Observations, insights and innovations that connect with the 50+ market.

Training Older Executives - The Economist
by Kim Walker 13 May 2010 12:07:49

I'm always interested when The Economist tackles issues related to ageing. Here's one where they look at Executive Education where they comment that "older executives are shunning corporate training. This is a problem both for them and the firms they work for" The thinking is that for older executives formal programmes are often seen as a repetition of lessons already le... more

Singapore Promotes The Benefits Of Older Workers - See the ads
by Kim Walker 08 May 2010 17:47:37

Singapore's Ministry of Manpower has launched a multimedia campaign created by Dentsu to promote the employment of older workers. Through the campaign, MOM aims to highlight the importance and benefits of employing older workers to CEOs, HR Directors, HR Managers and Line Managers. The campaign aims to increase awareness and acceptance of older workers, improve perceptio... more

Boomers Still Into Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n Roll - How Meaningful Is Age Segmentation?
by Kim Walker 08 May 2010 15:10:39

Middle and old age are traditionally seen as times of conformity, responsibility, risk aversion and settling down. Yet instead of retiring with pipe and slippers to listen to the classics, many of the new old are still pursuing the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle of their youth. So argued in this article. Here are some interesting stats from the USA: 61 percent ... more

Investment Managers View Of Ageing Opportunity
by Kim Walker 07 May 2010 18:55:06

The ageing population theme has so far been largely overlooked by fund managers according to this article in Moneywise. Financial folks predict (unsurprisingly) that if people live into their eighties, they tend to run down their savings, buy annuities, down-trade in the housing market and maybe go into retirement accommodation, and spend on domiciliary care and nursing ... more

Nostalgia Drives Development of 'Ageless' Drinks in Japan
by Kim Walker 06 May 2010 09:08:34

A couple of pre-World War II soft drinks that garnered renewed interest a few years back are being produced in ever more varieties and becoming more popular in Japan. Furthermore the cider and 'ramune' soft drinks have proved 'ageless' attracting popularity among everyone from children to the elderly. Seniors like them out of a sense of nostalgia, while for the young the... more

Adapt To The Needs Of Ageing Customers And Reap Rewards - Article
by Kim Walker 27 April 2010 10:06:06

Here's an article from Hong Kong publication, Millionaire Asia in which I am interviewed about the 'Silver Tsunami'. ... more

New Technology Delivers Radio For Oldies
by Kim Walker 25 April 2010 17:09:08

Older Aussies will now be able to tune into a dedicated radio station through their television sets. The new Web2TV service from Aged Care Radio uses the internet to transmit radio programs into a facility's TV network. All that is needed to pick up the signal is an internet connection and a special set-top box. Aged Care Radio has been streaming programs aimed at aged c... more

Older APAC Consumers. Marketing weary or marketing savvy? Download report.
by Kim Walker 22 April 2010 15:20:48

Marketing to older consumers requires special understanding of their life-stage and mindset. This is revealed in data recently released from Synovate (PAX Q1-Q4'09) covering the markets of Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore, Taipei, Seoul, Sydney. India, Melbourne.Style is still important, but style without substance, will not sell to an older,... more

Boomer Snack Food
by Kim Walker 22 April 2010 13:54:04

Apparently, Baby Boomers graze for food more often than any other generation. And, to make us feel less guilty about what we're grazing on, Frito will be releasing a succession of "better-for-you" reformulations of its popular chips, according to an article in Ad Age. "As a company which was traditionally focused on a younger person, we're now learning to set our si... more

TV Program Format Modified for Japans Retiring Boomers
by Kim Walker 17 April 2010 18:45:16

TV programs about house makeovers are common but in Japan the 'Before-After' TV program on Channel 10 focusses on "baby boomer" owners whose intention was to make the house they had owned for many years a place they could live out their retirement in style and comfort. This is a change from previous Japanese views on housing renewal - that if your house was old, you pull... more