H1N1 Vaccine: A Generation Gap?

Being vaccinated against Swine Flu is a good idea? Your answer to the question appears to be governed by when you were born.

A fascinating article in Media Post suggests that in the US there is a distinct generational divide with older people getting the jab whilst their kids rejecting the offer. Another article appeared in the New York Times.

The argument put forward for this age divide is that older people were brought up with having their arms pricked against all sorts of nasties (e.g. polio, diphtheria) whilst for the younger generation it is a new thing. The other explanation proposed is that older people have first hand experience of the results of epidemics whilst younger people have only read about them, or more likely, listened to a podcast.

I would add another reason for the difference. Younger people have been brought up in an era when the story of a person suffering side effects, or worse dying, following a jab, is national news in a matter of hours. This situated occurred in the UK, with most of the population unaware that within a week the real explanation for the death was revealed as having nothing to do with the jab – the damage was done.

Why on earth is this of any interest to marketers, other than on a personal basis?

This is what the author of the article says:

But, this generational divide has also exposed a marketing misstep that has broader implications for all marketers. Public health officials neglected to take these different generational experiences into consideration when developing their marketing communication efforts. Had they done so, they might have been more effective in encouraging younger parents to inoculate their children.

It's a lesson all marketers should heed -- whether they are marketing health care, financial services or consumer products. Generational first-hand experiences drive attitudes, beliefs and purchase decisions.

Beware, don’t take this generation differences stuff too far, but in this case I think it is a pretty good explanation. It would be fascinating to know what the situation is in the UK. Anybody out there with an answer? Dick Stroud

Physiological ageing = Business opportunity

The Mayo Clinic has an excellent summary of all of the nasties that occur once the 50th birthday has gone. WARNING – reading this could make you seriously depressed.

There is not many physical things that go on the blink other than the:
Cardiovascular system
Bones, muscles and joints
Digestive system
Kidneys, bladder and urinary tract
Brain and nervous system
Eyes
Ears
Teeth
Skin, nails and hair
Sleep
Weight
Sexuality

Still reading? OK, now for the good news. This chronic degeneration in the physical being is a fantastic opportunity for marketers. Just think of all of the things that older people have to buy to try and keep this tsunami of physical decay from engulfing their lives.

Technology Review has an interesting article about one of the higher tech opportunities. Firstly, there is Microsoft Healthvault, described by MS as:” a way to store health information from many sources in one location, so that it’s always organized and available to you online.” Allied to this are companies providing monitoring equipment that take your vital signs and automatically update your online health record. Tanita is one of the companies providing MS compatible equipment.

The cynic in me wonders what happens if the vital signs are indicating all is not well - do you get an e-mail and/or a text to tell you to get to the nearest A&E department. I can just see the expression of disbelief from some tired over-worked nurse as you brandish your mobile with the text alert – “this patient is gravely ill – This message was automatically generated by MS HealthVault.”.

Sorry, I digress. Seriously, physiological ageing and all it entails is a multi billion dollar business. I get the feeling that for most mega companies it is one of those interesting niches. Before long it must move into the mainstream. Dick Stroud

US politics breaks along demographics lines

Views about how members of Congress should vote on the forthcoming Healthcare Reform Bill provide a fascinating insight into how the attitudes of Americans divide along demographic lines.

This research from Gallup shows a big division by gender, income and age.

I wonder how the marketers in the Obama’s team are going to tackle this one. If they are not careful they are going to be left with their support only coming from young poor females.

It is difficult to know if these results are specific to healthcare or show a more generalised trend in the American electorate. Dick Stroud

Binge drinking oldies

This is the title of the article in the US publication Supermarket Guru: “Binge drinking it is time to take responsibility.”

Duke University has found that 22% of men and 9% of women, between ages 50 and 64, binge drink. That means they consumed five alcoholic drinks or more at a time.

In addition, 19% of the men and 13% of the women reported having two or more drinks a day - a level that puts their health at risk when viewed against American Geriatric Society guidelines.

Some 14% of men and 3% of women, over the age of 65, also binge drink.

