Ah, retirement advertising.
Once upon a time it was so straightforward.
Just like that cherished phase of life, retirement, from the middle-French word retirer meaning to withdraw.
But hardly anyone seems to be withdrawing any longer and when they decide to, they’re doing it quite differently than their counterparts of even thirty years ago.
This is in no small part due to society today being quite different than it was then.
Life expectancies keep expanding.
The rate of technology changes continues at a head spinning pace.
And thanks to advances in medicine and health care, the elderly in First World countries are vital and engaged like never before.
What does this mean to advertisers?
Opportunity.
If you can identify and speak to the retirement segment in your market.
And it doesn’t matter whether you’re pitching an investment newsletter, cosmetics or business development for accountants.
Every market has its segment that’s responsive to the “R” word.
A respondent in her 20s may latch onto the biz-op like claim, “Retire This Year!… and Still Make More Money Than Most Doctors,” as easily as someone her mid-50s.
Another example.
Retirement is not the first word of ad copy that leaps to mind in the beauty and rejuvenation markets.
But if you’ve identified how to reach female executives in their 50s, they may well jump at the promise.
RETIRE BEAUTIFUL!
Two-word copy constructions like these are surprisingly often the miracle seeds for blockbuster ads… and businesses.
A few months ago, I had dinner with a brilliant, old-school, New York ad agency woman.
Her formula for doing this is simply putting together combinations of two buzz words that the public instantly recognizes.
Her best known success with this concept is Zone Pilates, which became a megahit infomercial. She’s got more projects in the pipeline.
Best of all, she keeps this small scale by concentrating on being an “idea woman,” creating a prototype, then licensing her baby out to a big manufacturer who’s happy to pay her royalties for as long as the product makes the cash register ring.
And speaking of cash registers, here’s some direct mail that’s creating a ka-ching! for one of my favorite mailers, Agora
There are few products that lend themselves to big promise quite as nice as the little penny stock.
“Secret $200 Retirement Blueprint! (15-page PDF, 8.4 megabytes)
What if you ad a simple blueprint for a wealthy, independent Retirement?
Just copy this simple “Secret $200 Retirement Blueprint…”
15 page DM letter (mailing March 2012) for Penny Stock Fortunes membership at $69 a year.
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Your emails are inspiring and uplifting. Currently broke and continuing to have a go.
One question about the wise old-school advertising gal. Does she devise a product idea and have a prototype developed along with the ad to sell it? Or does she devise a superior ad for an existing product, license it, and collect royalties on sales increases? Thanks! ~ Barrie
Lawrence,
Thanks as always for posting such useful material and information.
Love the “Two Word” concept. In my own brainstorming looking for ideas I often use a “matrix” to generate concepts. One of the keys is to come up with something that John Carlton calls (I think) the juxtaposition – that is 2 elements that you wouldn’t normally think of as being linked (e.g. “The one-legged golfer”).
On the retirement market, I suspect there is an opportunity as you suggest to redefine this. My sense is that a lot of people now don’t expect to be able to enjoy what’s come to be thought of as the traditional retirement. So there could well emerge a “semi-retirement” or “transition to retirement” niche. Lot of people will be looking for part-time, side-line income opportunities as well.
Thanks for a stimulating post as always and a great blog!
Kevin Francis
Have a go, Dave. We’re all ashes in the end, so why not give the world a kick in the nuts while you’re here.
Hi Barrie, you’ll excuse me for typing “Clyde” in my half conscious state at the moment.
It takes about $150,000 investment in the patent prototype to get this off the ground. Obviously, this is after she’s committed to the idea.
So, the idea and product are hers and she hands the baton to a big company with deep pockets where the product is then tested in spots and if successful, rolled out there too.
Good investment for her: that $150 k must have returned over $10 million in royalties for that product.