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Blue is the New Green: Blue Thinking, the Gen 2 Sustainability Strategy

The phrase ‘Blue innovation” instead of “Green” was coined by Bob Isherwood, ex Saatchi & Saatch Worldwide Creative Director, who presented at the Sustainable Brands International (SBi) conference in Miami in December. His call is to translate the burden of environmental accountability into a ‘blue ocean of opportunity’ and to make sustainability ‘irresistible’ to people.

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Boomers Caught in Squeeze Play

12 JAN 2009 from Adweek | Read the full story»

Why this group's changing fortunes could mean a slowdown in consumption for years to come.

Hat tip: Marketing Profs Daily Fix

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Dustin Hoffman’s Latest Film Breaks Boomer Stereotypes

Savvy Boomer shares some interesting observations about a new, trend bucking film titled Last Chance Harvey. It’s a romantic movie that stars Dustin Hoffman as 60-something man, who in the midst of dealing with a storm of personal problems, falls for Emma Thompson’s character. Savvy Boomer views this kind of story, one which focuses on the details and ups and downs of a baby boomer’s life is a genre that will be expanding in popularity.

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Can Moms Save Us From the Recession?

13 JAN 2009 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

Are there any consumers out there who will be shopping this year? The answer is a resounding yes. Moms will keep shopping. They have to. Moms control 85% to 90% of household spending on everyday, Warren Buffet-advocated items, according to a BSM Media Study, which also projects household spending to be $3 trillion in 2012, up from $2.1 trillion today. In this economy 85% may play an even bigger role to your bottom line. Your efforts to understand their purchase behavior are more important than ever. (Subscription required)

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Peer pressure pushes people to go green

A growing body of research shows the most effective way to get people to go green is not through do-good appeals, but rather peer pressure. Sarah Gardner reports on the latest research findings.

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Green fuel technologies pick up speed in 2008

As Obama prepares to green the US, we take a look at the new technologies that may help – from super batteries to oil-cleaning fungi ...

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The Four Neighborhoods of Female Consumers

Learning that women draw upon different energy sources to charge up and get through the day is the first step to understanding that not all women make purchasing decisions in the same way. Recognizing that women take action based on personal time horizons is the second step. Overlaying the two factors brings the world of female customers into focus.

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Half a dozen consumer trends for 2009

Despite a global downturn, there are still plenty of trends out there that are begging to be applied profitably. In 2009, ensure you make the most of NICHETRIBUTES, LUXYOURY, FEEDBACK 3.0, ECONCIERGE, MAPMANIA and HAPPY ENDING...

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Office tower for women entrepreneurs

Abu Dhabi-based Hydra Properties just recently completed excavation for Eve's Tower, which it says will be the world's first exclusive tower for women entrepreneurs. Located in downtown Dubai's Business Bay, Eve's Tower will be part of the iconic Hydra Towers Project comprising five uniquely shaped, high-rise towers. It will feature a sleek design and high-tech facilities, rising 20 floors and facing Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world. While men will be allowed to work there, only women will be able to own office space, and women will enjoy special entrances, elevators and car parks as well, according to a report in Arabian Business.

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THE AGE OF MASS INTELLIGENCE

Winter 2008 from Intelligent Life | Read the full story»

We’ve all heard about dumbing down. But there is plenty of evidence that the opposite is also true. Is this, in fact, the age of mass intelligence?

Hat tip: PSFK

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Why the Female Customer Isn't Going Away Anytime Soon

I’m concerned that you have yet to fully realize that focusing on the female customer is not a fad. It’s not going to dissolve into the ether like past eras of marketing buzz, where moving from target to target was the strategy du jour. ... The power of the female customer will not only influence how you market this year and next; it will define your business and marketing strategies for at least the first few decades of the 21st century.

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Tokyo: Baby Boomer Trendsetter

Tokyo has always been the cool trendsetter of our global high school. And even as the city ages with the rest of Japan (20% of the population aged 65 or older), Tokyo is proving once again to be a beacon for anyone looking to catch a glimpse of the best, newest, products on the market. The Baby Boom generation - with their collective wealth and supposed lifelong sense of entitlement (i.e. tendency to spend) - is an especially attractive demographic to brands and marketers. The latest issue of Monocle discusses how industries all over Tokyo - from travel agencies to toymakers - have been shifting their product development and communication strategies to cater to Japanese boomers.

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Over-40 Finds a Muse

06 DEC 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

After years of unsuccessful attempts to satisfy middle-aged women -- a high-spending but difficult-to-please demographic -- the U.S. apparel industry is rejoicing that it has finally found its muse. In design studios along Seventh Avenue and in retail strategy sessions at stores from Talbots to Saks Fifth Avenue, designers and executives are holding up Mrs. Obama as their Baby Boomer pinup girl.

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Blue Is the New Green

20 NOV 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Because water is cheap (at least for now) and seemingly in infinite supply, efforts to improve its use — or deter its overuse — have been inadequate... But there are innovations, large and small, now available that would provide for systematic management and optimization of our nation’s water. (Subscription required)

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Completely Unplugged, Fully Green

17 OCT 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Some people who organize their lives around carbon emissions do so in a private way, aiming to help the planet, and secondarily to influence friends and relatives. Others want to prove a point in public, including several who are pulling stunts. (Subscription required)

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Huge Offshore Wind Farm Wins Approval

03 OCT 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Regulators in New Jersey on Friday awarded rights to build a huge offshore wind farm in the southern part of the state to Garden State Offshore Energy, a joint venture that includes P.S.E.G. Renewable Generation, a subsidiary of P.S.E.G. Global, a sister company of the state’s largest utility. The selection, which includes access of up to $19 million in state grants, is part of New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan, which calls for 20 percent of the state’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2020. (Subscription required)

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Howlin’ WOLVES

Best Buy becomes a great place for women to shop by becoming a great place for women to work.

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The Many Ways Male Product Designers Frustrate Women

18 SEP 2008 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

Women are America's most powerful buying block, but today's designers continue to create products aimed at male sensitivities. And that means a lot of female-unfriendly products aren't achieving their full market potential, says Marti Barletta. The author, marketing consultant and CEO of Chicago's TrendSight Group, was a keynote speaker at last week's annual conference of the Industrial Designers Society of America. Addressing a predominantly male audience, she ticked off a list of what ticks off women. (Video )

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The Next Little Thing?

10 SEP 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Tiny houses have been a fringe curiosity for a decade or more, but devotees believe the concept’s time has finally arrived. (Subscription required)

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Finding 'The She Spot' More Important Than You Thought

07 AUG 2008 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

While "The She Spot" may have all the makings of summer chick lit -- a tongue-in-cheek title, a blonde cover model who recalls one of Roy Lichtenstein's comic-book damsels -- this isn't your typical beach reading. "The She Spot" is actually a marketing text, a combination of research findings and soapbox rallying that aims to show women aren't just a niche group of commercial targets who feed on pink websites and references to Carrie Bradshaw -- they are the group behind this country's most important consumer and voter decisions. (Subscription required)

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Giant Retailers Look to Sun for Energy Savings

Chains are seizing a chance to bolster environmental credentials, and gain a tax advantage, by installing solar roof panels before a Dec. 31 deadline. (Subscription required)

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Women-Friendly Hotel Floors Return, With Modern Twists

5 AUG 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

[T]he new Crowne Plaza Milwaukee-Wauwatosa says it has set up a "female-friendly" enclave. Anyone booking a room on the Women's Executive Level — the seventh floor — has access to a variety of amenities like a Victoria's Secret robe, a blow dryer and vanity mirrors. But, and here is the difference, male guests can book a room on the floor, too. (Subscription required)

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Simulating Age 85, With Lessons on Offering Care

3 AUG 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

COLUMBUS, Ohio — What does it feel like to be old in America? At the Westminster Thurber Retirement Community here, Heather Ramirez summed it up in two words. "Painful," she said. "Frustrating."

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Stinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans’ Decline

3 AUG 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

BARCELONA, Spain — Blue patrol boats crisscross the swimming areas of beaches here with their huge nets skimming the water’s surface. The yellow flags that urge caution and the red flags that prohibit swimming because of risky currents are sometimes topped now with blue ones warning of a new danger: swarms of jellyfish.

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HOW I GOT HERE: Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [2003- ]

JUL 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey grew up with two parents who were also opinionated doctors that often brought work into their Seattle home. She followed their lead, and upon graduating from Harvard University, began teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. Her specialty: geriatrics. She later chaired several federal advisory committees including a White House task force on healthcare reform. Today she is the first African-American –- and the first woman -- to head the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest philanthropy dedicated to health care in the U.S. Despite a full schedule, she also practices medicine at a community health clinic in New Jersey. Writer Dennis Nishi spoke with Dr. Lavizzo-Mourey about her career path. Edited excerpts follow.

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Finding and Fixing a Home's Power Hogs

27 JUL 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

WHILE we all worry about where we're going to get more energy in an increasingly energy-obsessed world, there's also another alternative: Use less power. That may soon be simpler, thanks to the introduction of a bevy of inexpensive devices that let homeowners monitor how much energy appliances, TVs, PCs, and heating and cooling systems actually use.

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People who have killed their lawns

I went for a walk in Sebastopol CA this evening and took some photos (crappy photos with my iPhone, sorry) of front yards that have gardens instead of lawns. They look much more interesting than grass, and some of them had vegetables growing among the flowers. I'm preparing to kill my own lawn and replacing it with a heavily mulched garden.

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We can best solve the climate change problem by taxing what we burn, not what we earn.

Nobel laureate and former US vice-president Al Gore recently made a speech advocating that Americans abandon fossil fuels completely over the next ten years. His solution is that the price of carbon-based energy include the costs of the environmental damage it causes. I have long supported a sharp reduction in payroll taxes with the difference made up in CO2 taxes. We should tax what we burn, not what we earn. This is the single most important policy change we can make.

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Individuals can best help the environment by building smaller homes

26 JUL 2008 from Fast Company | Read the full story»

"Individuals can best help the environment by building smaller homes." - Inspired by the green housing boom
In the recent issue of Fast Company, Linda Tischler writes in, "The Eco-Home of Tomorrow," "Forward-thinking architects and real-estate developers are already envisioning the post-bust cycle of home building. And smaller is better."

According to the article: "Home prices are plummeting, in some areas as much as 40%. However, it's exactly the gravity of the situation that some housing analysts see as the opportunity of a lifetime -- the chance to jolt us into embracing green housing." And, "The latest report from McGraw-Hill Construction, cosponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, predicts that the market for green housing will grow to from as little as $12 billion this year to between $40 billion and $70 billion by 2012."

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Boomers Find Way to Make Social Impact, Money

24 JUL 2008 from NPR: All Things Considered | Read the full story»

Grappling with a shaky economy, baby boomers are looking for new ways to make money. A new survey estimates that a chunk of these Americans are launching "encore careers"—positions that combine income and personal meaning with social impact. (Audio)

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GM Opens Cutting-Edge Green Dealership Near Detroit

16 JUL 2008 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

As it plots major spending cuts and bats back bankruptcy rumors, General Motors Corp. today celebrated the opening of a $15 million green dealership, LaFontaine Automotive Group's new Buick-Pontiac-GMC and Cadillac facility in suburban Detroit. (Subscription required)

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The Benefits of Downscaling

Green design calls for small improvements across large volumes and for reducing the resources, materials, and energy used in products.

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To Reach Mothers, Wal-Mart Signs Deal With an NBC Unit

Forget about support groups, posses and circles of friends. The first advertising deal for a new unit of NBC Universal, signed with Wal-Mart Stores, is all about the "momtourage." (Subscription required)

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Green Travel: All Eyes on Amtrak

Soaring gas prices and higher airfares are causing Americans to take a closer look at their rail system.

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Demand Grows For Older Models

There's been a sea change in the fashion industry — the rise of models over age 40. Lara Harris, a "classic" model" who put her second career as a psychotherapist on hold to return to modeling, speaks to host Andrea Seabrook. (Audio)

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Speaking to Women, With Firsthand Experience

The Omnicom Group, the largest advertising holding company, is forming the consultancy to help marketers reach women, the largest consumer group. (Subscription required)

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What Do Women Want? A Developer Asks, and Listens

Listening to female shoppers may seem like a logical thing to do, yet many developers and consultants say such input is often missing in the early stages of shopping center development. (Subscription required)

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Airports Slowly Greening Up

We all know that commercial airliners are essentially polluting machines that fly. What about the airports where they land? Pretty grim, too. But the people in charge say they are trying to green up. To be fair, the task is daunting. And there are some examples of innovation. But overall, the report card is pretty underwhelming.

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Health and wellness shop focuses on seniors

Around the world, the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to almost double in the next 22 or so years, going from just over 500 million now to just under a billion in 2030, according to the US Census Bureau. Little wonder, then, that a brand-new health and wellness store in Lyon, France, has set its focus squarely on seniors. Whereas many existing senior-focused merchants tend to focus on disabilities—ElderDepot.com is one example—HOJO offers a more holistic variety of about 400 lifestyle products dedicated to keeping senior citizens happy, healthy and independent for as long as possible.

