Chuck Nyren, himself a Boomer, identifies the viewing and reading habits
of the 40-to-60 year olds who control an increasingly large proportion of
the nation's discretionary spending. He offers examples of how advertising
fails in its efforts to reach this demographic - then explains why. The
book includes provocative challenges such as this: "If you start telling
us why we need something, an impenetrable B.S. shield goes up. We won't
listen."
Healthcare Advertising
Review
 Book has fresh approach to Boomer
marketing
Author Chuck
Nyren, a self-identified Baby Boomer, shares his insights about
marketing to the 40-to-60 age group, in his book, Advertising to Baby
Boomers, from Paramount Market Publishing, Inc., Ithaca, N.Y., This
growing demographic, he says, has needs and interests that require a
different style of marketing than do younger age groups. Among his
observations: Boomers typically have longer attention spans than younger
audiences, and they respond better to factual information than to a "hard
sell."
SecondFiftyYears.com:
Down-to-Earth Tips About
Advertising to Boomers
"Chuck Nyren, an
experienced advertiser, provides practical advice geared to help business
owners connect more effectively with their Baby Boomer
audience. Get...Nyren's cogent advice from his book,
"Advertising to Baby Boomers."
(Blog comment )
"I just finished reading your excellent new
book, Advertising to Baby Boomers. I think I need to buy about 100 copies
and send them to the agencies we deal with ... We are experiencing just
about every stereotypical reaction from 20-something agency media buyers
you can imagine ..."
- Brian Reilly, Publisher, GeezerJock Magazine
(Blog comment)
Hi
Chuck,
I've
just finished reading your book "Advertising to Baby Boomers" and am
checking out your blog ...
From
what I gathered from your book, you're not too keen on "gurus" so I won't
call you that lol but I will just say that from all the books and stuff
I've read on the Baby Boomers market, your book is by far the most
relevant to say the least. It's insightful, entertaining and
to-the-point.
P.S. I
won't be sending you golf balls either ;)
Cheers,
Marica
Zammit
Insurance
Journal, Joe Navarro:
Talk to them (Baby Boomers). Ask them
questions. Learn where they are in life, and find out where they want to
go .... Books by Chuck Nyren, "Advertising to Baby Boomers" and Brent
Green, "Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers," also are good
resources.
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (LEA),
publishers of academic books, journals, and software, Lisa Romero :
ADVERTISING TO BABY BOOMERS
by Chuck Nyren
is a book written from the perspective of the advertising client. Nyren is
an award-winning copywriter and advertising/marketing video producer who
has served as a creative strategist and Consultant for several advertising
and marketing agencies.
Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, comprise
the largest and perhaps the most important marketing/advertising
demographic. Nyren provides insight on the Baby Boomer market, discusses
the common mistakes made by advertising agencies when marketing or
advertising to the Boomer market, and suggests how to identify the best
advertising or marketing agency and, most importantly, how clients can get
what they pay for.
Review by Jon
Currie (Currie Commmunications):
Even if I
weren't a baby boomer, I would take this book very seriously. This book is
a real wake up call and perhaps a watershed in the way marketers should
look at reaching boomers. It is not enough as Chuck reminds us to simply
stick images and sounds of the 60's in your campaign to allude to our
youth, but rather he gives some very realistic and well thought out ways
to tap into what really goes on inside the head of someone who is part of
the single most important generation to walk the planet up to this point.
And who better to tell that story than someone who has lived it and
actually been born into the world of advertising. Read his bio--this guy
is literally a creation of the ad world.
Bottom line if you get the idea
that you need to reach baby boomers, Chuck's book is the foundation for
that effort.
But in fact, he also gives some very practical
advertisng and marketing advice to reach any demographic cohort, and his
take on branding is a must-read, nothing short of a revelation. And his
dry wit is quite compelling as a read. None of the usual textbook boring
mumbo-jumbo often found in marketing books.