Well I guess you could say this news is great for the drinks and pharmaceutical industries.

I have a problem with the word ‘binge’, along with the term ‘over weight’ – as defined as anybody with a BMI, greater than 25.

There is characteristic about the over-50s, maybe it applies to all ages or maybe it just applies to me that discounts or ignores advice that debases the accepted meaning of words. In the mind of most people, binge drinking is the sight you see when you pass through the city centre of most UK towns on a Saturday night. People milling or lying around in a state of extreme intoxication.

So, when you say that somebody who, over the course of an evening, once a month, has five glasses of wine is in the same category, the immediate reaction is to totally ignore the associated advice.

The same with the term "over-weight" that applies to both the manifestly bulging hulks that waddle around (many of whom work for the NHS) as to somebody with their belt let-out an extra notch.

Don’t get me wrong. I am sure there is good sense in the advice but it will be ignored because of the way it is expressed. This is a case where "less is more effective than more". Dick Stroud

Challenges for the pharmaceutical industry

How about being a marketer in this industry and working in Japan.

You would think that all would be rosy because of the country's fastest, although healthiest, ageing population, but no.

Government policy requires drug prices to be cut once every two years, as part of drive to combat escalating medical costs. In 2006 and 2008, average price cuts were 6.7% and 5.2% respectively. In addition, the health ministry has a target to increase the use of generic drugs – copycat versions of patented drugs – to 30% by 2012, up from today’s 16%.

I reckon there are a lot of governments watching how things work out in Japan since all of the developed world has the same problems.

The financial pressures of the ageing population added to the residual effects of the credit crunch will change the rules of engagement between industry and Government. Certainly in the drug's industry. Dick Stroud

Deprivation makes a big difference

This is a great example of the fallacy of talking about ‘averages’.

In the UK the disability-free life expectancy, for a man aged 65, in the least deprived living conditions, is just under twice that of his peer living in the most deprived conditions. The difference for women is slightly smaller.

The healthy life expectancy for a man in the most deprived conditions is 35% less than for one in most affluent. Significant differences.

This data is for 2001. From what I can see the gap has not narrowed, if anything it is wider.

If this sort of stuff interests you then go to the ONS web site and download this document
Dick Stroud

How the average 50-year-old is healthier than someone half their age

I am always suspicious of PR generating ‘research’.

According to this article, Herbalife concluded that your ‘average’ 50-plus is in good shape, compared to their kids.

I wouldn’t use the results, other than to make a point, but I think there is a difference (not sure how big) between age groups in their attitude to healthiness.

Is this a lifestage or cohort effect? I think you can safely say it is cohort with a tad of lifestage.

Kids always think they will be immortal and today’s 50-plus are subject to a pile more ‘healthiness’ messages and services than their parents.

Wellness and the 50-plus, well some sectors of the 50-plus, is and will remain big business for years to come. Dick Stroud

Longer life but at what cost

I am always crowing on about the effects of lengthening life expectancy but this research from Japan was a real wake-up call (Trends in healthy life expectancy in Japan: 1986 – 2004).

The research examines the increasing life expectancy of Japanese men and women in relation to their health from 1986 to 2004. The researchers computed healthy life expectancy for seven available time-points for both sexes and at all ages.

The results showed that the gains in life expectancy prior to 1995 were mostly in years of good self-rated health, while the gains thereafter were in years of poor self-rated health. The exception was for women at age 85 (see chart), among whom there was an almost continuous increase in the number of years in poor health.

I reckon that Japan is probably more likely to keep it citizens in good health than a lot of Western European countries also Japan has not been stricken by the ravages of obesity, unlike the US and UK.

My guess is that the data for the UK would show that even less time is spent in ‘Good’ health.

So, from a marketers point of view – just look at the opportunity for products and services that inject a higher proportion of ‘Good’ life expectancy. Dick Stroud

Health is the new Wealth

Sorry for such a detailed chart but it contains some fascinating data - click on the image to size a readable version.

The research comes from DDB Worldwide Communications Group and the report is available on BrandChannel.