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MySpace looks for an older crowd

Just a year ago, social networking site MySpace had nearly three times as many visitors as its rival Facebook. Now the two sites are about even. That probably explains why MySpace is getting ready to unveil a big makeover. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

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Smartphones Now Ringing for Women

In a shift for the phone industry, women have emerged as eager buyers of so-called smartphones. (Subscription required)

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The Pink-Collar Shopper

She spends more than you think she does — and is more loyal too. By Lois Seidl and Jeff Friedlaender.

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Ad men don't get what women want

Advertising is a seduction, but commentator and ad-watcher Andrea Gardner says that for all the purchasing power women have, advertisers don't always give a lot of thought to what they want to hear.

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'Recycling' Energy Seen Saving Companies Money

A Chicago-based entrepreneur says many industrial power users can save money, get more electricity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by using the energy they already consume more efficiently. It's called recycling energy — capturing waste heat and turning it into power. (Audio)

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Change We Can Stomach

11 MAY 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Farming has the potential to go through the greatest upheaval since the Green Revolution, bringing harvests that are more healthful, sustainable and, yes, even more flavorful. The change is being pushed along by market forces that influence how our farmers farm. (Subscription required)

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The Coming Boom in Boomer-Friendly Transport

The baby boomers are aging. To ensure their safety and everyone else's, cars, highways, and public transportation need to adapt fast.

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Survey: More Americans feeling 'green guilt'

More people (primarily women) are feeling guiltier this year than they were last about their not-so-carbon-neutral habits.

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Publisher's new imprint is greener, inside and out

UK book publisher Dorling Kindersley has created an imprint that aims to ‘green’ an industry whose dependence on dead trees doesn’t necessarily make it an eco frontrunner. So far, four titles have been released under the company’s Made With Care brand. All deal with eco-aware topics such, including green baby care and organic gardening.

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How Companies Act On Global Trends

One of the biggest issues we hear from companies is that while there seems to be a flood of ‘trends’ information available to them (much of it for free), they have difficulty knowing how to use it to make real change internally.

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The Lorax

Major collaboration to help save trees between Random House Publishers, Dr. Seuss and Conservation International: Dr. Seuss' Lorax's Plea: Stop Cutting Trees! By Daniel Horgan, Special for USA TODAY As the world's rain forests disappear, one of Dr. Seuss' most...

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Greenhouse plan could damage ozone

The rule of unintended consequences threatens to strike again.

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Gender and the Intelligence Factor

"These finding suggest that human evolution has created two different types of brains designed for equally intelligent behavior."

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Blogs, Buzz, and Moms

Our partner BabyCenter has released a study about the power of Mom's online. Not surprisingly, they are one of the most influential groups online.

New research released today by BabyCenter(R), the largest online resource for expectant and new parents around the world, and industry-leading market research company, the Keller Fay Group, reveals that today's pregnant women and new moms engage in one-third more word of mouth conversations per day than the total public or women and almost two-thirds of these conversations include brand recommendations. This group has an average of 109 word of mouth conversations per week about products, services and brands, most of which are positive and considered highly credible by other moms.

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Shortcuts: At a Certain Age, Simplicity Sells in High-Tech Gadgets

Companies have noticed a growing market for simple devices aimed at older customers. (Subscription required)

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Here Comes Another "Women's Site"

[B]efore you spend the money on design and editorial, take a second to stop and ask your targeted market if this is something they want/will visit.

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The Shift Toward Low, Low Prices

Those businesses that succeed in the long run will be the forward-thinkers who walk the tightrope of low prices and excellent customer experience.

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Beyond Recycling: Getting to 'Zero Waste'

Recycling newspaper and plastic can only go so far toward achieving a "zero waste" world, a recycling activist says. The next step, he says, is getting industry and government to work together to make going greener more profitable.

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Products follow tech-savvy women

Women outspend men by more than $14 billion on technology products, a study found. Kevin Pereira from G4's "Attack of the Show" talks with Kai Ryssdal about some of the gadgets being marketed to women and why.

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Best in Class

Best Buy is winning with women... and everyone else. By Dori Molitor.

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IT industry 'needs strong Kyoto'

The global IT sector needs a strong post-2012 climate deal if it is going to clean up its act, a top businessman says. ... IT equipment accounted for about 2% of the world's carbon emissions, he told delegates at a conference in London. But he added that the sector would play a key role in tackling climate change.

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Yahoo's New Appeal to Women

The Internet giant hopes to attract more women with a new content site that will incorporate user home pages and blogs

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Greener cell power presents challenges

When wireless industry technicians speak of "green" cell towers these days, they're not just talking about making them look more ...

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The shape of lights to come? Not everyone's buying it

Their spiral design is a symbol of "going green," the movement to make homes and living more energy-efficient. And sales of compact flourescent lights, or CFLs, are booming ... But now that more people are using CFLs, the bulbs' shortcomings are giving some consumers pause.

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Small Businesses Cater to Gray

FEB 2008 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

But while targeting boomers makes sense, it's not necessarily easy. This generation is as disparate as they come... Business owners who can maneuver around or cater to these demographic splits stand to gain from this vast generation. Here's a look at a few promising industries within the gray market...

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Citizen Branding: Urban Planning For Women

Businesses aren’t the only ones who are thinking about marketing to women… now, entire cities are jumping on board. An article in USA Today discusses the trend of city planning to make urban areas safer and easier to navigate...

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When Marketing To Women, Grey Is The New Pink

08 FEB 2008 from andHow to Reach Women | Read the full story»

As marketers, as Americans, as humans, we long for simplicity. When faced with complex concepts, that often include contradictions we immediately reach for our virtual gardening shears (the big ones that require two hands) and start lopping (can you tell I've been pruning my rose bushes back...). This make sense as simple is both communicable and actionable and ultimately, we all want to get stuff done. However, increasingly, it is an approach you pursue at your own peril.

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Does a $2,500 Tata Nano in India Mean Higher Gas Prices, More CO2 Everywhere Else?

Yes, it's dirt-cheap and will mobilize people throughout the developing world. And that is exactly why it poses a threat to the environment and global energy supplies.

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The Misunderstood Generation

05 FEB 2008 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

They comprise nearly 24% of the population, have a buying power of $3 trillion, and include many of the country's current business and political leaders. But marketers misunderstand -- and inefficiently target -- this country's 78 million baby boomers. (Subscription required)

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Scorecards to Help Eco Shoppers - Wal-Mart's More Sustainable Packaging

Wal-mart, the world's largest retail, is reaffirming their commitment toward sustainable packaging by applying a scorecard when the buyers are making a purchasing decision. Is this goodbye to packing peanuts?

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No Country for Young Men

JAN/FEB 2008 from the Atlantic | Read the full story»

The Baby Boomers’ retirement will change the texture of society in ways we’ve scarcely begun to contemplate. A dispatch from America’s coming silver age.

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Youth Bashing

The idea that the younger generation is self-absorbed is at least as old as Plato, but some researchers are saying it’s as big a myth as Narcissus, reports Stephanie Rosenbloom in The New York Times (1/17/08).

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Six Decades at the Center of Attention, and Counting

06 JAN 2008 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

[W]ith 37 million Americans over the age of 65, and 30 million more expected to cross that thin gray line in the next decade, the boomers and older consumers still represent billions of dollars in potential sales. So once again, companies are scrambling to update their slicing and dicing of the senior marketplace. But what they are finding, advertising executives say, is that some old tactics don’t work anymore. Older consumers don’t want to be treated like teenagers; what’s more, they don’t want to believe they fall into any niche at all. (Subscription required)

Hat tip: reveries

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Steel-toes and tool belts for women

After leaving a corporate job at IBM, Tomboy Trades' founder Marissa McTasney enrolled in a skilled-trades course for women, with the aim of starting her own construction company. She spotted a gap in the market on her first day of school. When she and her classmates went out to buy work boots, she was surprised to find they only came in tan and black: men’s shoes in female sizes.

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Philips says it wants to appeal to women with its new product line

Freud asked, "What do women want?" Philips replied, "USB drives."

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Baby Boomers Pick Mountains over Beaches

While the future of social security may be uncertain, some who are retiring now are forgoing southern beaches in favor of western mountains. Reports in recent days have noted a new trend in baby boomer retirement: they're choosing to settle in the West. (Audio)

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Peace and love for the planet drive baby boomers, survey says

People born before 1964 aspire to shop for eco-friendly and socially responsible products, according to an AARP poll.

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Toyota Wants to Make Sure You're Never Too Old to Drive

Working with a professor who specializes in aging, the Japanese automaker is developing a car capable of helping older drivers avoid the mistakes that older drivers often make.

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Seniors becoming old hands at Wii

Still looking for a Nintendo Wii game console? Good luck. Because you just might have to fight your grandmother to get one. Jennifer Collins reports.

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Plug-in hybrids need more juice

Environmentalists have been pushing car companies to put plug-in hybrids on the market because they would use even less gasoline than current hybrids. Well, they're here. Sort of. Sarah Gardner reports. ... The issue is really getting to the psychology of American buyers to say, you don't need all this car all the time. Americans have trouble with that because we think of automobiles as Conestoga wagons that we get in with all our possessions and go to the hinterland. (Audio)

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Aussies fill up with gasoline alternative

With U.S. gasoline prices well over $3 a gallon, Americans may wish to consider an Australian option. In the Land Down Under, they can fill up at half the price with liquid propane gas. Stuart Cohen reports. (Audio)

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Lured by Clean Energy, Industry Heads for Iceland

Iceland wants to use its carbon-free energy from volcanoes to help clean up one of the world's dirtiest industries: aluminum smelting. The move would help reduce pollution globally. But environmentalists say other countries should develop their own geothermal resources instead of exploiting Iceland's wilderness. (Audio)

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Tech giants target older buyers and their cash

"Today's older generation is primed to buy and consume new technologies like no previous group of seniors," says David Kelly, ...

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'Men Buy, Women Shop': The Sexes Have Different Priorities When Walking Down the Aisles

When it comes to shopping, women are from Nordstrom's and men are from Sears. Women are happy to meander through sprawling clothing and accessory collections or detour through the shoe department. For men, shopping is a mission. They are out to buy a targeted item and flee the store as quickly as possible, according to a new study by researchers at Wharton's Jay H. Baker Retail Initiative. The study's findings have implications for retailers that are looking for ways to tailor their goods and services to specific segments of the shopping population. Hint: Splurge on good sales associates (for some shoppers) -- and easy parking (for others).

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How Much Do You Really Care?

If this is a major marketing campaign for CVS, they run the risk of alienating many of their female customers, who may "bristle" at the thought of being pegged as a "caretaker." While it’s true that most women do fill this role at times, it’s usually done in a private manner and to have it acknowledged could make these women feel condescended to... the act of caretaking is an unselfish one that is confined to a "one-on-one" basis. Many women don’t necessarily like calling attention to themselves in this role.

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Promotions, In-Store Displays Key to Swaying Electronics Shoppers

25 NOV 2007 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

This just in: Men and women shop differently. Shopping for a big-screen TV is an exciting process for men, who definitely find it easier than shopping for groceries or shoes. For women, it's stress-inducing and requires careful consideration and research. (Subscription required)

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Jolly and Green, With an Agenda

25 NOV 2007 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

Frivolity versus severity. Materialism versus sacrifice. Welcome to the "green" holidays. The holidays have always been an emotionally combustible time for families, bringing together a sometimes volatile mix of siblings, crotchety grandparents and ill-behaved children. But in recent years, a new figure has joined the celebration, to complicate the proceedings even further: the green evangelist of the family — the impassioned activist bent on eradicating the wasteful materialism of the holidays. Otherwise known, at least to skeptical traditionalists, as the new Grinch. (Subscription required)

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Ads Made for Women, by Women

21 NOV 2007 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Female creative executives have long been scarce on Madison Avenue. A new company, Womenkind, is hoping to address that shortcoming by harnessing the power of female ad and marketing executives, including stay-at-home moms. (Subscription required)

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Making Social Connections and Selling Cookies

Pepperidge Farm is creating a Web site devoted to social networking and targeted at women who are looking to improve their social lives. (Subscription required)

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The RenGen Manifesto

Patricia Martin brings her energy and enthusiasm to this inspiring manifesto which celebrates a new cultural trend: a renaissance generation that values creative and intellectual activity which will bring a rebirth to our current beige state of living.

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More Photowalking

The Photowalking trend keeps catching our eye because of how the activity bounces from online to offline to online again: bloggers and facebook friends meet up (often for the first time face to face) to walk a city or location, taking photos that will be uploaded back to Flickr or Facebook and then discussed on their blogs and social networks.

