Here's another response. I seemed to lose it in my inbox.
1. A leading retailer wants to create an equivalent of The Gap aimed at the over 60s. What should the key communications idea for that store be?
You’re the perfect blend of genuine and gorgeous, comfortable and classic. Feeling better than ever. Knowing who you are. Finally getting what you want. You no longer fit your clothes – your clothes fit you.
I like that. It seems a little wooly to start with. More like catalogue copy than strategy but there's a good idea in 'you no longer fit your clothers - your clothes fit you'.
2. A leading car brand wants to create a loyalty program that ensures their over 50s customers come back and use authorized dealerships for their service and maintenance. They want to use direct mail to do it. What should the main idea for that be?
Reconnect over 50s with the special and personal relationships they had with cars from the golden age of Detroit. Loyalty, honesty, hard work. Man and machine and some good clean fun.
Good emotional territory to be in. But you need to find something specific to say to bring that to life, especially if you're using direct mail, what are you actually going to do that's going to be different that you can tell people about? If this is just nostalgic art direction it's not going to be enough.
3. An innovative entrepreneur wants to create a fast food or coffee bar chain targeting affluent over 50s. What should their strategy be?
In the world of multi-tasking on-the-go, we offer a place to shut down and tune out. Soothe the mind, nourish the body, heal the soul. No Wi-fi, no CNN, no cell phones.
I like that. That makes sense. Couldn't you have found a way to get that into less words, some more memorable phrase? That would make it perfect.
4. Most people in their 20s aren't investing in pensions or thinking about how they'll finance their retirement - how would you persuade them to do so?
What happens when you don’t plan? Familiar ‘80’s figures show us the washed up “after” if your “before” doesn’t include financial planning. Don’t become a has-been.
I think this gets close to being an executional idea rather than a strategy. I mind that a lot less than most planners, because I find that thinking about execution is a great way to get to effective strategies, but this might be an exception. The thinking's good - but it's not a springboard for more creativity - it's telling the creatives what to do.
5. A health care company has realized that the affluent, demanding boomer generation in the US is starting to need critical health care, retirement communities and hospices, but they don't want the grimy, depressing places where their parents went to be cared for and to die. How would you position a total health-care business for this generation?
Retirement is a beginning, not an end. Empowering wellness and achievement with a chance to do it all over again. Choose the path you didn’t take because life got in the way.
Good. I like 'choose the path you didn't take because life got in the way'. That's an idea, it's an idea that creatives could do something with. It's orginal and interesting and relevant. Splendid.
The golden age of Detroit? When they were making 14 million cars in the city centre and the new mustang was launched just before the riots? I'm kidding!
Posted by: Carol | February 04, 2006 at 06:51 PM