DDB interviewed 1831 consumers and physicians in 11 countries (US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, China, India, Australia, and Singapore) understand patient behaviours and attitudes. The type of questions asked related to:

• How do people feel about their health?
• How do those perceptions translate into attitudes and behaviours, especially concerning how they take care of themselves and interact with their physicians?
• What are the social, behavioural, and psychological differences between patients who suffer from a pathological condition and those who have a lifestyle condition?
• How the global economic crisis is affecting global health priorities
• And so on ……

All things to do with health and wellness are very relevant to the 50-plus. It is a pity that the data was not also split by age but I guess that with a relatively small sample size that would be asking a bit much.

The chart shows what actions/interventions people are doing to help improve/stabilise their health.

I despair about the UK. What an apathetic bunch. Just look at the national differences in attitudes about exercising regularly. The UK has the lowest ranking (18%) compared with the average of 41%. Undoubtedly, there will be a huge difference by socio economic group but even so the attitudes of the Brits are dreadful. Dick Stroud

Boomers: The Next 20 years

Many thanks to Martijn de Haas for telling me about this report from the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Don’t be put off by the rather fancy title: “Ecologies of Risks.” This document contains some interesting and original ideas.

It starts with a depressing catalogue of all the risks that confront the Boomer generation. It is long and doesn’t even truly reflect the dire consequences of the recession. Nothing totally new in this section but it is a useful list.

Where it starts to get interesting is when it turns the corner from threats to opportunities.

For instance, the report believes that: “Boomers believe that their single most important future asset is themselves” and from this it deduces the opportunity is translating self-investment strategies into financial products and services such as health and long-term care insurance, reverse mortgages, and education loans for re-careering and lifetime income products.

One of the sites it uses to illustrate opportunity is Nifty after Fifty.

The report concludes that Boomers are grouping together, with like minded souls, to provide protection against the plethora of life's risks. The site it uses to illustrate this is the Lending Club

Two sites really caught my attention and that have the potential to tap a deep vein of fear, vulnerability and the need for support and knowledge.

Patients Like me as the name suggest is a place to find out from others suffering from the same conditions. Daily Strength has a wider remit beyond health to all sorts of issues.

All in all, it is definitely worth reading this Metlife report. Dick Stroud

Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004-2007)

Firstly, thanks to Martijn de Haas for telling me about this survey.

You can download from the site a thumping great 180 pages of report that from first glances looks interesting. Another one for the pile: “must read”.

It appeared that you can get access to the data behind the report findings. Methinks that is something that could be useful, especially since being a EU taxpayer I have directly contributed to the funding of the research.

After a tortureous process of downloading a form and then having to fax or post (yes you are reading correctly) back to Share I get an e-mail telling me that I can’t have access.

Would you believe it - the data is only available to academics. Since another part of my life is as an academic I asked again and was told that this would be OK but: “Let me stress again that the data may only be used for scientific purposes and not for commercial reasons.”

What world do these people live in? Dick Stroud

The downturn’s new rules for marketers

I really like the stuff that McKinsey publishes. The consultancy has realised that the visual attractiveness of its publications, whilst not as important as the content, is still very important. When I receive one of its reports and I just want to read it. The fact that the content is good and they are well written also help.

This article is on the now popular theme of marketing during recessionary times. You might be able to download it – I am not sure – I have a paid subscription.

It was one of the examples that caught my eye. In 2006 McKinsey asked a bunch of Baby Boomers what categories of products they would cut to reduce spending by 20%. The chart shows how the Boomers responded. Bad news for the clothing – good vibes for the health industry. Dick Stroud

Profile of campaigns and web sites supplying diabetic products and services

Chuck Nyren is now on a roll and creating audio-PowerPoint presentations like there is no tomorrow.

This time his target for analysis is the suppliers of diabetic products and services. The three companies he has chosen demonstrate: “perfect marketing and advertising archetypes - down-to-earth and accessible - resonating message and very mannered and professional branding - the “happy-face” company.