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Five major consumer trends you won't find anywhere else

Time flies when you're having fun! This issue marks our *fifth* anniversary. And since giving is the new taking, this month's briefing highlights no less than five trends that you definitely won't find anywhere else. GENERATION Z, ECO-FATIGUE, BLANDTASTIC, PETS PASSE and TURQUOISE TRIUMPH

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Why womenomics is the force of the future

18 OCT 2007 from the Daily Mail | Read the full story»

For the Living Britain report, researchers were keen to establish whether the womenomics phenomenon was equally alive in Britain as in the US. And Mr Raymond said it was a phenomenon driving Britain today. He said instead of focusing on women and gender, focus was instead switching to women and economic factors.

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Football widows no more

At the beginning of the 2007 season, the Ravens launched a woman-only fan club called Purple. Free to join, Purple already has 3,500 members who get inside information about the team, special offers for a new line of women's team apparel and jewelry, a monthly newsletter, and invitations to special annual events.

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Little Green Lies

15 OCT 2007 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story»

The sweet notion that making a company environmentally friendly can be not just cost-effective but profitable is going up in smoke. Meet the man wielding the torch.

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Going green is only good business

Lots of companies are going green. And they can't wait to tell you about it in their ads and press releases. But commentator Robert Reich says, Big whoop!

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Car dealership catches female fever

It all makes for rather classy car-shopping, and considering how much this market spends on Manolo Blahniks and other designer fare, turning the auto dealership model on its head to appeal to female shoppers could reap some nice rewards. It won't be surprising if car dealers in other regions take steps to court them as well.

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Deloitte Tries a Different Sales Pitch for Women

08 OCT 2007 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

The strategy is based on a simple, yet radical, idea: Just as women consumers shop differently than men, Deloitte believes businesswomen shop for professional services differently than men. (Subscription required)

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Boomers Don't Want Your Pity, but They Do Demand Your Respect

08 OCT 2007 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

"It's a huge target, and they're not going away. They're still going to be influential as they get older, and they've got the money to spend." (Subscription required)

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Tailoring Messages to a New Audience: Wrinkled Baby Boomers

After decades of ardor for young consumers, marketers are looking for ways to reach older audiences as the baby boomers reach the upper age brackets. (Subscription required)

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Dockers to Woo Women at Trunk Shows

01 OCT 2007 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Dockers is launching a new marketing campaign aimed at boosting its profile among women. A central prong of the effort is a sales technique rooted in high fashion: trunk shows. (Subscription required)

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Ka-Boom Ka-Ching

Someone turns 50 every eight seconds. Are you following the money trail? By Dori Molitor.

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It's not easy selling green

As environmental businesses begin to flood the market, they're turning to corporate branders to set their wares apart from the pack. Claire Schoen listened in on brainstorming sessions between some San Francisco entrepreneurs and the branding company, Lexicon.

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Wal-Mart looks for more green

Wal Mart says it will begin asking its suppliers to voluntarily measure and report their climate-warming carbon emissions. How much impact will it have? Sam Eaton reports.

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Walter Cronkite Comes Back

The former CBS anchor is about to sign with an aptly named network, Retirement Living TV, a start-up channel aimed at people over the age of 55. (Subscription required)

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Pittsburgh Steelers Boast Women Fans

A sports marketing firm says the Pittsburgh Steelers has the largest female fan base in professional football. A third of Pittsburgh-area women consider themselves Steelers fans. You can buy an official team jersey that's pink; and the team sponsors classes for women to learn more about football. (Audio)

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Girly Tech No Woman Wants

A study of 750 British women between the ages of 24 and 45 showed that just 9 percent of women wanted products that "looked" feminine. The other 91 percent were looking for something aptly described as "more boardroom than teenage bedroom."

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The Graying of the Web

Technology investors and entrepreneurs are starting a host of new social networking sites aimed at baby boomers and graying computer users. (Subscription required)

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What Do Women Want? Less Pink, More Tech, "Lady Geek" Survey Says

According to a recent U.K. study, women own only slightly fewer tech gadgets than men -- and they're not interested in pink gadgets and Hello Kitty keyboards, either.

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Media Players Go After Free-Spending Boomers

03 SEP 2007 from Advertising Age | Read the full story»

Media companies have targeted boomers all their lives, but interest in the demo seemed to wane a bit as the majority of them approached their golden years. Traditionally, marketers have considered those in retirement mode to be unworthy of courting, mostly because of the long-held marketing belief that once a person is nearing the end of his life, he is set in his ways and unlikely to try new brands or products. But boomers, as they have most of their adult lives, have cash -- more cash now than ever. And they've always been willing to spend it. (Subscription required)

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Oh Grow Up! Brands Need to Mature With Their Customers.

Do you really know the women who are buying your brand? Or, have you made up some imaginary profile from which you determine your next steps?

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Online banking boom for over 55s

The recent boom in internet banking has been greatest for people aged over 55, a report says.

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Over-50 Web Users Hit Big Numbers

People over 50 account for 30 percent of internet usage, a British market study reveals. That's more than previously believed, and it points to a niche for social-networking sites serving an older demographic.

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Apple store update

Apple has succeeded in doing something that no one else in tech or even cars has done. They've crossed the gender barrier and made people of both genders passionate about what they sell.

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FOREVER TRENDS

When it comes to 'easy' inspiration for dreaming up new products and services, some big trends keep on giving. Case in point: the continuing rise in purchasing power enjoyed by baby boomers, the gay community and women. In this briefing, expect plenty of examples from brands having fun with these forever trendy demographics.

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Sony Women's Walkman - The Walkwoman?

Sony has decided that women are now an important target for the Walkman. Targeting women is as simple as adding glitzy colors like pink, violet, black, blue or gold topped with Swarovski glass crystal bedecked caps!

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Ann Taylor Said to Plan Boomer Unit

Ann Taylor, known for its prim clothing for career women in their 30s and 40s, is developing a new casual apparel chain for the older, baby-boomer generation. (Subscription required)

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Ten Years After

It’s been ten years since Tom Peters declared women’s economic clout, but most marketers are still in the dark. By Dori Molitor.

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When Whippersnappers and Geezers Collide

For the first time, four generations — those who lived through World War II, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y — are together in the workplace.

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Harley Woos Female Bikers

Women are buying more motorcycles than ever, and Harley-Davidson is going after that market with a vengeance. (Subscription required)

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Hot offices in NYC find a green solution

25 JUL 2007 from the Boston Globe | Read the full story»

Massive blocks of ice cool floors, cut energy use
By Colleen Long, Associated Press

NEW YORK -- As the summer swelters on, skyscrapers and apartments around the city will crank up air conditioners and push the city's power grid to the limit. But some have found a cool alternative.

Several office towers and buildings are substantially reducing their AC use with an energy-saving system that relies on blocks of ice.

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Japanese Companies Woo Women Back to Workplace

A growing labor shortage is encouraging Japanese employers to pursue female professionals with new vigor.

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Marketing to Women Requires a Holistic Approach

The building industry has a lot in common with the other more typically male-dominated industries out there: They've got a lot of potential to better serve women, but they get stuck on stereotypes and assumptions AND neglect all the opportunities for using stories...

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Selling Technology to Baby Boomers & Seniors

While cell phones are getting smaller and smaller, and packed with more and more features at the same time, Harris knew that for her demographic: "We need to think this whole thing through, and sort of erase everything that we’ve done so far. Let’s redefine what we should be doing, based on research and based on good old common sense."

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Women Aren't Delegating Wealth Management Decisions: They Are Making Them

It has now been officially documented (at least for Canadian women): "Women with a partner are less likely to delegate long-term-wealth-management decisions than before."

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Big Retail Stores Prime Solar Energy Generators

A few solar energy companies have discovered an opportunity on the roofs of big retail stores. They're offering to install solar panels for free. They then sell the electricity back to the store, often at lower rates than the local utility charges. Retailers like it because it lets them boast about being "green." (Audio)

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Delivery trucks to run on McDiesel

McDonald's plans to recycle its used cooking oil to run its delivery trucks in the U.K. by year's end. The move may not save the company money, but it says it'll reduce its carbon emissions by 78 percent and it could boost sales along with its green image.

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Women to the front of the line?

Outta the way techies! One report says that women may surpass gadget geeks as the largest consumer segment likely to adopt the new $600 iPhone. And if it happens, that would defy history, reports Janet Babin.

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Green is Black for Corporate America

Businesses are trying to remake their image to look more environmentally friendly. It's a transformation that began more than a decade ago. Don Carli, a research fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Communication, discusses the new corporate trend with Renee Montagne. (Audio)

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Google and Utility to Test Hybrids That Sell Back Power

Google and Pacific Gas & Electric have unveiled their vision of a future in which cars and trucks are partly powered by the country’s electric grids, and vice versa. (Subscription required)

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Marketing to High Net Worth Women: Educate and Allow for a Longer Decision-making Process

Make them comfortable taking their time to make decisions - and educate them along the way.

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McDonald's Recruits Mom to Be Ultimate Influencer

08 JUN 2007 from AdAge | Read the full story»

The Golden Arches has been quietly amassing an army of moms -- often its toughest critics -- as "quality correspondents" to act as citizen consumer reporters. The idea is to spread the message -- which it hopes to craft into a positive one -- about McDonaldland and its products. (Subscription required)

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Immigrants and Baby Boomers Futures' Converge

22 MAY 2007 from HispanicBusiness.com | Read the full story»

With a major part of the nation's population entering its retirement years and birth rates falling domestically, the shortfall in the work force will be filled by immigrants and their offspring, experts say. How that group fares economically in the years ahead could have a big impact on everything from the kind of medical services baby boomers receive to the prices they can get for their homes.

Hat tip: The Creativity Exchange

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To Appeal to Women, Too, Gadgets Go Beyond ‘Cute’ and ‘Pink’

Women are embracing consumer electronics just as the technologies are reaching out to embrace them. (Subscription required)

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The Last Green Mile

The race is on to build a one-stop national brand for all your clean power needs.

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Blue-Collar Women Can Now Be Pretty in Pink on the Job

In blue-collar building trades these days, women can't get enough pink.

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Hedge funds 101

Now that anyone with a couple thousand bucks can get in on the hedge fund game, Chris Farrell explains some of the finer points — like how it's heavily stacked in favor of the hedge fund managers with little regard for investor risk.

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Patagonia Values

"When that authenticity is compromised, the brand enters decline."

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Does the Fed Matter?

The influence of interest rates on growth and spending has essentially vanished. That's not a bad thing. (Subscription required)

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Creeping Features: A Love/Hate Relationship

I think I've mentioned this before, but does anyone else have a keen interest in those cell phones with big numbers, few features and a $10/month plan? 

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We're Not What You Think: Today's Single Population

Quick.  If you had to come up with the way quote unquote singles were depicted in ad campaigns, would you say: singles are in their early 20s, city livers, hip dressers, thin, concerned with their hair style/color and wearing the latest clothing styles, all the while working serious careers - but also hanging out at bars nightly and in the gym early mornings?  As the saying goes: think again.

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Is Price Really the Most Important Factor in Consumer Loyalty?

It is true that for some people price is the most important factor, but not ALL people. This is simply a matter of segmentation.

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green is more than the color of currency

Since "Who Killed the Electric Car" and "The Inconvenient Truth" green has been top of mind; so it's not surprising to see a recent trend of corporations following the money and jumping onto the green band wagon.

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Shopping Means Buying for Women Online

Does anyone say 'I'm just looking' on the Internet?

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Not one, but two, clean tech bubbles, says investor

Solar photovoltaics and biofuels are the hottest investment categories in clean tech--perhaps too hot, says VC Maurice Gunderson.

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Can working from home save the planet?

This time last year I was sitting in a stuffy, badly furnished office building, looking at a blockwork wall and facing an hour's commute home. Now I look out at the trees in the valley that runs behind my house. No prizes for guessing which I prefer.

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brand pricing and agflation

It might help the environment, but ethanol is wrecking havoc with food prices. Ethanol production is expected to take 27% of the US’s corn crop, taking corn out of the food supply chain and pushing up prices.

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Next Generation of Adult Consumers Expects Corporate Responsibility

If you've been monitoring what women look for in a brand, you've long since addressed their interest in your corporation's social responsibility.  If you've been a bit slow on the draw, however, the word is now out. 

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Dr. Alex Bentley- random copying and culture

Dr. Alex Bentley is a lecturer at Durham University’s Department of Anthropology. Alex’s recent research has explored what drives change in children’s names and in the Top 100 music charts. His research shows that people “randomly copying” one another is one the key drivers for change.

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The White House goes GREEN: 5 Steps to a Better Brand

We could argue successfully that the White House is the premier organization devoted to the care of its constituents. The entire country is run out of the place -- citizens are the customers, or they should be. So if the White House is in fact in the customer service business, then it may consider becoming a “green” house.

