Question of the Day
It's time for a really simple yet touchy question. Does sex sell? Does it work to put scantily clad females in front of the product? Is there an age cut-off where provocative imagery isn't effective? Does this method work for both male and female consumers? We want to hear what you have to say about this?

Question of the Day
It is fun to see the newest and most daring marketing and pr strategies being introduced in new and interesting venues as well as via new marketing vehicles...What are some of the newest marketing vehicles or strategies you have seen lately?

Question of the Day
What biggest marketing trend have you become aware of lately?

Question of the Day
Daily trends impact marketing and public relations...How do you keep up on trends on a daily basis?

Question of the Day
Business communication is always expanding...whether you are at the office or traveling constantly there are a variety of ways to keep connected in business...What is your favorite mode of communication?

Question of the Day
Taglines help define a company...they can be witty and clever but they must be memorable...

What is your favorite business tagline? Why?

Question of the Day
Many of us in the marketing/PR industry have reason to conduct market surveys for clients. We carefully craft them, we sweetly beg folks to participate and give their honest feedback, we tediously compile the results and then succinctly report the results to our clients.

As a result of all of this industry and toil, I am inclined to participate myself when someone asks. I take phone surveys, I’ve sent in forms with little circles filled in, I’ve even been a “Nelson” family. My question to you is, do participate as well? Are you willing to help shape some small portion of the marketplace with your valued opinion?

Question of the Day
Have you ever turned down business? Turned a client away? Have you ever decided that a particular client just wasn’t worth the money you could make in working for them, or that it wasn’t the type of work that you wanted to do? Have you ever leveled with a client and said, “We can do this for you, but we’d be much too expensive,” and then steer them in another direction? How do you decide to say “no” to some when so much of our time and effort is spent trying to get others to say, “yes?”

Question of the Day
Today Google pulled off a pretty cool coup by being named the search engine of record for the rapidly growing Myspace Web site. This prompted me to actually google google. Odd. Anyway, do you think this indicates that the Internet is expanding or contracting? Does the union of these two young behemoths signal a widening circle or a circling of the wagons, leaving some in and some out?

Seniors Gain the Market's Attention

Every product or service has a target market. For years the popular demographic for many products or services has been 18-34 year olds. The marketplace is shifting and there is a growing target market that will only enlarge and build in buying power—the senior market. Baby Boomers are maturing and they are impacting marketing trends. The assisted living and senior housing markets are well aware of these trends, but all businesses must be prepared for significant changes in marketing.

The 2000 US Census reported 13.3 million Americans between 55 and 59, 10.7 million 60 to 64, 18.1 million 65 to 74, 11.7 million 75 to 84 and 3.3 million 85 or older. Be assured that an expanded senior market for senior services will also bring expanded competition and the watchful eyes of the senior consumers and their families.

In addition to the aging of the Baby Boomers, the definition of "senior" is also transitioning. The median age for first-time grandparents is 47 years old. In fact, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) begins targeting prospects who are 49 years old for membership.

The buying power of seniors is great. Consumers 50 years old and over now control more that 77% of the disposable income in the United States (that equals to approximately $1.6 trillion dollars). The Baby Boomers are the most active spenders in American history. Further, the US Census Bureau reports the number of American citizens ages 50 to 69 will jump over 87% in the next 15 years.

It is easy to see that marketing to seniors is important. It is not so easy to market to this group of consumers the same way; all combined in one "old category." There is a wide range of age groups, psychographics and incomes within the seniors market, therefore, lumping all seniors into one large category is a mistake. Many aging adults see themselves as much younger than their actual years due to society’s increasing attention to healthy lifestyles and maintaining youthful attitudes. Many are watching the same TV shows and shopping at the same stores as most 30 year olds.

The range in the growing "seniors" market may include a grandfather in his late 80's, to a grandson is his 40's. This is a wide range with very different needs and interests. Mature adults vary in their perception of what a senior is; a 48-year-old usually does not perceive herself or himself as part of an older demographic, and many times works to defy the natural pattern of aging.

The various strategies and opportunities to market to the large and powerful Baby Boomers are clearly worth exploring.

Question of the Day
One of our creatives at MCS is an absolute news junkie. She not only receives email alerts from all major news outlets, she also has a news crawler on her desktop as well as the new Google desktop tool, which has constantly updated headlines. She even has Google alerts set up to go directly to her inbox on over 150 topics—every single day. What are the methods by which you keep up on your industry or business news? Do you receive email alerts? Do you have a news crawler on your desktop? Do you read print materials on a regular basis? What do you find provides the best information?

the triumphant return of the
Question of the Day
About every 5 years or so someone declares that direct mail is finished, that consumers are turned off by it and the ROI is negligible. Yet like cockroaches, it never seems to die. What do you think? Is direct mail over with? What is your experience? Do you read “junk” mail? Do you or have you ever responded to an unsolicited ad or flier? What about emails? Are you more inclined to read “spam” than ads and fliers that come through snail mail?