Interestingly the presentation (in wmv format) is hosted by Microsoft Silverlight. First time I have consciously viewed a video hosted on this service.

Definitely worth watching both for the content and the excellent execution of streaming PowerPoint as a communications technique. Dick Stroud

Nine (not 8 or 10) Baby Boomer money makers

Forbes has an interesting article (s), some might say an idiots guide, to how to make money from Baby Boomers. If you don’t want to read the text, have a look at this slide show.

Can't wait to know what the 8 money winners are?

1.Nutrition/Weight-Management Consultant
2.Travel Agency
3.Errand Service
4.Financial Adviser
5.Specialty Contractor
6.Beauty Salon/Spa
7.'Cosmeceutical' Retailer
8.Health Club

The article has that “Friday afternoon” feel about it so wouldn’t give it too much credence, despite its well respected publisher. Dick Stroud

Living in the 21st century: older people in England

A major report has just been released about the reality of ageing in England. When I say major I mean major. It is 316 pages long and is comes with a great pedigree.

Here is the press release from the PA. As you would expect the press release is written for headline grabbing – nothing wrong with that.

Nearly a third - or 30% - of men aged between 60 and 64 years old said they expected to carry on working past the age of 65 in 2006/07, compared with 25% questioned in 2002/03.

Life expectancy had increased at an astonishing rate.

The poorest elderly people were more than twice as likely to die as the richest over a given period

Once I have had a read I will comment some more. Dick Stroud

The future shape of health and care management

My Outlook inbox contained two totally disconnected e-mails containing links that illustrate how care and health management in the future might (will) be managed.

I don’t know what it is like outside the UK but the health and care services provided by the Government, and much of the private sector, use a level of IT that Noah would toss out of the Ark and demand something more modern.

Every shrill article in the media about the ageing population is accompanied by dire predictions of how the health and care services will implode and that people (mainly 50-plus) must take more responsibility for their own health and care. They may be right.

One thing that could make a big difference is the application of the latest concepts of the Web.
Arjan in't Veld told me about a US outfit called Lotsa Helping Hands that is a free online volunteer caregiving coordination tool. Basically it applies social networking functionality to a specific issue of coordinating care for an individual. What a brilliant idea.

So far there are 8,000 Lotsa Helping Hands communities. The company has partnered with organisations like the Alzheimer’s Association, American Lung Association, Lance Armstrong Foundation and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society providing co-branded services they offer to their members.

The other development is the concept of owning your own medical data and using Google or Microsoft tools for its management. This appeared in an article in Technology Review.
Google and Microsoft want to do the same thing for personal health that software such as Quicken has already done for people's personal finances. Google Health (released in May) and Microsoft HealthVault (launched last October) allow consumers to store and manage their personal medical data online. Users will be able to gather information from doctors, hospitals, and testing laboratories and share it with new medical providers, making it easier to coordinate care for complicated conditions and spot potential drug interactions or other problems. Both Google and Microsoft will also offer links to third-party services like medication reminders and programs that track users' blood-­pressure and glucose readings over time.

Are you getting the picture? It looks to me like we will have the providers of care and health services using clapped out IT whilst consumers will be expecting/demanding/needing to use Web 2.0 and Cloud technologies. Dick Stroud

Medical Advice and social networking

“A new website seeks to bring the power of social networking to health support groups.”

This was the tag line of the article in Technology Review.

Trusera is a new social-networking Web site that is all about health. The site: “features online communities and personalized health information, allows members to endorse one another's contributions, as a way to identify reliable sources of information.”

Well guys as much as I think this is the way social networking will develop (i.e. niche interest) and as much as I think this focus is relevant to the 50-plus (because all of effects of physiological ageing) I am to be convinced this site is the way to do things.

Unless I can “get it” about a site within 30-60 secs (a long time by some people’s standards) I am likely to give up. I gave up. I will give it a month or two to build content and have another look. Dick Stroud

Motivations to stay healthy

The annual research conducted by The Natural Marketing Institute (NMI) among US Boomers provides some interesting insights into why Americans (well some Americans) are concerned about their health.