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Skin Deep: Blogging for Truth and Beauty

Dr. Robert Oliver Jr., a plastic surgeon in Birmingham, Ala., started his blog plasticsurgery101.blogspot, and has used it to question everything from so-called fat-melting injections to implants. (Subscription required)

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A Woman's Big Green Purse

If you are a marketer wanting to learn more about how today's green-thinking woman is living her life and what her concerns are - you might want to check it out.

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Wal-Mart Launches Solar Power Project

Wal-Mart unveiled plans to purchase solar power for 22 Wal-Mart stores, including Sam's Clubs and a distribution center in Hawaii and California (as part of a pilot project to determine solar power viability for Wal-Mart).

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How to Live a Greener Life

A few ways to help reduce the billions of metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions created yearly by the U.S.

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Greening up the trucking industry

The big-rigs that haul goods across the country every day belch clouds of exhaust and get gas mileage that makes SUVs look good. So one environmentalist started selling anti-pollution devices at an Oregon truck stop. Chris Lehman has the story.

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Bastions of American Way Go Green

Socially and environmentally responsible living and business practices are becoming more and more of a priority - thanks to peer influence and consumer demand. 

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Women should pay less tax

Women should be taxed at a lower rate than men to help more of them into work and reduce the gender pay gap, according to two American economists.

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Venture Capital Rushes Into Alternative Energy

Money is flowing into alternative energy companies so fast that “the warning signs of a bubble are appearing,” according to a report on investment in clean technology. (Subscription required)

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The Marketing of Menstruation

"The curse, on the rag, my Aunt Flo is coming to visit." Call it what you will, but periods have been a dirty word, cloaked in shame and secrecy, since the first tampon ads in the late 20's.

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Online Shopper: A Narrow Window Into the Future

When it comes to fashion, Web sites never have been as good at organizing apparel as an old-fashioned mall. (Subscription required)

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New York City and Indianapolis Women Are Different: Saks Gets It

Two keys to transparent marketing (which is the main concept in my book, Don't Think Pink, for those of you who've started reading this blog more recently) are narrowing your focus and  getting to know your customer community intimately. 

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Earth Day tips target top environmental problems

The polar ice caps are melting, coal-fired power plants spew mercury into the air and Americans still can't swim or fish safely.

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"Inside Scoop" Savings: Women Love to Tell Others

One of the truths about how women buy involves the "inside scoop" factor.   All things being equal (quality/price/customer experience), the smaller the perceived "club" of existing buyers, the hipper the brand will seem and the more those in-the-know will want to tell others. 

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Levy: Is Carpooling With Strangers the Way of the Future?

April 23, 2007 issue - Kate Sydney had never met me, but on the basis of sharing a mutual acquaintance, and knowing what I like for breakfast, she unhesitatingly opened the door of her 1998 Nissan so I could ride to Target with her.

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Measured Progress

Environment, social, and governance issues are now commanding dramatically more attention.

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Is "Green" the New Organic?

Vanity Fair is doing it. The Week is doing it. Even Wal-Mart is doing it. Everyone is going green. So, here's a riddle for you: When is green no longer green?

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Why More Women Aren't At the Top of Companies

Acquiring the necessary experience and being able to show competence is often easier said than done, says Carol Hymowitz.

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TV Fans Spill into Web Sites

"Shh! You can look it up on the Web during the commercial!"

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The marriage penalty is so 1950s

Commentator Martha Burk says our tax system's treatment of married women may have made sense for Ward and June Cleaver, but it's time for a change.

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Diaper Bag For Dudes - Crappy Times Ahead For Dads

Now fathers have one less excuse to get their hands dirty. With a nice masculine pattern, moms can relax while dad takes his turn lugging diapers and wipers for their little one.

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On the Road: Maybe a Lavender Web Site Wasn’t How to Attract Women

A new American Airlines Web site just for female travelers has hit a nerve with many businesswomen. (Subscription required)

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How To Market a 'Green' Business

Though green is hot, marketing can still be a challenge for eco-friendly companies.

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Green in Chicago

A new idea has taken root in Chicago—bully for that city! According to Business Week, Chicago’s Green Exchange will be the first shopping center in the U.S. for environmentally responsible and socially conscious businesses." What a great idea!

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Eco assessment for homes & businesses

Sydney-based Todae offers businesses practical advice for cutting down energy and water usage and reducing their environmental impact.

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Australia Dumps Incandescent Light Bulbs (VIDEO)

How much energy do you want to save? If you're an Aussie, quite a bit it would seem.

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Mind the gap

Almost half the managers in U.S. companies are women. Yet when it comes to the most senior posts, men outnumber the women by almost six to one, while at all levels, women consistently earn less than men. But why?

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Vermont emissions trial revs up

A federal trial is underway involving car companies and Vermont over the state's regulation of CO2.

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Eco-friendly pack and move solution

Moving supplies such as boxes, bubble wrap and other packaging materials remain piled up in landfills long after people have settled into their new abodes. EarthFriendlyMoving has set out to change that by offering eco-friendly moving supplies available at consumer-friendly prices.

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From Europe, a No-Chlorine Backyard Pool

5 APR 2007 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

MICK HILLEARY, an industrial designer who builds zoo exhibits and trade show displays, and who expanded into residential pools five years ago, has found that Americans have a clearly defined idea of what constitutes a proper swimming pool. (Subscription required)

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Female Lawyers Set Sights on Yet One More Goal: A Seat on a Board

The DirectWomen Institute is a program that recognizes the need of corporate boards to increase their female ranks. (Subscription required)

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A drop in the bucket isn't enough

The bottled water industry makes $10 million per year in sales. Commentator Benjamin Barber says that money is better off in the hands of Third World countries that don't have the convenience of a sink.

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Discovery to Start Channel Focusing on Green Movement

Discovery plans to start a 24-hour channel focused on eco-friendly living, as part of a push into the rising environmental movement. (Subscription required)

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Fast 50: GreenFuel Technologies

"All we're doing is what Mother Nature does, only we do it a lot faster."

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Greenpeace ranks Apple last among 'green' electronics makers

The environmental group ranked 14 companies according to their efforts to limit the use of hazardous chemicals in production and in ensuring that goods that become broken or obsolete are recycled.

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Jolly Green Justices

Five Supreme climatologists rewrite the Clean Air Act. (Subscription required)

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Report puts a pacifier on 'smarter baby' debate

Parents fork over billions of dollars for CDs, DVDs, toys and other products that promise to make their babies smarter.

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selling energy conservation-earth hour

To get people to understand their role in energy conservation, you need big ideas; dramatic spectacles where thousands of people can be allowed to see the difference they can make as individuals. (Video )

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Thinking hard about soft issues

They were viewed until recently as the "soft" side of management, but issues such as corporate culture, environmental protection and knowledge management have now moved to the forefront of executive thinking.

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Smart Marketing: The Michelin Man Slims Down

I had to buy new tires for my Subaru last year, and one of the biggest things on my mind was: where will the old ones end up? 

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Practical Traveler | Hotel Trends: The Latest Amenity: A Hypoallergenic Room

Though this much cleanliness might seem a bit neurotic, the concept isn’t aimed just at the allergic, but also at guests who are concerned with what might be called the ick factor. (Subscription required)

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Ten Questions for Kate Everett Thorp

eMarketer talks with DivineCaroline's real voice.

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How to Discover What Women Want

"What do women want?" may seem like the eternal question, but it doesn't have to be - especially with regard to consumer behavior.  Sometimes it is the easiest answer that escapes our over-thinking brains.

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Lewis Green: Who Are Today's Boomer Consumers?

This ain't my parents' generation, baby. And we aren't in that 18 - 35 group either. But we have money to spend and the energy to spend it freely. However, advertisers don't seem to know we exist.

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healthy vending

Vending machines have always been considered the dispensers of unhealthy snacks foods and soft drinks, now the health revolution is in full force, there's no reason for the machines to be serving up the same stuff.

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Hey Lady: William Safire on "Woman" vs "Female"

Even after writing and speaking about marketing to women for all these years, I must admit I still have trouble confidently deciding which of these words to use: "female" vs. "woman" or "gender" vs. "sex."  Of course, for some inexplicable reason, I have never taken the time to look it up myself.

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Green Dream: Shrink-Wrapped Trash

TransLoad America is building a new garbage disposal system that wraps refuse in plastic and moves it by rail. The ultimate goal? Turning landfills into fuel cells.

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Going to a Greener Place

Death is taking on a whole new image. The grim reaper is ditching his black robe for a green one.

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A Future for Fossil Fuel

Carbon emissions, global warming and the technological fix. (Subscription required)

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Going Green Is Good for Business

Have you found something green to wear for St. Patrick's Day yet? If your workplace is full of proud Irish descendents like ours, you're likely to see a sea of green outfits in the office when March 17 rolls around.

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Incentive-based recycling

Households can earn RecycleBank Dollars, redeemable for discount coupons at select retailers, just for putting their recyclables out to be collected.

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Gore urges investors to go green

Former US vice president Al Gore calls on investors to consider climate change factors when buying stocks.

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Giving Filmy, Flimsy Plastic Bags the Sack

The city of San Francisco is on the verge of banning use of the plastic grocery bags that have been a marvel (for their carrying capacity) and a plague for 30 years.

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Green Paint

Benjamin Moore is out with Aura, a new line of paint that is “eco-friendly,” but is keeping that particular product feature quiet.

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London Calling

Is London surpassing New York as the world's greatest city? 

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Downloading by Mail

Swap your stuff using the latest peer-to-peer network -- the U.S. Postal Service.

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Direct Selling: Dreams and Realities

Pitching products such as cosmetics and cookware may not be the easy path to riches. Though there are those who earn six-figure incomes, that's more the exception than the rule.

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Risky hybrid business

Hybrid autos have found a loyal and growing niche, but the price of the technology isn't coming down fast enough to penetrate the mass market. So what does that mean for automakers preparing to push out a whole new crop of hybrids?

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Whole Foods and the Grameen Bank Joint Venture--Read About It In A New Internet News Service Written By Women--WIP, Women's Internation Perspective.

A friend, Kate Daniels, has launched a global news service written by women from a woman's perspective that has information you might want and need.

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Environmental group enlists green advice

The Environmental Defense Fund has hired an investment bank to advise it on the terms of the $42 billion buyout of Texas energy giant TXU that it engineered.

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Al Gore's Carbon Footprint Is Big.

I've wanted to write a piece on the carbon footprints of famous people who are for sustainability and against global warming because I've noticed that many of them live in many very big houses, drive many very big cars and fly in private jets.

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Global impact of Asia's pollution

The Asian "brown cloud" of pollution is affecting weather systems globally, according to research.

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New MPG Ratings Hurt Hybrids

The Environmental Protection Agency finally updates how it estimates vehicles' fuel economy -- all vehicles will lose at least a few estimated mpg.

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Tech firms go green as e-waste mounts

This is where computers go to die a green death.

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First magazine for green weddings: Portovert

Covering yet another niche in magazine publishing, Portovert is the first and only magazine for eco-savvy brides and grooms. Founded by Meghan Meyers, a former editor for Family Circle and sustainable travel writer, the magazine offers advice for making sustainable wedding choices.

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The 10 Greenest Ski Resorts

In the ski resort business, everything depends on white snow. But with the impending global climate change, ski resorts are going green.

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C Is For Cookie

You said it, Cookie Monster. Cookies are a great way to teach kids about literacy. But did you know they are also a great way for the future businesswomen of America to learn about financial and economic literacy?

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Mobile Phone for Old People

Why did it take so long? The Emporia Telecom (Austria) at the 3GSM congress in Barcelona showcased a phone designed to be used by old people. "The handset they developed has no digital camera, Internet access or instant messaging capabilities, but it does include a button to call relatives or friends in an emergency, is compatible with hearing aids and can run on regular AAA batteries.

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Home Depot Gets Back To Co-Creating With Its Customers.

Frank Blake is taking Home Depot back to its roots as provider of tools and solutions to average people and these new ads, while a little schmaltzy as they say in NY, are right on target.

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Arizona: Hybrids in Car-Pool Lane

As part of a state effort to clear the air, Arizona gives three Hybrid models car-pool lane privileges, but revokes them from large bi-fuel vehicles. By the Associated Press.

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It's Not Easy Going Green: Environmentalism May Help Your Corporate Image, but Will It Keep You in the Black?

On February 2, a long-awaited report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was released citing "unequivocal" proof of global warming. Meanwhile, some of the biggest corporations in the world, including Wal-Mart, Ford, General Electric and BP, have adopted highly visible "green" strategies. But what does "going green" mean for the bottom line?

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U.S. Gov't to Release New Dollar Coins

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two recent efforts to promote wide usage of a dollar coin proved unsuccessful. But maybe Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea should not take public rejection personally. It's not easy overcoming people's indifference to dollar coins, even those honoring such historic figures....

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New Energy Star ratings for PCs on the way

The PC industry is about to get the first update to the Energy Star specifications in more than a decade as home gadgets continue to suck down the juice.