In my experience helping launch
CNN, and redefining local broadcasting with the launch of FOX, I could
have used this very practical tool over and over again. I would love to
(and may) give this book out to all my clients.
Eric Voth, ERV Productions:
In the future -- after many of us Baby
Boomers are dead and buried -- Nyren's book could well be hailed as a
classic in the annals of advertising education. Looking back, some may
call him a pundit. Others may call him a visionary. Both would be
correct.
Whether you agree with him or not, Nyren's work is
straight talk about the state of affairs at many of the world's leading
advertising agencies today -- especially regarding the way in which they
think about a cohort they choose to ignore.
Hey, if the client doesn't mention "the
elephant in the room" that's okay. The agency won't bother bringing up the
topic, either.
And if
nobody talks about them, maybe all the Baby Boomers will simply die off
quietly and never be missed. After all, folks over 50 comprise only about
25 percent of the American population. (That's by no means a majority.)
They hold only 70 percent of U.S. assets. (Who owns the other 30 percent?)
They wield annual spending power of only about $2 trillion. (Exactly how
many zeros is that?) And, hell, they need to buy stuff anyhow. So why
waste creative advertising energy in trying to influence them?
Nyren's is one of
the few books designed to better inform advertising agency clients on how
to deal with a massive demographic shift forced by the relentless march of
time. In my opinion, it's a "must-read" for any executives who wonder
which half of their advertising dollars is being wasted.
Book Blurbs
Straight talk from someone who knows how to do it
right, for the right price. -
Laurel Kennedy, President, Age
Lessons
For years businesses have been told that Boomers would represent
terrific opportunities as they aged. As Chuck Nyren points out, that
strategic advice was then discouraged by advertising and media types who
lived in the world of the precious 18-49 demo. Finally, the opportunities
are being recognized. Businesses are rapidly developing products and
services targeted to Boomers. Nyren gives sound advice on how to
communicate with this powerful consumer segment. -
John McMennamin,
McMennamin Consulting
We recommend Chuck Nyren's Advertising to Baby
Boomers to all of our GRAND Magazine advertisers to help them put together
effective print and online ads to reach our Baby Boomer grandparent
readers. - Christine Crosby, Founder, GRAND Magazine
Chuck's book is refreshing and informative - a
creative opinion with real insights, in-depth understanding, and supported
with practical advice in a highly readable format. - Gill Walker,
Director, Evergreen Marketing Communications, Australia
Chuck Nyren's wit and charm only partially disguise
the razor sharp teeth that he flashes at an industry in denial. -
Marc Middleton, Founder and President, The Growing Bolder Media Group
I bought over 80 books on the subject of Boomers,
Advertising, and Marketing for my M.A. Thesis on Images of Boomer Women.
Chuck Nyren was the only writer who put it all together, brilliantly, in
one source. His book was the mainstay of my citations. Any advertiser who
does not understand his premise that boomers are diverse adults and do not
want to be seen as Steve Martin caricatures of "wild and crazy guys" is
going to alienate this pivotal generation - or, worse yet, miss them
all together. - Mary Duffy, Ford Models, 40+ Fashion and Beauty
Author
Nyren has earned the distinction as the go-to guy for
the inside dope on what Boomers want and how advertisers can effectively
target this dynamic, powerful, and flush market. - Marty Davis,
Former MSNBC News Anchor and Washington Correspondent for "Hour Magazine"
Baby Boomers have money and they spend it! But before
you target them, read Chuck Nyren's insightful, entertaining and
refreshingly candid book. You'll avoid common mistakes and find the keys
to motivating savvy boomers. - Todd Harff, President & CEO,
Creating Results
Chuck Nyren is one the best writers on
50+ advertising and marketing - anywhere. He doesn't hide behind
jargon, he shoots from the hip and tells it how it really is. -
Martin Smith, Group Managing Director, Millennium
UK
Check out Chuck's book,
Advertising to Baby Boomers. It'll change the way you
think about us, once and for all. - Vince Vassolo, The Baby
Boomer Marketing Blog
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