The main health worries are the need to lose weight (40%), high blood pressure (35%), joint pain (30%) and high cholesterol (29%).

The above chart shows the factors motivating this group to try and stay healthy.

When you think that each of these factors represents billions of dollars of consumer spend, it is worth taking seriously. Dick Stroud

The good and bad news about disability and ageing

This chart shows that over 80% of Americans were not chronically disabled in 2004-2005, measured by their state of health and the daily tasks they are able to do. That is an improvement over three-quarters a decade earlier.

A similar trend has been documented in some Europe countries. Denmark, Finland, Italy, and the Netherlands show clear evidence of a decline in disability among the elderly. This is the good news (unless you are a company providing care services to the chronically disabled) .

This decrease in old-age disability has come as chronic diseases (heart disease and diabetes)have increased. A seemingly contradictory trend. But disability is determined by other factors in addition to health. As life expectancy in the older population has increased, more elderly people are living with chronic illnesses. However, these illnesses are not as disabling as they were in the past.

The bad news is that rising obesity in the US (and just about everywhere else) could halt or reverse the decline in old-age disability. Already there is evidence that Americans in their early 50s are less healthy than people of the same age a decade earlier.

Based on current trends for people ages 50 to 69, disability rates could increase during the next decade from 8% in 2005 to 9% in 2015, reversing some or all of the recent gains.

Another big BUT is that these figures are averages and as we all know averages tell us virtually nothing. There is a big difference in the disability rates between the wealthy and the poor.

For all you smug Brits that think the UK doesn’t have these problems remember that in Iraq, life expectancy is 67. In the Calton, area of Glasgow, it is 54. Dick Stroud

How to delight women, gays and baby boomers

If you don’t, you should subscribe to the newsletter from Trendwatching, which is an opinionated consumer trends firm that takes a global view on what is driving consumer behaviour and most importantly consumer spending. I really like its style and the scope of its coverage – like the comment about the photo. Yes, we know these pictures are cheesy.

This month’s edition has the eye catching title of “How to delight women, gays and baby boomers”.

It is has some good examples of what is going on with the boomer consumers and the products that are tempting them in the categories of dating, health, travel, homes and housing plus another half a dozen product groups. Definitely worth a look.

What it doesn’t do – I suspect because of space problems – is to look at the interaction of these three groups. Now that is really interesting and a subject I am going to blog a lot more about. Dick Stroud

Polish geriatricians not plumbers

I receive loads of e-mail press releases. Most are quickly consigned to the recycle bin.

Why I wondered had somebody sent me a news release to do with: “United Kingdom Citizens travelling to Poland for medical treatment”

A quick inspection of the organization’s web site (statmedia) answered my question.

According to forecasts by the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency the number of patients travelling to Poland from overseas is set to increase by 10-20% each year. A lot of them will be from the UK. In the future many of them will be older people.

It is a no brainer that the only way the UK can deal with the medical care of its ageing population is to use off-shore facilities. Some will be in India and some closer to home. The trend has begun. Dick Stroud

This is a report for your 50-plus library

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has published an excellent report that demonstrates the horrible health implications of the US’s ageing Boomer population. For the US also read Europe.

If you are feeling a bit too cheerful and need a dose of despondency then read a few of the highlights from the report.

The first Boomers will turn 65 in 2011 and more than 37 million of them - six out of 10 - will be managing more than one chronic condition by 2030. Also by 2030:
· 14 million Boomers will be living with diabetes - that's one out of every four Boomers.

· Half of the Boomers will live with arthritis - the number peaking at 26 million in 2020.

· More than one out of three Boomers - over 21 million - will be considered obese.

If your business is in anyway connected to the healthcare industry then you must download this report. This is what you do. Go to the AHA web site and register and then you will have access to the report.

It is not exactly a laugh a minute but a great source of information. Dick Stroud

Ecumen - an interesting looking care company

I have done a lot of work at the old-old end of the 50-plus market in the residential and care sector. This is an overlooked part of the market but one that will is becoming increasingly important.