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Bunco Promo

That about "one-third of all women who regularly play bunco suffer from frequent heartburn" has P&G sponsoring bunco tourneys to promote its Prilosec OTC brand heartburn medication, reports Ellen Byron in The Wall Street Journal (1/30/07). To be precise, it’s not the bunco that causes heartburn; it’s all the food that women eat when they play bunco.

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Dove's Campaign for Pro-Age

Word is out that much-beloved Dove will launch the next phase of its Campaign for Real Beauty next month with the release of Dove Pro-Age, a collection of personal care products for the Boomer market.

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Turning green into gold

Smart companies can use environmental strategy to their advantage. Yale professor Daniel Esty tells us which companies are making it work — and there are some surprises on the list.

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New search engine for aging boomers

Does surfing the Web exhaust and even exasperate older people? The backers of Cranky.com are betting on it.

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Michael Dell challenges PC industry to go green

Michael Dell, chairman of Dell, issued a challenge Tuesday to the entire PC industry to adopt free recycling programs for customers...

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Building from the ground up

"We're not going to go back to living in mud huts and grass shacks," says Bruce King, founder of the Ecological Building Network in San Rafael, Calif. "We're going to live in elegant earthen buildings because we know how to build them better than we ever did before. Natural building is more than throwing some mud and straw around. It's absolutely our future."

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Faith Popcorn’s 2007 Trend Predictions

The agency of Trend Spotting legend Faith Popcorn has released their 2007 Trend Report. The enclosed press release describes some of the next big trends.

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Happy New Year

We wish you a new year filled with prosperity and growth, both personal and professional.

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Planning a New Life in the City

24 DEC 2006 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

When developers talk about who will buy all the high-end condominiums that they are building or planning to build in Manhattan, empty nesters invariably make the list. (Subscription required)

Hat tip: The Creativity Exchange

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Mr. Toll Turns to Towers

13 DEC 2006 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

In a series of interviews, Mr. Toll shared his sometimes outspoken views on why retirees and young people like cities, why Hurricane Katrina helped spark the nation's housing slump and when the market will rebound. (Subscription required)

Hat tip: The Creativity Exchange

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Green is the new bottom line

As energy costs and climate change made headlines in 2006, many businesses began to change their wasteful ways and adopt more sustainable practices. But it's still all about profit.

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Happy Holidays!

We're observing the Christmas holiday today and will return to posting tomorrow, Boxing day. We wish you a day filled with joy and peace.

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Simple, Smart and NOT Pink

Who says women aren't attracted to chest thumping he-man tools? My blogging pal Andrea Learned and I find ourselves writing more often than either of us would like about the preponderance of pink tools and gadgets.

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Women in firm control of family finances

05 DEC 2006 from the Globe and Mail | Read the full story»

Most Canadian women are involved in the day-to-day financial decisions for their household, and more than half are the primary decisions makers, a new study has found.

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Apple appeals to 55-plus crowd

Tickle Me Elmo TMX is the toy of choice for kids this holiday season, your techie parent or grandparent may just want an Apple MacBook. Nearly half of the people (46%) in the U.S. who own an Apple computer are 55 or older, according to MetaFacts' 2006 Technology User Profile (TUP) study.

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Women pay more attention to others' gaze

Females follow the gaze of a familiar face more readily than men do, though why this should be remains a mystery.

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Mommy and Me

Tellme Networks' products are so simple, even the CEO's mother gets them. In fact, she has to.

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Happy Thanksgiving

We hope that you all have a day rich with community and contentment. The wire service will resume tomorrow.

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Viacom's TV Land Shifts Focus to Boomers

15 NOV 2006 from AdAge | Read the full story»

TV Land has long been in love with Lucy and happy to keep things "All in the Family." But the nostalgia-heavy network is about to update itself with a new lineup designed to exclusively reach out to what it considers to be the media's most overlooked audience: baby boomers. (Free subscription required!)

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Advertisements Revisited

"Ready. Fire! Aim." is one of Tom’s favorite mantras. In that spirit, we've been experimenting with advertising here at the TP Wire Service. We've also considered and researched it for our parent site, tompeters.com. The results have underwhelmed us. We're removing the ads from the TP Wire Service RSS feeds today and will be removing the ads from the TP Wire Service home page in the near future. Tompeters.com will remain ad-free. We welcome your thoughts on the subject. Here's to "Relentless Experimentation!"

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A Laptop for Tree Huggers May Also Appeal to Penny-Pinchers

Inside the $498 Everex StepNote NC1500 is a special processor that helps cut down on energy bills, reduces heat and saves the planet. (Subscription required!)

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Women Have Radar for Brand Disconnection

Early on in the 1990s, Saturn had been a shining example of transparent marketing to women... But, where did all that positive momentum go?

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The Color Of Money

How green is their Silicon Valley? The redoubtable venture capitalists of Kleiner Perkins are now betting $200 million on environmentally friendly technology.

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Ford Cosmetics

Hoping to start a whole new conversation with women about cars, the Ford Motor Company has introduced a line of cosmetics, reported Nick Kurczewski in The New York Times (9/3/06). It’s eye shadow, to be specific.

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Work smarter to save the planet

Campaigners for smarter working have called on the world must reform the way it works as one weapon in the battle to deal with the problems of the environmental impact of human activity on the planet.

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Geezery Rider

Why is a symbol of youth and rebellion having a senior moment? (Subscription required!)

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What Do Women Want? Just Ask

29 OCT 2006 from the New York Times | Read the full story»

More companies, in the United States and elsewhere, have realized that they overlook women at their own financial peril. The companies are realigning their marketing and design practices, learning to court an increasingly female-centric consumer base that boasts more financial muscle and purchasing independence than ever before. (Subscription required!)

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Nintendo at AARP Event to Court the Grayer Gamer

Nintendo’'s booth at this year’s AARP Life@50+ event was part of its attempts to sell Wii, its new video game console, to older adults. (Subscription required!)

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Geriatrics Lags in Age of High-Tech Medicine

The population is aging, but geriatrics, a relatively low-paid specialty, is of little interest to medical students. (Subscription required!)

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Google to Convert HQ to Solar Power

Google Inc. is converting its renowned headquarters to run partly on solar power, hoping to set an example for corporate America...

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Not Getting Older, Just More Scrutinized

As baby boomers age out of the prime 18-49 demographic, their sheer numbers and spending power dictate that companies keep them in their sights. (Subscription required!)

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Aging Boomers Overtax Many Towns, Report Says

Many communities across the nation aren't prepared to deal with the future needs of aging baby boomers, according to a study sponsored by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. (Audio)

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Google issues power supply challenge

Search leader Google today urged the high-tech industry to stop wasting so much energy, calling on computer-makers to come up with a more efficient standard power supply for PCs. Sarah Gardner reports.

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Greening up the conference business

Beyond dry bagels, stale air and slide shows, conferences produce a lot of trash. That's gotten some folks working to make the conference business a little more environmentally-friendly. David Welch reports.

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Advertising: Marketers Look Past Jelly Stains and See a Mom Who Has Needs

Advertisers are increasingly tailoring their messages to mothers who, they are certain, are dying to spend more time on themselves but feel too guilty to do so. (Subscription required!)

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Do's And Don'ts For Selling to Women Small Business Owners

05 SEP 2006 from Small Business Trends | Read the full story»

When selling to women small business owners, the main thing to remember is that first and foremost they are people. Deal with them on a genuine, personal level and focus on creating relationships, rather than creating sales. If you do that, the sales will follow. That said, here are ten specific pieces of advice, broken down into 5 Do’s and 5 Don’ts.

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The Game Is on to Woo the Elusive Female Player

Video game companies, trying to cope with declining sales, are intensifying efforts to lure women to gaming. (Subscription required!)

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Labor Day

"Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country." [U.S. Dept. of Labor]

There will be no postings today at TP Wire Service in observance of the holiday. Have a wonderful day.

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[TS] If Boomers Have It All, What’s Left?

Baby boomers may be known as the generation that took it all, leaving their successors to take on the risks they did not have to accept for themselves. (Subscription required!)

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Portland going 100% renewable

Portland, Ore. is throwing all its weight into the fight against global warming by promising to run on 100% renewable energy starting next year. Mitchell Hartman reports. (Audio)

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Hyperion Starts Imprint to Help Women Whittle the Book Choices

The publisher plans to focus on female readers in their 30’s and older who want something meatier than chick lit. (Subscription required!)

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Connecting baby boomers (and advertisers)

Opportunities? Boomers everywhere are interested in connecting with members of their own generation and finding information that's relevant to their stage in life. And advertisers are jumping at the opportunity to target a (mostly) cash and time rich audience.

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Wine for women

The company's founder discovered that his three twenty-something daughters were drinking nothing but Bacardi Breezers and hard liquor on their nights out, and decided that they needed an oenophile's alternative.

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Nana Technology

Andrew Carle, an assistant professor at George Mason University coined that term for all the technology that’s being developed and aimed at your grandmother or grandfather.

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Chic sanitary stop

Located at 26 Champs-Elysées, POINTWC offers luxurious surroundings for 'une pause pipi'. For the modest sum of EUR 1, members of the public can enter an oasis that's nothing like an ordinary public restroom.

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Convenient for women

Combining what our sister site trendwatching.com calls ‘Forever Trends’ (as in trends that will remain trends forever), Japanese convenience store Happily exclusively targets women.

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Thoughts on Women and Collaboration

There's something I observed at BlogHer '06 about women and collaboration that I didn't see mentioned in author and tech geek blogger Robert Scoble's post "What I Learned from BlogHer," where he sums up his experience there and highlights comparisons...

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MySpace for baby boomers

A new site called Eons.com helps seniors make contact with other seniors. Will the technology catch on with the boomers? Amy Scott reports. (Audio)

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Citizens Pony Up for Green Energy

Some utility customers feel that if the government won't put muscle into renewable energy, they'll pay a little more to make utility companies deliver it. Utilities in 36 states offer some form of green pricing.

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Eco-Heating System for the Lazy

The guy who invented the Sleep Number bed creates a system that makes heating your home with biomass almost as easy for the consumer as pushing a button. By Gretchen Cuda.

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Substance and Style

WWD.com reports that the WSJ is creating a fashion and design bureau and promising daily coverage under a specific logo. The paper seems to see the move as an ad-sales play designed to cater to female readers as consumers, however,...

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Still trying to shatter the glass ceiling

A new study out today finds the rate of promotion for women to top corporate jobs has slowed. Hillary Wicai reports. (Audio)

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Still Sexy at 60?

25 JUL 2006 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster.com, is spending $10 million to build an online social network. But he couldn't care less about teenagers, college students and 20-somethings, the biggest users of such Web sites. Instead, he wants their parents and grandparents. (Subscription required!)

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Texas tops in wind energy production

Long known as a top oil- and natural gas-producing state, Texas has gained new energy acclaim by becoming the nation's top ...

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For Women Consultants, Business is Booming

Average revenue for women-owned firms has jumped 45% in five years, a new study shows.

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Are you a rejuvenile?

Author Christopher Noxon talks with Kai Ryssdal about how American adults nowadays are living in ways once thought to be strictly for the younger set. They're not stunted adolescents; they're something new — rejuveniles. (Audio)

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Brits Float Solar Boat

It may be slow, but developers hope the 42-passenger Serpentine Solar Shuttle cruising a lake in London's Hyde Park will usher in an era of solar-powered transportation. A 60-passenger sun-run train and a 300-passenger Thames ferry are in the works.

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For Icy Greenland, Global Warming Has a Bright Side

18 July 2006 from the Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

QAQORTOQ, Greenland -- Stefan Magnusson lives at the foot of a giant, melting glacier. Some think he's living on the brink of a cataclysm. He believes he's on the cusp of creation. (Subscription required!)

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Ford commits to fuel efficiency . . . in the UK

Ford today announced it will invest almost $2 billion to develop better hybrid technology in its automobiles. But the automaker will do it all in Britain. John Dimsdale reports. (Audio)

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Green rentals

EV Rental Cars is the first US rental car company whose entire fleet consists of hybrid vehicles.

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Do-it-yourselfers turn diner grease into biodiesel fuel

With diesel at $3 a gallon, 50 cents more than last year, ingenious Americans like Newman are turning their garages and basements ...

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Hockey Stick Hokum

A man-made global-warming evangelist's dream. (Subscription required!)

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Fuel for Thought

Brazil and others would benefit from greater use of ethanol. (Subscription required!)

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Trees hiccup methane rather than belch

The clean image of forests was damaged following reports of their releasing methane in huge amounts - but new findings suggest smaller emissions

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You go, girl gadgeteer

Women, a growing force in the consumer-electronics market, have a message for gadget makers, and it's not all about the color pink.

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Green America: Why Environmentalism Is Hot

With windmills, low-energy homes, new forms of recycling and fuel-efficient cars, Americans are taking conservation into their own hands.

