2009 Generations Online Report

The Pew Internet & American Life Project has released the 2009 version of its Generations Online report. As we suggest in Dot Boom, older generations are generally following suit with younger adults. Pew states, “Much as we watch demographic and age groups move up in degrees of access on our thermometers, we can probably expect to see these bars become more level as time goes on.”

Man-on-the-Street Video Interviews

Watch and listen to what happened when Immersion Active asked boomers what they would do without the Internet.

Flash Intro for Triple Creek Ranch

Don’t confuse emotions with feelings. In this example from the book, we show how Triple Creek Ranch engages all fives senses right from the homepage. Finally a Flash based intro with a purpose? You decide.

Adventures of Stan and Marcia Interactive Piece for AARP

How much interactivity can an “older” consumer take? This example, from Dot Boom, shows how AARP Magazine used interactive media to increase both their appeal with boomers online and the number of return visitors to an otherwise static website. Check out the live link and get a taste for “Stan and Marcia’s Adventures” for yourself.

Aleve Commercial

“Live long and prosper,” says Leonard Nimoy. It’s easy to think that celebrity endorsements are a slam dunk with the cohort dubbed the “TV generation”. Truth is, it’s a tricky proposition. In this example from Dot Boom see how Aleve makes good use of this boomer icon to connect with them “where they are”.

Intro Animation for Harley-Davidson Web Site

There are a lot of ways to tell a good story and interactive media creates even more opportunities. See how Harley-Davidson uses video on the web (and keen sense of the times) to remind boomers what the famous brand has always been about.

Touch of Gray Web Site

It’s so easy to think that nostalgia is the key to connecting with a boomer consumer. In this example from the book, see how one brand’s attempt to take boomers back to “better times” ends up insulting the very consumers it aims to woo. Don’t believe us, watch the video for yourself and check out some of the strongly worded comments on YouTube.

BONIVA Campaign

“I would prefer to remember Sally Field as the Flying Nun than a hawker for BONIVA.” This represents the general sentiments of the many bloggers that make up the first several pages of results on Google for the term “Sally Field BONIVA”. In Dot Boom, we share how Rouche and GlaxoSmithKline do an admirable job of positioning the boomer icon with their osteoporosis brand. That said, we do feel that this campaign scores low on our MOE Scorecard in the areas of Thought Trust, Creative Authority and Creative Commitment — all brand-related criteria. Additionally, we think there is a big missed opportunity to act on a Feedback Loop — an essential element in deploying a boomer campaign. Watch the short documentary-style video on Sally’s quest for bone health then check out our interactive MOE Scorecard for more on how we define meaningful engagement.

Dove’s “Real Beauty” Campaign

If you are at all familiar with the mature markets, you will most likely be aware of Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty”. While we admire this campaign for many of the same reasons that most marketers do, Dot Boom takes a unique look at what really makes this campaign successful and the big role that online information exchange played. This is truly a boomer campaign that goes more than “skin deep”.