Haggar CMO Hosts IMMN Webinar

July 2008

Below is a short recap of the webinar "Boomer Men - The Perfect Fit" presented on July 16th, 2008:

CMO Stephen Croncota came to Haggar (after having been with Versace) 2.5 yrs ago to revitalize a brand of ‘middle America’ that had been virtually lost. He believed in the potential of the brand after having done research on their history, and the current climate for their target audience – "Boomer Men". What he found was that this market was approaching a constituency of 40mm men (ages 42-60) that controlled 75% of the nation’s disposable income as well as 77% of all financial assets in the U.S. It is estimated that by 2010, 1/3 of the U.S. Population will be 50+.

Despite the colossal amount of advertising that had been spent on Men’s Fashion, Stephen also found that 55% of Boomer men claimed to not have seen any advertising for men’s clothing brands, suggesting that most apparel advertising wasn’t registering with this demographic. In short, Boomer men weren’t noticing ads for men’s fashion because the ads themselves were speaking to younger audiences.

Through creative consumer research, Haggar was able to discover the real issues and values of this everyday "Boomer" man, finding that such men defined themselves as ‘Dependable, Capable, Curious, and Family Oriented’. The Boomer man is a white collar professional who also likes to fix things, or ‘get under the hood’. To them, Men’s Fashion (apparel) is perceived as a tool to signal his competence.

By gaining Boomer’s Trust and Confidence through an aggressive and contrarian campaign, Haggar was able to identify their target audience, speak their language, and share stories that gave this constituency a sense of finally being heard and understood.

The result was astounding. In just 2.5 yrs, men across the nation responded to the campaign led by Stephen Croncota by going into stores, lingering around apparel displays, and purchasing their own clothes, reversing a 10 yr sales decline, and increasing branding perception from 39% - 57%. Their controversial yet humorous commercial campaign had unprecedented results, becoming the #1 Most viewed of all videos, and the #1 Most Forwarded comedy, with over 3.5mm total views worldwide. Haggar was successful in this short time frame because they listened to their target market (Boomer Men), spoke to their target’s values, and then backed it up with a quality product.

Hip music for baby boomers

June 2008

There is a reason classic acts such as the Police, Santana, Bruce Springsteen and Rush continue to fill big venues this summer: Many people who formed their core audiences in the '60s, '70s and '80s still are locked into that music. Although those sounds were revolutionary in their heyday, many of the original listeners have gotten less adventuresome as the years have passed. They might have fewer entertainment dollars and less time available for discovering fresh music when mortgages, kids and demanding jobs are factored in. For those tired of hearing "Hotel California," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" or "Black Magic Woman" for the 10,000th time, and for parents who are curious about the music their teens are listening to, the Internet is the key.

Read the full story here.

Who are the ‘Lucky Few’?

June 2008

Whether you're part of the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boom, Generation X or the Millennials, you've heard plenty about your peers. But a book out Monday, The Lucky Few: Between the Greatest Generation and the Baby Boom, takes a close look at a lesser-known group, born between 1929 and 1945. Author Elwood Carlson, 58, a demographer with the Center for Demography and Population Health at Florida State University in Tallahassee, spoke with USA TODAY about why this generation merits attention.

Read the full story here.

New website reflects diversity of boomer women

June 2008

Another new website community for boomer women is making its debut. It’s called Boomer Diva Nation and it’s a non-profit organization geared for women who are on the move and making a difference. Boomer Diva Nation website owner and self-proclaimed baby boomer diva, Beverly Mahone, says the site is designed to offer up-to-date content on current issues affecting boomer women, along with a variety of resources to assist women in their endeavors. It’s also a place where women can network. “We established non-profit status as an organization recently. The best part of Boomer Diva Nation is the members are very talented and diverse,” according to Mahone. “We come from all walks of life and different races and we are eager to share their knowledge and resources.”

Read the full story here.

Majority of baby boomers will struggle during retirement

June 2008

Sharp drops in real estate values will leave the "vast majority" of Baby Boomers nearing retirement with "little or no wealth," the Center for Economic and Policy Research reports. If housing prices stay the same through next year, the median household headed by 45-to-54-year-olds will have 24.7 percent less wealth in 2009 than the same age group had in 2004. If real estate values keep declining, as expected, a 10 percent drop would bring a 34.6 percent loss of wealth, and a 20 percent drop would reduce wealth by 45.6 percent.

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Exploring a new career while on ‘vacation’

June 2008

Ever fantasize about what it might be like to go into acting, run your own coffee shop become a chocolatier or work in the wine industry? Interested in finding a way to test drive a new career without losing a paycheck or risking the mortgage payment? Missy Grohne did just that. She was working as a consultant in a LASIK eye surgery clinic, but she felt as though her real calling was in entertainment or acting. About 18 months ago, she saw a tiny advertisement about VocationVacations, a business that offers clients one- to three-day immersions with mentors in various careers and businesses. She discovered there was an opportunity to work with Kim Crow, a voice-over professional in Florida. Grohne, who lives in New York City, was supposed to spend two days with Crow but ended up spending three...

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Growing up fast.

June 2008

Baby boomers were the first generation to be raised with fast food. They spend an average $2,600 a year eating out, compared with a national average of $2,100. This article interviews two baby boomers – who say they visit quick-service restaurants at least 10 times per week. Their consensus was that if it wasn’t for watching what they eat, counting calories, and trying to stay healthy, they would eat fast food, namely McDonald’s, a lot more often.