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Functional beer for women

Karla is a new beer for women, marketed as improving health and well-being.

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Happy 4th of July!

We're taking the day off in celebration of Independence Day here in the U.S. We hope everyone has an opportunity to relish freedom today. Enjoy!

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PC users 'want greener machines'

Consumers say they are willing to pay extra for computers that contain fewer chemicals, research shows.

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Wal-Mart Effort on Health and Environment Is Seen

A proposed program would teach Wal-Mart's U.S. employees how to take better care of themselves and the environment. (Subscription required!)

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"Hi, Hello" Calls: Learning From Women Financial Advisers

Relationship-Building Is Key: Barron's "Top 100 Women Financial Advisors" by Suzanne McGee (subscription required), in the June 12th issue, cited a woman's longer term, relationship-building approach as a new key to success in what has traditionally been a much more close-the-deal, commission-based industry.

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Invisibility is a Super Power

27 MAY 2006 from Boomer Women Marketing | Read the full story»

Invisibility: the super power of choice for women 40+, who know how to turn just about everything that happens to them — whether or not by their design — for the good.

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E-Commerce Report: Older Consumers Flex Their Muscle (and Money) Online

Older shoppers, who generally sat out the Internet's first big commercial push, are helping to feed the surging Web economy. (Subscription required!)

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Advertising: N.B.A. Wants Women to Talk Basketball

The new campaign plays off the league's belief that women prefer stories about the players to their scoring averages. (Subscription required!)

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She's Not An Also-Ran Now

06 JUN 2006 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story»

Athletic boutiques that cater exclusively to women are doing a bang-up business.

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Microsoft vs. Google: Who's greener?

The two Internet companies work to reduce energy use and promote sustainability as product battle heats up.

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Advertising: Seeking a Distinctive Sound for People of a Certain Age

DMI Music and Media Solutions as been hired to develop a strategy to make music and sound part of the AARP brand. (Subscription required!)

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Deconstructing Wal-Mart's Wonder Truck

The retailer vows to build an eco-friendly fleet. Is it for real?

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Phone for boomers & their parents

While most cell phones tout an abundance of bells and whistles, two companies are focusing on the substantial market for simpler phones.

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Itineraries: Breaking a Travel Stereotype

As the ranks of business travelers grow more diverse, companies are catering more to women, as well as minorities and gay travelers. (Subscription required!)

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Invitation for 'silver surfers'

Older people across the UK are being given the chance to try out the internet as part of Silver Surfer Week.

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Do Women Just Want to Have Fun?

Videogames have typically been seen as a teenage-boy thing, but in fact the largest U.S. platform for gaming—the mobile phone—is owned by roughly 100 million women.

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Drilling Down: A Do-It-Herself Trend at the Big-Box Stores

In 2003, a purchaser of a kitchen cabinet was far more likely to be a man, but in 2005, such a buyer was almost as likely to be a woman. (Subscription required!)

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Picture Yourself Here: Help Women See Themselves With Your Brand

Women are looking for common ground. Their relational brains need a starting point from which to launch a possible long term connection with your brand. So, the question becomes: are you laying the groundwork for this to happen?

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Treehugger Hearts Walmart?

The guys at Treehugger are in a bit of a tiz: on one hand, they know that the world view of hipster kids is that Walmart is a big bad Red State monster but on the other, they find that they can't stop writing about their eco-initiatives including green roofs, sustainable fish, buying forests and corn-based plastics. "What's going on?"

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Internet becomes popular place to make pitches to moms

Every day is Mother's Day for advertisers using digital marketing to attract today's wired moms and their command of $1.7 trillion ...

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Pepperdine Business School Welcomes Mothers

Pepperdine University is working to make its MBA program more accessible to mothers interested in getting an advanced business degree. (Audio)

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Culturally sensitive sportswear

Designing headscarves that can be worn for sports and play, Nike and Capsters are offering Muslim girls and women a practical alternative to the traditional hijab... Covering a woman's head and neck as stipulated by Islamic or cultural tradition, they make it possible for women to participate in sports and physical activities without having to worry about their headscarves shifting.

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Marthamobiles

Because "the average age of the Buick buyer is 65," Buick said it was surprised when Dub Magazine called up and asked if they could have a couple of Lucernes to "pimp out," reports Gina Chon in The Wall Street Journal...

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'M' Is for the Many Ways Marketers Court Her

Web sites aimed at mothers of school-age children are popping up quickly, while existing sites are adding community features. (Subscription required!)

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Japan's toys for the elderly

30 APR 2006 from BBC News | Read the full story»

"We have to develop very exciting new toys for the existing children but our strategy is to expand the age range of our toys. We are redefining the definition of toys."

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Organic powerhouse

Whole Foods has begun to flex its market muscle, using its power position to dictate fois gras policy to its suppliers. Sarah Gardner reports on how Whole Foods is becoming the organic version of Wal-Mart. (Audio)

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How Can I Be More Green?

Leaving a smaller footprint on the planet isn't easy. Caveats abound for those who turn to hybrids and renewable energy to make a difference. By Brendan I. Koerner from Wired magazine.

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Where Do Women Go Online?

Women's choices in buying and planning for the family, as well as pursuing their own interests, have a major impact online.

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Apple offers to recycle old Macs for free

Apple Computer will soon adopt an environmentally friendly twist for buyers of new Macintosh computers by offering to recycle...

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G.E., Betting on the Future, Finances a Solar Farm in Portugal

The sheep that have long grazed on 150 acres of farmland in Serpa, Portugal, will soon have to share their space with the world's largest solar energy plant. (Subscription required!)

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Which Is Greener: Hybrids or Compacts?

Robert Siegel talks about new, smaller cars with Jamie Kitman, New York bureau chief for Automobile magazine. Kitman wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about how small cars with better gas-mileage are in many ways better for the environment than some hybrids. (Audio)

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What's Online: Wal-Mart Flirts With Being Green

The sheer magnitude of Wal-Mart's plans to become more environmentally friendly has been enough to give pause to all but the most vehement of the company's critics. (Subscription required!)

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NASCAR Didn't Have To "Market" To Women: What's Their Secret?

I've been hearing about NASCAR's female fans and all the clever cross-promotional ideas and licensed products for a while now, but this recent Sports Illustrated article pulled it all together for me. The stats, as reported therein: "According to a pair of recent surveys, of NASCAR's 75 million fans 40 percent are women..."

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The importance of sex

12 APR 2006 from The Economist | Read the full story»

Even today in the modern, developed world, surveys show that parents still prefer to have a boy rather than a girl. One longstanding reason why boys have been seen as a greater blessing has been that they are expected to become better economic providers for their parents' old age. Yet it is time for parents to think again. Girls may now be a better investment.

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Infolust

APR 2006 from Trendwatching | Read the full story»

Show us one experienced, switched-on consumer in a mature consumer society who does NOT google once a day. Or even once an hour. One consumer who has NOT researched the cheapest available fare, price, charge before buying a big ticket item... One who hasn't relished the feeling of being better informed about everything from 18th century gardening to alternative medicine to the real reasons for high oil prices, than his/her peers or, even better, his/her superiors.

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Car Dealers Recruit Saleswomen at the Mall

12 APR 2006 from The Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

Asbury's plan comes as women are playing a bigger role in car purchases, influencing 81% of new-vehicle purchases last year, compared with 65% a decade earlier and less than half in 1985, according to CNW Marketing Research Inc. Meanwhile, several surveys have found many women would prefer to buy a car from another woman. (Subscription required!)

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Going after female drivers

Australian SHEdrives is bent on making the automotive industry female friendly. Whether it's assisting women in buying a car online from their virtual dealership, discussing auto fashion, or training dealer sales staff, the aim is to make the process of buying a car easy and fun.

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Catering to a mature market

Japan has one of the world's fastest aging populations. An aging population means a new kind of consumer and a new kind of niche marketing. What kind of niche? Jocelyn Ford reports. (Audio)

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The butt brush

Paco Underhill, who is the world's greatest expert on shopping, made millions for Macy's and other stores by videotaping how people shop. Reviewing the tapes, he discovered, for example, that women will stop shopping for ties if the racks are too close to the aisle and people bump into them. Moving the racks made sales skyrocket.

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Paiva

Opening tomorrow at an upscale mall near you, Paiva hopes to re-define sporting-goods retailing for women by selling $625 chiffon tennis dresses along with $16 private-label tank tops, reports Stephanie Kang in The Wall Street Journal. The idea is to create more up an upscale, boutique-style shopping experience, and appeal to affluent women...

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Fashion Shows and Spas? Marketing Cars to Women

In "The Lady Means Business," an article in the April 10th issue of Adweek (reg. required), Joan Voight covers a few of the more recent marketing to women efforts of car manufacturers.

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Reading glasses for baby boomers

Readerwear is a specialty retailer in Vancouver that sells hundreds of fashion forward, ready-to-wear reading glasses, which are a far cry from the inexpensive but unstylish varieties found in drugstores and department stores. "We recognized that today’s baby boomer wasn't satisfied with the usual selection of reading glasses — they wanted more choice and more style, without having to pay a few hundred dollars for prescription glasses," says the company...

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Start-Up to Tailor Wireless Service for Seniors

03 APR 2006 from The Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

GreatCall Inc., a San Diego-based start-up led by Arlene Harris and Martin Cooper, plans to target baby boomers and their parents. The service, called Jitterbug, will offer a Samsung-built phone with large buttons, easy-to read text and a cushion that cups around the ear to improve sound quality, Ms. Harris said. (Subscription required!)

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NINTENDO AIMS FOR MINDS OF BOOMERS

31 MAR 2006 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»

New video games for older adults play on fear of losing mental sharpness. (Free subscription required!)

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Why women are changing their minds about men

As women's financial independence has increased, it seems their preferences in men have changed, with looks gaining in importance.

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Clothes That Fit the Woman, Not the Store

A Dallas company has developed a sizing system it hopes will allow consumers to better navigate the world of off-the-rack apparel. (Subscription required!)

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Generations Blur: Will We Ever Grow Up?

Adam Sternbergh wrote a fun and insightful piece for the April 3, 2006 issue of New York magazine (reg. required, I think) entitled "Grups." In it, he writes about: "a brave new world whose citizens are radically rethinking what it means to be a grown-up and whether being a grown-up still requires, you know, actually growing up."

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Reading news to regulate mood

In some circumstances, men who are pissed off purposefully read news articles that will feed their anger while women select articles that will chill them out. Researchers at Ohio State University report that men pick negative stories to "sutain their anger until their opportunity to get even."

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Venture Capitalists Flock to Green Technology

Companies producing environmentally friendly technologies are attracting more investment.

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Retail approach to recycling

Whether ignorant or just plain lazy, plenty of consumers and businesses don't make the effort to recycle electronics. Which is why Green Citizen's drop-off center and pick-up service are great concepts – they make it convenient for people to recycle unused electronic equipment. In their own words: "we want to make recycling electronics so easy that you’ll make it a part of your everyday routine."

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Boomer tones

The opportunity? Ringtones seem to be one of those "new" ideas that even after many years continue to inspire marketers to innovate. In Booseytones’case, the ka-ching may come from tens of millions of boomers who are as addicted to their cell phones as the next teen, but have been completely overlooked by ringtone providers.

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European Women To Spend More Hours Online Than Men

According to a new report, European women will soon be spending more time online than their male counterparts.

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As Parents Age, Baby Boomers and Business Struggle to Cope

Companies are scrambling to help the soaring number of baby boomers who are caring for elderly parents. (Subscription required!)

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Hispanic businesses boom

The US Census Bureau releases a new report showing Hispanic-owned businesses grew at three times the national rate from 1997 to 2002. Dan Grech reports. (Audio)

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China introduces chopsticks tax

The Chinese government is introducing a 5% tax on disposable wooden chopsticks in a bid to preserve its forests.

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The Compact

What began as a small group of friends agreeing not to buy anything "new except food, medicine and toiletries" has become "a full fledged cultural phenomenon with more than 700 members" called The Compact, reports Elizabeth Weise in USA Today.

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Internet's Gender Gap Narrows

Building websites targeted to women pays off for some pioneers, but studies say distinctions in how males and females approach the net are more subtle than we thought. Commentary by Joanna Glasner.

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"Spiritual" or Not: Other-centricity Inspires Women to Buy

Metrospirituals, TTV shoppers and probably the customers, male and female, for a fair number of your brands are taking a holistic view of their buying. How do their purchases from you affect others.. socially, environmentally, etc..? Especially for women, it all matters.

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Census Report Foresees No Crisis Over Aging Generation's Health

10 MAR 2006 from The New York Times | Read the full story»

The United States Census Bureau's 243-page report on America's aging population shows that, though the next few decades will see an explosion in the percentage of Americans over the age of 65, the economic and social impact may be gentler than had been feared because of a significant drop in the percentage of older people with disabilities. (Subscription required!)

