Boomers In The Wild

The Business of…the Baby Boomer Traveler

Lori Bitter — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:26:49 +0000

For this week’s show we speak with Kathy Dragon, CEO of TravelDragon.com, owner of The Dragon’s Path, & VP of Dragon Consulting Inc. Kathy has spent the past two decades in the center of the active, adventure and sustainable travel industry. As a tour operator and guide she has personally escorted over 3000 guests on small group tours around the globe and created programs in conjunction with local guides and properties. Kathy is a frequent international speaker and consultant in the travel industry specifically focusing on authentic/responsible travel and the influence of the Boomer & Beyond market…those who expect and are willing to invest in this new type of travel. A contributing author of BOOM: Marketing to the Ultimate Power Consumer—The Baby Boomer Woman, Kathy is a frequent speaker and creator of content for industry blogs, newsletters, podcasts and articles.

The Business of Aging with Lori Bitter
January 31, 2012 – Season 2 – Episode 5: The Business of the Baby Boomer Traveler
Guest: Kathy Dragon, CEO of TravelDragon.com
Listen & download here

Reaching the Seasoned Traveler at the Educational Travel Conference, Jan. 19-22 in Orlando, FL

Lori Bitter — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:00:40 +0000

Later this week I’ll be at the The Educational Travel Conference (ETC), Jan. 19-22 in Orlando, Florida. ETC is the founding conference for Alumni, Museum, Zoo, Conservation, and Nonprofit Educational Travel. It hosts 450 delegates who are a highly-qualified international group of nonprofit travel planners, suppliers, specialty tour operators and destinations. They assemble to focus on the development, operation and marketing of group educational, experiential and affinity travel worldwide.

I am looking forward joining Kathy Dragon, Doris Gallan and Heather Hardwick Rhodes for several agenda sessions there on Friday Jan. 20:

Going Past 40: How Today’s Baby Boomers are Traveling and Making their Buying Decisions, 9:30 – 10:50 a.m.
Boomer Product Development: Go Broader, Go Deeper by Appealing to Core Values of the 40+, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Prime Time Travelers: Diving Into The Digital/Social Component Of the Boomer Marketplace, 4:15 – 5:30 p.m

Learn more about The Educational Travel Conference (ETC) here.

Rise of the Silver Surfers: Silvers Summit at CES 2012 next week

Lori Bitter — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:37:24 +0000

No sooner do we begin the New Year, then we hit the ground running with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week (Jan. 10-13). As you create your agenda for the huge event, your must-attend ticket is the Silvers Summit.

The Silvers Summit will showcase the products and services that keep boomers engaged, entertained and connected. There they are assembling companies, distributors, journalists, research firms, think tanks, to demonstrate the products and services that will help mature consumers maintain their high quality of life. The Conference takes place on Jan 10, 2012, and features panels, presentations, and interactive demonstrations on products and services ranging from a unified health care format to home security, aging with technology and in-depth panels sessions.

During the workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 10, join me for Rise of the Silver Surfers: How to Use Non-Traditional Marketing to Reach a Traditional Audience, #4458, 9:50 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. N250.

Along with co-panelists Karen Klein, Lori Bitter, Peter DeMaris, Peter Greene, Stephen Reily, we’ll explore in this session that “Boomers spend $7 billion online annually, they are the fastest growing group on Facebook and 55 percent of those age 55-64 watch online videos. Silvers are dating, shopping, traveling, caregiving, reconnecting – all online. Panelists will discuss how to tap into this huge boomer customer segment using online and social media marketing techniques.”

While you are at CES, be sure to check out Aging Technology Alliance (AgeTek) pavilion at North Hall booth 3209. AgeTek is a trade group of companies that develop and/or market technology-based products designed for the senior market. They are opening their annual meeting to non-members this year, and hosting a meet n’ greet for those who wish to learn more about this organization. CES attendees can enter to win a ClearSounds ClearBlue™ Bluetooth Mini-Speaker & TV/Audio Listening System, valued at $250, by getting an AgeTek CES Passport stamped at each of the AgeTek member booths at CES. AgeTek CES Passports are available inside the Silvers Summit program, and at the AgeTek Pavilion.

See you there!

The Business of…Brain Fitness

Lori Bitter — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:42:08 +0000

For this week’s show, The Business of… Brain Fitness, we have guest Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science, the leader in clinically proven brain fitness software. Their software is scientific brain training designed to improve memory and cognitive skills.