Read the full story here.

Study: Baby boomers not interested in social networking sites

June 2008

A new study by ThirdAge and JWTBoom found that boomers are less interested in social networking websites and more interested in word of mouth recommendations, expert opinions, trusted brands, and Internet privacy. Boomers are using more traditional Web communication tools, like email, to keep in touch with their existing group of friends. However, their desire to share life experiences motivates an interest in connecting with others in their community around shared interests and common issues.

Read the full story here.

Nine lives, with the bills to match

June 2008

It’s pretty practical to think of many pets as on par with their baby boomer owners. While better preventative care, medicine, vitamins, and food are making them (people and pets) live longer, the costly side effect is higher medical bills. According to the 2007-2008 National Pet Owners Survey, 63 percent of U.S. households include a pet. And now that many baby boomers are are no longer burdened with paying for children (who are now out of the home), they are spending big bucks on their pets.

Read the full story here.

Single boomers enjoy sex and do not want to wed

June 2008

According to the dating site LavaLife, single baby boomers are enjoying better sex, are open to threesomes, and are not looking to get married. Forty-six percent of the 1,000 adults born between 1946 and 1964 who were questioned in the survey said they enjoyed sex more now than they did during their 20s and 30s. Recent data from AARP says that about 30 percent of the 85 million U.S. baby boomers are currently single.

Read the full story here.

Gray means green: Mature stars score at the box office

June 2008

As summer trends go, a big one for movies is that gray is the new black. Three of the huge summer blockbusters feature leading actors in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Harrison Ford, who stars in the latest installment of Indiana Jones, is 65, while Robert Downey Jr., the lead in Iron Man, is 43. Of the four leading ladies of Sex and the City, three are in their 40s (Sarah Jessica Parker, 43; Cynthia Nixon, 42; and Kristin Davis, 43) and Kim Cattrall is 51. And maturity is proving to be a lucrative commodity, according to the latest box office numbers.

Read the full story here.

Seniors underserved by online merchants

June 2008

Seniors are a large, underserved but potentially lucrative consumer segment. To unlock their spending power, Web retailers need to understand their special needs and aspirations — as well as the friction points that discourage them from becoming online buyers. In 2006, there were 17.6 million Internet users in the US ages 62 and older. By 2011 that number will increase to 25.4 million. Things like usability considerations and ready customer service (online and off) help older users buy online.

Read the full story here.

New hints seen that red wine may slow aging

June 2008

Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs. The study is based on dosing mice with resveratrol, an ingredient of some red wines. Some scientists are already taking resveratrol in capsule form, but others believe it is far too early to take the drug, especially using wine as its source, until there is better data on its safety and effectiveness

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Singles find love, marriage after age 45

June 2008

When she was still single in her 40s, Debra Siegel made a list of qualities for her yet-elusive perfect husband: honest, family-oriented, a hard worker and physically fit. But the years passed and the list went unfulfilled. That's when she took what she calls "drastic action." Her future husband, Dan Furlin, was of a similar mind. Both went the online dating route and met within months. The Dunedin, Fla., couple are both fitness-conscious and vegetarian. They were also both natives of New York state, and each had lived in Los Angeles. They moved to Florida — Furlin to Clearwater and Siegel to Orlando — before meeting online. They married in 2003. A USA TODAY analysis of Census records of Americans ages 45-55 shows that the percentage of those who said they had never been married in 2006 had doubled since 1990, and the percentage of those who were currently married had dropped by 9%.

Read the full story here.

Google's product targets baby boomers

May 2008

Google on Monday launched Google Health, a long-anticipated medical records service letting US users store and manage their healthcare information online. The offering raises privacy concerns and draws yet another battle line between Internet search king Google and global software giant Microsoft, which began offering a similar HealthVault service in October. "It isn't surprising both sides are going after it," Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle told AFP. He said the service was likely to strongly appeal to "Baby Boomers" - the generation of Americans born between the late 1940s and early 1960s. "Healthcare is not just lucrative - you are solving a problem critical to an ageing group of Boomers. There are public relations and business benefits to it," he said. Google Health has links to pharmacies, clinics and diagnostic labs. The service is free and enables people to have electronic copies of information such as prescriptions, lab test results, hospital stays, and medical conditions stored on Google computers.

Read the full story here.

Boomers expected to set tone for staying healthy while aging

May 2008

We hear a lot these days about baby boomers — an estimated 78 million of us in the U.S. alone. In 2008, the oldest boomers are turning 62 years old, and researchers believe they will set the tone for aging over the next 30 years. Retirement communities are reinventing themselves. New communities feature plenty of activities and people with similar attitudes and interests. Newer projects are placed in urban areas for easy access to a city’s cultural amenities, and a growing trend spotlights multigenerational developments where young families and older adults live near each other. Baby boomers are keen on maintaining their mental and intellectual health. Along with the stream of research being conducted on diseases such as dementia are studies on cognition and intellectual processing. Lectures on brain health, word games and memory trivia are popular. And of course, the Internet is the new link to health information, social networking, travel and online learning. Multiple Web sites for older than 50 adults have sprung up providing news stories, discussion boards, travel and housing information, and just about anything imaginable. “The baby boomers have the potential to epitomize the concepts of active aging,” points out Milner. “This age group is ready to take action to stay healthy and actively engaged with their friends, families and communities.”

Read the full story here.

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