The people from Ecumen contacted me to tell me about their web site. They look an interesting outfit.

I was amused at their choice of “The top five web sites that are changing aging” Why they chose Zimmers is beyond me. Other than that, if you are interested in the care market then this site is worth a visit. Dick Stroud

50-plus fitness - fantasy or fact?

Fitness First, claims to be the largest gym, health and fitness club group in the world, has done a survey (8,000 respondents)

Over 93% of the over-50s claim to ate healthily, 84% said they were careful about alcohol consumption and three-quarters avoided additives in food. A total of 55% were content with their body shape and nearly four in five had a good work/life balance.

For the 18-29 year old group, 79% claimed they ate sensibly and 69% said they drank in moderation.

Surprisingly 62% were satisfied with their physique but just over two-thirds of this group were happy with work/life balance.

I tend to take all of these surveys with at large pinch of salt and I wouldn’t put too much store in the absolute numbers. But, I think it shows that there is a huge market for the health-aware sector of the 50-plus. The other explanation is that the over-50s are better liars, especially about their drinking habits! Dick Stroud

Maybe a good product idea – dreadful web site

Bayer HealthCare is having a crack at the baby boomer market with the introduction of a new line of nutritional supplements, Bayer Nutritional Science.

Bayer is focusing the new line on: “maximizing baby boomer vitality”.

It sounds like a pretty good idea but how could they be satisfied with such a naff web site. It looks like it is from another era. Dick Stroud

Too many naked women

Apparently the Dove pro.age ads are not being shown in some countries because the sight of naked older ladies is thought to be too much for the fragile viewers.

Dove’s decision to leverage this fact is pretty smart. Dick Stroud

P&G's acquisition of MDVIP - interesting idea

P&G recently announced acquisition of a stake in MDVIP, in which physicians keep practices small and focus on preventive care for fee-paying patients

Coca-Cola Co. this month bought Fuze Beverage, extending the beverage maker's line of drinks with Fuze juice and tea brands.

Johnson & Johnson Co. has also been active, obtaining cardiac stent maker Conor Medsystems and the consumer health products business of Pfizer Inc. in recent months.

P&G's chief executive explained the rationale for this purchase as giving his company "the time to learn; it gets us in early in the formation of the new category or segment."

At the heart of this interest in health related products and services is simple demographics and economics. More old, more healthcare spend. Simple as that.

MDVIP's founder said that he sees the P&G investment as a catalyst to keep building his business: "We think they are bringing a world of knowledge to us... they are masters of scaling and branding." The trick is applying all this global marketing power and not suffocating the entrepreneurial spirit that created the company in the first place. Dick Stroud

Boomer food

A Reuter’s press release claims that: “Food manufacturers and retailers are recognizing that they need to go after aging U.S. baby boomers who have money to spend and time to shop”.

Some of the companies who are turning their marketing budgets on the 50-plus are:

Kraft - who calls consumers 50 years and older the "liberated boomers." (give me a break) has products such as a South Beach Diet line and Crystal Light drinks and of course the company's mainstay products such as macaroni and cheese. (Sounds as appetizing as a baked brick). Soon to hit the supermarket shelves will be its Bistro Deluxe line ("a sophisticated Mac & Cheese experience with unique ingredients that appeal to an adult palate"). This makes the brick sound appetizing.

Unilever - has its restaurant-style line, Bertolli Dinner for Two

Sara Lee - hits the floor running with its ready-to-eat meals such as Jimmy Dean sausage sandwiches and skillet meals.

Wild Oats Markets - is a company that thinks it is well placed to cater for the boomer with its range of natural and organic foods, also has gluten-free, sugar-free and diabetic products.

Ken Dychtwald (“the man”) is much quoted in the press release. Why do I think he hasn’t been trying the delights of a skillet meal or a ‘sophisticated’ Mac & Cheese experience, washed down with a mug of Crystal Light.

This food sounds dreadful. I can only assume that these global food giants have concluded that one of the physiological effects of aging is the complete loss of taste and smell. Dick Stroud