The Business of Aging with Lori Bitter
December 27, 2012 – Season 2 – Episode 4: The Business of Brain Fitness
Guest: Henry Mahncke, CEO of Posit Science
Listen & download here

Keep the Holidays Happy for Your Kids and Grandkids

Lori Bitter — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:44:33 +0000

Empty nesters can put a lot of pressure on the holiday season. As former “helicopter parents,” we no longer have day-to-day involvement with (or control over) our adult children and many of us are joining the ranks of grandparents. Short of cutting out our tongues, there are many things we can do to ensure a fun, peaceful holiday visit to create memories for the entire family.

Here are some of my tips from current Allstate blog post. How do you keep the lines of communication open?

Continuum Crew welcomes new client: Keiro Senior HealthCare

Lori Bitter — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 19:22:27 +0000

Keiro Senior HealthCare is the largest not-for-profit healthcare organization serving the Japanese American community. Keiro Senior HealthCare encompasses Keiro Nursing Home, South Bay Keiro Nursing Home, Keiro Intermediate Care Facility, and Keiro Retirement Home. It also promotes healthy lifestyles – what they call “genki living” – through The Institute for Healthy Aging at Keiro.

The Business Of…Assistive Listening Devices

Lori Bitter — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:41:40 +0000

For this week’s show, The Business of… Assistive Listening Devices for Older Consumers, we have guest Michele Ahlman, President of ClearSounds Communications, a Chicago-based privately held company that provides high-quality sound enhancing products for the boomer, senior and caregivers market. As a leading provider of niche telephone and communication products, ClearSounds is the leading manufacturer and distributor of ClearSounds branded products including amplified phones, signaling devices, TV listening systems, clocks, audio accessories and cellular products.

The Business of Aging with Lori Bitter
November 15, 2011 – Season 2 – Episode 3: The Business of Assistive Listening Devices
Guest: Michele Ahlman, President, ClearSounds
http://wgrnradio.com/blog/2011/11/15/the-business-of-aging-season-2-show-3-the-business-of-assistive-listening-devices/" target="_blank">Listen & download here

On stands now: Lori Featured in FORBES magazine

Lori Bitter — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:35:34 +0000

On stands now is the print edition of Forbes magazine (December 2011, Investment Guide). It features the story Boomers: Reinventing the Next Chapter, by Deborah L. Jacobs. Lori was interviewed for this article about her success in building a business that helps others to understand the needs and wants of the Baby Boomer and Senior consumers, and effectively reach them.

The Business of…Learning in Later Life

Lori Bitter — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:58:59 +0000

For this week’s show, The Business of…Learning in Later Life, we spoke with Susan Hoffman, director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at University of California – Berkeley. We discuss the programs available to continue learning throughout life, and the proliferation of OLLIs (Osher lifelong learning institutes).

→

The Business of Aging: The Business of Learning Later in Life; December 6, 2011 – Susan Hoffman

Continuum Crew Selected as Agency of Record for AgeTek

Lori Bitter — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:08:59 +0000

We are pleased to announce that we have been selected as the marketing agency of record by Aging Technology Alliance™ (AgeTek™), a trade group of companies that develop and/or market technology-based products designed for the senior market.

AgeTek represents companies and organizations dedicated to promoting the awareness, benefits and value of products and services for our aging society. Their members’ products and services allow seniors to remain independent and age in place at home, as well as empower many seniors to enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle while securing their mobility. AgeTek is focused on bringing greater awareness to their industry, products, and to its select group of companies that are working together (and independently) to develop better-designed, less expensive and better-tested products for the senior consumer.

Continuum Crew will counsel AgeTek on thought leadership activities and member engagement activities. We will also develop and implement an advertising and media plan, with interactive media services (including the execution of email campaigns and search engine optimization), marketing collateral production, public relations and social media activities.

“As we seek to gain the attention of public policy makers, regulators, lawmakers, advocacy groups, mass media and the general public about the benefits of technology appropriately designed for seniors, we know aligning ourselves with Continuum Crew is the perfect choice,” said Peter Radsliff, Board Chairman, AgeTek. “Led by Lori Bitter, she and her team have a strong presence in this space and an outstanding reputation. They know how to most effectively reach these audiences. We look forward to what this partnership will yield as we grow our organization.”

To read more about this announcement click here.