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Marketers go fishing for female Web surfers

Dozens of marketers are slathering their online sites with games, Myspace-like communities, Web romances, lessons and even artfully ...

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In the Age of the Overamplified, a Resurgence for the Humble Lecture

All around New York, there is a renewed interest in spoken-word events, lectures, debates, readings and panel discussions. (Subscription required!)

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Young Elks

"The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, a 138-year-old fraternal organization most commonly associated with charitable works, veterans’ causes and Jackie Gleason’s Honeymooners" is enjoying fresh popularity among youngish professionals in "medium-size boomtown cities and suburbs across America," reports Tamara Audi in USA Today (3/16/06). The appeal, apparently, is "unhurried camaraderie, cheap beer, [...]"

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Baby Boomers Demand Constant Activity in Arizona Retirement

Driving north from Phoenix, you pass one huge retirement community after another: Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand. For decades, these communities have represented the cutting edge of retirement life. These days, that means satisfying the baby-boomer generation's quest for constant activity. (Audio)

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Cabs for and by women

In London alone, 10 women are attacked each month after getting into an unlicensed mini-cab. No wonder that many women feel safer taking a taxi driven by a woman. Pink Ladies spotted a business opportunity, and created the UK's first women-only private car hire franchise.

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We've Come A Long Way, Baby: Celebrate Marketing to Women History

A few recently launched ad campaigns remind me that there is a lot to celebrate during this women's history month. In addition to being a worthy time to celebrate the great strides of women in leadership positions etc., women are also starting to get their due from marketers.

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City Planet

SPRING 2006 from strategy+business | Read the full story»

Get ready for cosmopolitan slums with thriving markets, aging residents, and the most creative economies in history. (Free subscription required!)

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Economic Scene: The Difference Between Men and Women, Revisited: It's About Competition

An experiment suggests that a taste for the game, not the ability to play, is crucial. (Subscription required!)

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NBC UNIVERSAL BUYS IVILLAGE TO USE AS ITS WEB BASE

06 MAR 2006 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»

NBC Universal has signed an agreement to buy the Web site iVillage for $600 million. The strategy is to open the women-centric village to the world at large. (Free subscription required!)

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The Population Hourglass

Your future is older, browner, and more feminine than you might have realized. That will make for some major lifestyle changes ("Welcome home, Mom!") and lots of huge opportunities for business.

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Homesteads: A Virtual Retirement Home

Without hammering a nail or meeting with a planning board, some residents of Princeton, N.J., have built a new community. Don't go looking for the brick and mortar signs of something as obvious or visible as a planned retirement community, however. This one calls itself a Community Without Walls (C.W.W.), and exists mostly in the emotional bonds between its members. Its specifics may be unusual, but its goal — to allow people to stay at home while they age — is part of a national trend. (Subscription required!)

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Penney Americans

"I don’t want to leave the impression we are going upscale — because we’re not,” says Mike Boylson, chief marketing officer of J.C. Penney’s, as quoted by Mindy Fetterman in USA Today. His boss, ceo Mike Ullman is even more emphatic: “We are not ashamed of Middle America,” he says. Describing his [...]

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BRAND SPACES

Trends discussed this month are BEING SPACES and BRAND SPACES, and they're all about the genuine opportunity to surpass the now ubiquitous 'flagship store', by offering something truly new to consumers who are not only looking for entertainment, but also for uniqueness, discovery, relaxation, trying out, empathy and even transformation.

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Two Urban Startups Mix Ecology, Luxury

New cleaning companies tap into health and environmental concerns and the 'mass luxury' movement.

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Car Repair toolkit for chyxx0rs

Girls, don't you hate it when your tool bag doesn't match the hot pink mini and gogo boot set you happen to be wearing when you find yourself suddenly stranded on the highway? God I hate it when that happens. No more: this Barbie-colored bag contains everything from ice scrapers to jump leads. Link

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Growing Old Together, in New Kind of Commune

Opting for old age on their terms, 12 friends in California created the country's first self-planned development for the elderly. (Subscription required!)

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San Francisco examines power of dog droppings

SAN FRANCISCO — City officials are hoping to harness the power of dog doo. San Franciscans already recycle more than 60% of their garbage, but in this dog-friendly town, animal feces make up nearly 4% of residential waste, or 6,500 tons a year ...

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Let's Create Infectious Action

From the Worldchanging website:

"We have a choice to make. We can build a future of green products and industry, renewable energy and leapfrogging technologies, clean water and fresh air, livable cities and healthy children. Or we can have the kind of world Ed Burtynsky shows us."

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Gearheads In Their Own Time: Marketing Technology to Women

This just in:  A newly released Packaged Facts report shows that women are buying technology to the tune of $55 billion annually.  According to Don Montuori, the publisher of Packaged Facts (a division of Marketresearch.com)

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Hollywood stars heat up solar power

15 FEB 2006 from CNN Money | Read the full story»

A partnership between BP and celebrities is helping low-income families go green.

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Nano Coatings Paint Green Future

Environmentally friendly coatings currently in the works could keep your favorite gadgets looking sleek while cutting costs and radically altering manufacturing processes. By John Gartner.

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Allow Women To Do Your Marketing Work

Listen To How Women Talk About Your Industry: Another man who markets for a nearby ski area... went to the "source" - for his brochure copy. He told me his favorite place to gather insights is in the halls of the ski lodge, on lift ticket lines and in the cafeterias and bars at lunch/apres ski.

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Army green

Most people think that the term "green army" refers to the colors of a soldier's fatigues. Surely the US Army isn't interested in Eco-Friendly green. Not true. The Army's making a mission out of preserving the environment. As Alex Cohen reports from the Sustainability Desk, they get to save the planet and some money. (Audio)

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MARKETING WINES TO WOMEN

07 FEB 2006 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»

Despite the fact that nearly 64% of all wine consumers are women, most vintners don't effectively target their marketing at females. (Free subscription required!)

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Toronto Goes Green (Well, its Roofs, Anyways)

02 FEB 2006 from Treehugger | Read the full story»

Hugs to Toronto for adopting a new green roof policy. They did a study and found that "8% coverage of existing rooftops with extensive green roofs, would generate over $300 million in initial cost savings in areas such as stormwater management, combined sewer overflow reduction, building energy savings, and the urban heat island reductions."

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Cell Phone Sales Increase on Senior Circuit

Seniors use cell phones less than other demographic groups do, but sales are slowly increasing. Some enjoy the security mobile phones offer, but are wary of long-term contracts and the technology they don't need. (Audio)

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SUPER BOWL ADVERTISERS FINALLY NOTICE WOMEN

31 JAN 2006 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»

Normally the domain of pizza, auto, razor and beer advertising often punctuated with bawdy jokes, the Super Bowl seems to finally be getting in touch with its feminine side. (Free subscription required!)

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Mining 'Brokeback Mountain'

27 JAN 2006 from The Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

How did "Brokeback" break out? By surgically targeting where the movie would play in its initial release; selling it as a romance for women rather than a controversial gay-bashing tale; and opting out of the culture wars rather than engaging them. (Subscription required!)

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Top green-powered companies

Renewable energy sources are twice as expensive as conventional sources, but according to EPA, several major companies are increasing their reliance on green power. Alex Cohen tells us why. (Audio)

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China and India 'hold the world in balance'

11 Jan 2006 from newscientist.com | Read the full story»

“The choices these two countries make in the next few years will lead the world either towards growing ecological and political instability – or down a development path based on efficiency and better stewardship of resources,” says a report from the Worldwatch Institute in Washington DC, US.

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Beauty: For Mature Audiences

The fashion and beauty industries turn on to the older woman.(Subscription required!)

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Drilling Down: The Finger on the Keyboard Wears a Ring

Married women are about a third more likely than single women to use the Internet at least occasionally. (Subscription required!)

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Ten Trends to Watch in 2006

JAN 2006 from The McKinsey Quarterly | Read the full story»

Predicting short-term change is nearly impossible, but long-term trends can be gauged by taking an analytic and historical perspective. Ten trends—macroeconomic, social and environmental, and business and corporate—will shape the business landscape in the decade to come. Companies that recognize these trends and adapt their strategy accordingly will be positioned to succeed over the long term. (Free subscription required!)

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Makers Start Bearing the Cost of Recycling TV's in Maine

A state law now in effect routes consumers' old televisions and monitors to state-approved recycling centers, billing manufacturers for the entire cost. (Subscription required!)

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InkDrop: Staples Speaks A Woman's Language

An announcement from Staples appeared in my in-box this morning, about a new program that should help ease the ink/toner cartridge replacement hassle - InkDrop. Though ink cartridges are relatively small-ticket items and Staples is all about office supplies, the way the company has designed and presented the program, could be a lesson for any industry.

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Cities Offer Free Parking to Hybrid Drivers

Some who are willing to take a hybrid with a little less horsepower can get a bonus: free parking. Salt Lake City has just joined several other cities that now offer free metered parking for all green vehicles. (Audio)

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Japan Grows a Beard

As Japan's population ages, its numbers are shrinking. Young and old shun a fast-paced lifestyle for a slower, earthier approach. Sounds like a model for the planet as a whole. Commentary by Momus.

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INSPERIENCES

"In a consumer society dominated by experiences in the (semi) public domain -- often branded, designed, themed and curated to the nines -- INSPERIENCES represent consumers' desire to bring top-level experiences into their domestic domain."

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Old Liners Becoming Onliners

Whoever said that an old dog cannot learn new tricks had clearly not spent much time on the Internet.

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Drivers atone for exhaust with carbon offsets

A growing number of U.S. cities, states, and businesses are developing market-based programs to buy and sell pollutants that ...

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Ski Industry Chases Greater Profits

It's been a good year for the ski industry. Early snows mean bigger profits. But the big ski operations can't relax. Ever alert to new trends, some are setting up extra non-demanding slopes for aging baby boomers. (Audio)

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Happy New Year

Wishing you a prosperous and fulfilling New Year, the TP Wire Service will resume its postings tomorrow.

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Gender gap alive and well online

Men like the new things on the net but women use it to maintain social ties, a US study finds.

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Houses: On A Solo Woman's Buying Mind

Smaller houses, multi-family dwellings, condos and townhouses, built from more environmentally-friendly building materials are IN. Why? The fact that solo women are driving the market may be key.

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Happy Holidays

Wishing you a joyous holiday season, the TP Wire Service will resume its postings tomorrow.

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Boomers Impact On Car Design

Autoblog looks at the impact aging boomers are having on the auto industry:To the rapidly aging Baby Boomer population, a plunging windowline and promises of 120hp/liter aren’t what matters.... Among the ideas already gaining traction are: Easier-to-read gauges Larger handles attached to sturdier...

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trends for 2006-part one

As part of a series, Influx Insights is asking bloggers around the world for their perspective on trends for 2006. They were asked to name one trend that they believe will emerge strongly in the next 12 months. The first comes from Charlie Edwards at the UK think tank Demos, who picked risk.

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trends for 2006- part two

In part two of our continuing series on 2006 trends, John Keehler who writes the blog Random Culture, has picked vodcasting as his trend for 2006.

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Marketing to Women or Marketing to Feminine Traits?

When I read The Future of Men (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005)... I was struck by how much more useful a brand's marketing to women strengths may soon be. The authors, Marian Salzman, Ira Matathia and Ann O'Reilly, found, among other things, that adopting female traits is a big part of how men will be changing.

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Boomers' Duties to Parents and Children Linger

During the 1960s, many baby boomers spurned convention and the obligations that hemmed in their parents. But as the first baby boomers start turning 60 in January, a new study finds that many find themselves with lingering responsibilities to both their parents and children. (Audio)

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High-tech for seniors moves beyond Clapper

New technologies for seniors are on display this week at the White House Conference on Aging. There are four main focus areas ...

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The Perils of Marketing Green-ness to Women

In "The Thin Green Line," a recently published article in CMO magazine, writer Samar Farah examines the advantages and disadvantages of touting environmental efforts... here a few of the key points of Farah's piece that jumped out at me...

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Baby Zoomers

They will be "the largest percentage of female shoppers over the next decade," but they "feel ignored by the big department stores" observes Dennis Pence, CEO of Coldwater Creek, as reported by Stanley Holmes in BusinessWeek (12/12/05). They are women ages 40-60, Baby Boomers, or Zoomers as retail experts like to call [...]

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Book Report: Trillion-Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers

Why marketers are missing the mommy gravy train.

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Your Brain on Shopping

How can my husband and I have such different approaches to the shopping experience? I attribute it to wiring in the brain, and I think it applies to many men and women out there.

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ShoreBank Pacific positions itself as “America’s first environmental bank”

29 NOV 2005 from Iconoculture | Read the full story»

Washington state’s ShoreBank Pacific, billed as "America’s first environmental bank," helps socially conscious consumers build their fortunes – and their businesses – on environmentally sustainable foundations.

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Could It Be So Simple? Tom Peters: "Yes."

