Story Archives of 'marketing'

As a rule, advertisers take aim at 18-49 year olds, supposedly the ones with disposable income and the desire to spend. But a new report on the "Grandparent Economy" says that baby boomers are changing everything, again.

As a consumer group, the grandparent population is larger, richer, better educated than ever before. The grandparent demographic now accounts for one-third of the nation’s overall spending and suddenly advertisers are paying attention to a population that’s dispelling old notions about the golden years. New Hampshire demographer Peter Francese prepared the report on the grandparent economy for Grandparents.com.

Report: Power of the Grandparent Economy (PDF)

The New York Times: Advertisers Target Boomers

(Photo by Jason Tester via Flickr/Creative Commons)

Consumers concerned about their impact on the environment frequently pay the extra cost for items advertised as "green," "eco-friendly" and organic, and their number is growing.

Sales of so-called "green" products and services will likely double in the next year to an expected 500 billion dollars. But what percentage of those offerings is hype, and what exactly does green mean?

Beth Daley is environmental and science reporter for The Boston Globe, and she joins Word of Mouth with more on the faux green phenomenon known as "greenwashing."

You’ve likely heard that advertising is in big trouble. Newspaper and TV ad revenue is tanking. Consumers are informed and picky, no longer hostage to TV commercials. We’re skipping ads with Tivo while the Internet offers on-demand content 24/7. But is the advertising business really on its way to extinction?

Rob Walker writes the "Consumed" column in the New York Times magazine, and he’s not finding any proof. Americans are mired in credit card debt and covered in logos, our landfills are mounting with discarded junk, and profits from consumer products are soaring. So something advertisers are doing is working. Rob Walker joins Word of Mouth to tell us about the "murketing" strategies described in his new book, "Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are," and how we grapple with our individuality and our deep wish to be part of something bigger.

The connection between our possessions and ourselves is also of great interest to "snoopologist" Dr. Sam Gosling, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas in Austin. He joins the show to discuss his new book "Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You," which brings the fine art of nosing around people's bedrooms, offices and iPod playlists into the realm of social science.

(Photo by Matt Miller)

Retail stores and other companies are eager to learn about their customers in order to serve them better. But personal privacy may be at stake. Find out how consumer information is gathered and used, and how to protect yourself. Laura's guests are Katherine Albrecht, founder of C.A.S.P.I.A.N. (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering), and Marty Abrams, Director of the Center for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton and Williams in Atlanta