This Ad’s For You
A new report shows that Canadian radio advertisers are beginning to focus more on the baby boomer market than the younger adults and teens who have long been the focus of radio advertising.
The demographics don’t quite have the boomer generation pegged, as the most advertising is directed at the 25 to 54 market. The first boomers turn 60 this year.
Still, this is a not completely unexpexted turn away from youngsters, who are probably listening to the radio far less than ever before thanks to iPods and other downloaded digital music. Older people are probably more likely to be listening to the radio than their kids or grandkids are. I’m sure this is a trend you’d see all over the world.
Travel Tips for Baby Boomers
Drury Bagwell, retired assistant vice president for student affairs at the University of Maryland, has been to 71 countries around the world. He’s got some great travel tips for baby boomers:
Before You Go
Check all the countries you even THINK that you might visit in order to see if they require a visa that you must get before you leave. In a post 9/11 world, many countries have started requiring visas. A good travel book for we baby boomers is Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door. And, there is a lot of information for just about anything on the internet that you can access before you leave. ATM machines are now commonplace, but don’t always work. I suggest that you take a credit/debit card AND traveler’s checks.
A credit card operates as a hedge against unforeseen expenses. You may want to take a couple of credit cards and carry them in different places, just in case one gets lost. All three (t.c./atm/cc) will charge some type of fee for using, and it’s about the same in the end. Don’t take a lot of cash, but what you do take, make sure it’s the “new” US money. Make photocopies of any credit cards you are taking with you, along with the toll-free number to call if lost.
Also, make a photocopy of your main passport page and any prescriptions that are essential for your health. Stick one copy of these in the bottom of your bag and leave another copy with family at home. Buy a pouch that hangs around your neck inside your clothes, for your money and passport. These are much better than fanny packs, wallets, or purses, which can be easily stolen. Crime isn’t a great problem, but don’t make it easy to get ripped off.
…And this is just the tip of the iceburg. Drury also has good advice on packing, the trip over, getting around in Europe, European trains, where to stay, how to make friends, safety, and specific locations.
Boomers Find Love Online
Boomers are increasingly turning to the internet for “romance, companionship, [and] sometimes marriage,” according to Jocelyn Noveck in her article Baby Boomers Embrace Online Dating:
The main reason more mature singles are going online for love is simple: more widespread access to the Internet, hence more familiarity with online dating. And dating sites are catering to older members. Yahoo Personals, for example, has an advice column for users over 50, with tips - on everything from etiquette to sexual health - for those whose romantic radar may be a tad rusty.
Another reason: “Baby boomers are seeing their children use online dating, and watching their success at finding mates,” says Rochelle Adams, spokesperson for Yahoo Personals. “They’re seeing that it’s not such a crazy concept.”
Match.com, another large online dating site, says Boomers (which it defines as ages 45-59) are its fastest growing segment - they’ve increased by at least 350 percent since 2000, and now number 3 million - or 22 percent of total users. Spokesperson Kristin Kelly says older users tend to be much clearer and more realistic about what they want: “There’s no substitute for the wisdom gained with age.”
But Boomers should still be wary about certain things:
There’s the old stale-photo trick (it’s him, but 20 years and 30 pounds ago), or the date who asks right away how much money you have, or the ones who say how fabulous you are and then disappear.
“Still, many older online daters say that even if they haven’t found true love - yet - [the experience has] been worthwhile.”