By the second day (!!) of life, baby girls are staring (keeping a steady gaze) at ... people; baby boys are staring at ... things/patterns. The hyper-young women, that is, are preparing for communal community management; the hyper-young men are readying their spatial skills for competitive spear tossing on the hunt.

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Solar Power's Really Sticky App

Most solar panels are bulky, pricey, and difficult to install. But imagine if you could turn windows -- or entire skyscrapers -- into solar power generators. That’s the goal of XsunX, a startup in Aliso Viejo, Calif., that has invented a way to stick semitransparent solar cells on plastic film, which manufacturers can use to transform ordinary windows into PowerGlass. “It’s like a power-plant skin on a building,” says XsunX CEO and president Tom Djokovich.

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Undies get a new life

Patagonia, the California outdoor apparel maker, is recycling lots of tattered and torn... underwear. As James Mills reports, the company says it saves money and resources. (Audio)

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Whole Fuels

At this convenience chain, the "green" runs deeper than veggie wraps and solar-roasted coffee. The gas is eco-friendly too.

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The power of the purse

Fara Warner is author of "the Power of the Purse." She says companies have learned that there's more to marketing to women than just adding pink. (Audio)

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Meet Jane Geek

28 NOV 2005 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story»

With women accounting for 50% of technology purchases, Dell, Samsung, and others are opening the door for them

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"Just for women" advertising

There are ads that make you cry, ads that make you laugh... and then there are ads that just make you mad. Andrea Gardner has more. (Audio)

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Happy Thanksgiving

Have a wonderful holiday. The wire service will resume tomorrow.

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HP Says Green's the Way to Go

Computer giant says it's on track to recycle a billion pounds of products by the end of 2007.

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Women's Empowerment: Measuring the Global Gender Gap

16 NOV 2005 from Harvard Business Online | Read the full story»

This study is a first attempt by the World Economic Forum to assess the current size of the gender gap by measuring the extent to which women in 58 countries have achieved equality with men in five critical areas: economic participation, economic opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and health and well-being. Countries that do not capitalize on the full potential of one half of their societies are misallocating their human resources and undermining their competitive potential. (Free subscription required!)

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THE SPIRAL PATH TO A WOMAN'S PURCHASING DECISON

14 NOV 2005 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»

Good enough just isn’t enough when you are selling to women. When men set out to make a purchase they are looking for a good solution, something that fulfills their top two or three criteria. Women, on the other hand, are seeking the perfect answer -- the optimal solution. (Free subscription required!)

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Banks still have few women on board

Only 10.3 percent of board seats at the world's 50 largest banks are held by women and some of the biggest global banks have no female directors, according to a new study released Friday.

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Lowe's partners with OXO to offer Universal Design tools for DIYers

08 NOV 2005 from Iconoculture | Read the full story»

Universal truth? America’s DIY population has changed. To meet that need, OXO International and Lowe’s partnered to offer 22 Universal Design home and garden tools designed for any size hand and any strength or experience level.

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What Women (and Men and Teens) Want

Both men and women want their Nano, but women want it more, according to a survey by the Macerich Company.

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Prepare for Latent Conversions! How Women Search and Shop Online

In "Web Searching Foretells Shopping Sprees," an article in today's Media Post Online Media Daily, Gavin O'Malley writes of new research by Yahoo! Search Marketing and Compete that gives insight into the way people search online and then buy.  The trendy Internet-y term they use sounds religious, but it's not: latent conversion.

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2006 Mercury Milan: Feminine Mystique for Mercury

30 Oct 2005 from nytimes.com | Read the full story»

WHILE automakers sometimes seem clueless about their intended customers, Mercury appears to have a clear vision of whom it expects to drive off in its new Milan: an independent, self-made woman in need of a latte and a manicure. (Subscription required!)

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AARP Wants You (to Buy Its Line of Products)

More companies are waking up to the fact that the 76 million baby boomers are moving into old age. So, AARP is stepping up its own competitive heat. (Subscription required!)

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FEMALE CONSUMERS DOMINATE TRAVEL BUSINESS PURCHASING

24 OCT 2005 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»

Forty-three percent of business travelers are women, and women make more than 75% of all travel decisions (for their families, their businesses and themselves)... Savvy hotel chains are taking note of this and offering amenities, safety features and getaway packages with women in mind. (Free subscription required!)

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Wal-Mart to Seek Savings in Energy

Wal-Mart's chief executive is set to announce a set of sweeping, specific environmental goals to reduce energy use in its stores. (Subscription required!)

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Love Those Boomers

24 OCT 2005 from BusinessWeek | Read the full story»

The massive postwar boomer generation that drove every significant cultural and marketing trend for 50 years -- from Howdy Doody to the Beatles and the Ford Explorer -- is defying marketers' expectations about how it wants to live and shop. As boomers head into their 60s starting next year, this generation, which grew up with the mass market and witnessed the rise of network TV and then the Internet, is once again forcing marketers back to the drawing board, this time to rethink the rules for reaching graying customers.

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Now What?

12 OCT 2005 from ChangeThis.com | Read the full story»

Can't predict the future? Neither can we. Thankfully, many of the trends that will affect our future practices are already here. Check them out in Ziv's manifesto.

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Marketing to Women for the Common Man

12 OCT 2005 from ChangeThis.com | Read the full story»

"The non-planetary, bookshelf versions of 'Venus' and 'Mars' have conspired to make even the prospect of marketing to women a scary thing for a lot of men in business." For all common men out there: don't be afraid! Let Andrea teach you how to tweak your marketing messages to appeal to women.

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Corporate Responsibility and the Environment: What is the Right Thing To Do?

Does it make legal, ethical, or economic sense for companies to participate in environmental corporate social responsibility programs? A new book from HBS professor Richard Vietor and colleagues Bruce Hay and Robert N. Stavins attempts to separate fact from fiction on the debate.

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Fads are so yesterday

09 OCT 2005 from The Los Angeles Times | Read the full story»

There was a time, way back in the late 1990s, when coolhunting was still cool, when nearly every Madison Avenue ad agency wanted a resident hipster to interpret the spending habits of those inscrutable Gen-Xers. Then the Internet exploded, connecting everyone to everything in an instant, and suddenly, the art of predicting the next big trend got way more complicated. Today, fads ping across continents and disappear so quickly that the coolhunter, even the whole notion of "cool," has become passé.

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What women really want

26 SEP 2005 from B&T | Read the full story»

Women own 33% of new businesses in Australia and represent almost 56% of the workforce. They will become increasingly valuable as they become more educated (they represent just under 50% of law graduates and are creeping up in accountancy and medicine) and make further inroads into senior management. The new woman is a complex combination of smart, focused and radical, traditional, committed and feminine. She is rewriting the rulebook on how brands can to talk to her. But the majority of them are failing to keep up. What should they be doing?

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The Power of the Purse--Notes from Around the World by Fara Warner

While my book focuses primarily on American women and trends I see here, many of those same trends also are playing out around the world. If you operate a business on a global scale, there is no doubt that women's economic power is going to affect you at some point--even in countries where women's consumer power is just beginning to be felt. [Part of a series of fabulous posts from Fara Warner, author of The Power of the Purse: How Smart Companies Are Adapting to the World's Most Important Consumers--Women]

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Photos: Disability technology goes mainstream

Specialized gadgets are being created for the more than 54 million people in the U.S. who have disabilities, and for aging baby boomers.

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Green Is Good

23 SEP 2005 from Yahoo! Finance | Read the full story»

Amid rising gasoline prices, worries about global warming, and a growing consumer interest in sustainability, the market for environmentally friendly goods and services has become one of the fastest growing and most lucrative businesses of our time.

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ONE RINGY-DINGY

27 SEP 2005 from Iconoculture | Read the full story»

The Phone Monocle miniature magnifying screen snaps over a cellphone to enlarge the screen type for readability. As phones get more compact, Boomer and Mature squinters can be left frustrated by small screens and small buttons. Until cellphone manufacturers get smart, accessories to ease the way will have a place in elders’ hands.

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Do Hybrids Save Money?

Hybrid cars certainly save gas, but it's debatable whether they save money for consumers. Steve Inskeep talks with Joseph White, Detroit bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal, who argues that -- at least for now -- they don't. (Audio)

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Men and Women Compute Differently

Once again, it isn't about the difference in whether or not men and women are USING the computer, or for how much time. Rather, it is more about HOW they are using it.

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Marketers Need to Come to Terms with the First Task of Aging

Should anyone doubt that the peripatetic Tom Peters at 62 is any less energetic that the snorting young bull he was at 32? Is Tom staying young? No. He’s just not getting older. He’s the epitome of John Barrymore’s immortal wisdom, "A man is never old until regrets take the place of dreams."

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The rise and rise of the green collar worker

With almost eight out of 10 British workers saying that they are more environmentally conscious today than they were five years ago, a growing number are taking their green consciences with them to work.

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Tom has generously provided the funding for this site since its inception. Now that we have launched successfully and have a steady readership, it's time to pull our own weight, fiscally speaking, and begin to use advertisements to support the site. By going this route, we're joining such news aggregators as Always On Network, The Huffington Post, and Information Week. We're not sure which method will work best both for us and for you. So you'll see a few changes both to the site and to the RSS feeds in the coming weeks. Feel free to let us know what you think by emailing us.

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The 55-Plus Crowd Takes to eBay Auctions

Many people age 55 and older are flexing their entrepreneurial muscles on the Internet marketplace.

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Hidden Sources of Young Consumers' Behavior in Today's Marketplace

A curious development I have written much about is how the New Customer Majority – people 40 and older – is having a strong influence on teen and young adult consumers.

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'Mousewives' drive the net revolution

25 SEP 2005 from Scotsman.com Business | Read the full story»

The traditional housewife has been transformed into a 'mousewife' as women drive forward the increasing use of computers in the home, according to a new study by a leading think-tank. The research, carried out by Demos, and based on a six-month anthropological study of five families combined with nationwide [Scotland] polling, reveals how the mother's domestic role has evolved in relation to the internet.

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Work hard, spend hard: Rise of the alpha female

15 SEP 2005 from The Independent | Read the full story»

A survey has highlighted the rising number of successful women in Britain - such as Clara Furse, the chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, Karren Brady, the Birmingham City Football Club chief executive, and the actress Kate Beckinsale - and provided an insight into their tastes in fashion and beauty. (Subscription required!)

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To Bed or to Bar?

A conundrum is plaguing the hotel industry: how to satisfy the contrasting tastes of its two core business traveler constituencies, the baby boomers and Generation X. (Subscription required!)

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Lycra is not the answer to everything

Bob Hastings is the CEO of a Chamber of Commerce in Maine (US) — and he's not thrilled with his state's advertising campaign for tourism.

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WHY DOVE IS LUCKY TO BE KNOWN AS 'THE FAT BRAND'

19 SEP 2005 from AdAge.com | Read the full story»

Weeks after Dove and Nike first broke their separate "real beauty" ad campaigns, discussion and debate about the work continues to ripple through the advertising industry and consumer market. (Free subscription required!)

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The Echo Boomers - Naive Or Perfect?

CBS 60 Minutes last night dedicated a segment of its show to cover the Echo Boomers - the new generation just beginning to emerge from college and enter the workplace...

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Petite green cars tempt tourists

Electric hire cars are proving popular with tourists in the southern Spanish city of Cordoba.

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Computers widen gender gap for boys

Education: Boys spend their spare time playing games on computers while girls use them for homework, research finds.

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Wishing Won't Make It So

17 AUG 2005 from The Wall Street Journal | Read the full story»

The "train wreck" facing the electronics industry ... owing to many companies' failure to keep up with increasing global requirements for environmental performance -- was completely avoidable. It raises concerns about the level of fiduciary duty exercised by business leaders who should have done a better job of seeing it coming, and of preventing it. (Subscription required!)

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Gap's New Chain Store Aims at the Fashionably Mature Woman

Gap Inc., the nation's largest chain of clothing stores, is introducing a new chain aimed at that unwieldy and indefinable category known as grown-ups. (Subscription required!)

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Forth & Towne: not a place, a state of mind

Tomorrow in West Nyack New York Gap will open a store called Forth and Towne — it targets shoppers 35 and older with "a new women's apparel retail concept." Host Kai Ryssdal talks to marketing expert Seth Godin. (Audio)

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Dad's Da Man!

Kids would be well advised to take freewheeling dad on their back-to-school shopping sprees this year — instead of tight-fisted mom.

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Over-35s drive eBay UK web hits

Nearly half of the UK's net users visit eBay monthly and most are over 35, says a net monitoring firm.

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U.S. farms could yield bumper crop of energy

Someday, farms could become a major source of America's energy. Farmers are finding new markets for their crops.

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Seeing gold in the golden years

Senior citizens have become a consumer force to be reckoned with — but no one likes to be told a certain product is perfect for them just 'cause they're older. Blaine