Wanted:
50-plus individual to build a community.
Gen X and Y need not apply.
According to projections by the U.S. Census Bureau, a whopping 7,918 Americans turn 60 every day in 2006. That amounts to 330 people every hour.
If you haven’t noticed, it has become essential for marketing and public relations to find innovative ways to reach this demographic. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by a new social networking site Eons, which claims it has garnered 300,000 users since its launch on July 31, 2006, and is aimed squarely at the 50-plus crowd.
But if you are under 49 years old, don’t bother applying. The Eons community site, which according to author and one of the fine readers of Communication Overtones, Kare Anderson,
was lanched by Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor, is closed to those under 50.
And Kare points out that Jeff himself isn't yet 50, how ironic.
If you are close to the magic age, you can get on a waiting list to get an invitation to the site around your birthday.
There was an interesting article by Clayton Collins in the Christian Science Monitor today about Eons. He reported that in addition to user-generated content, they have hired editors for the site, like Sue Bloom, a published digital photographer and parent of two adult daughters, to run the a photography group and write a blog. The group gained 200 members in 50 days.
They also are using five partner corporations that provide content, including Hyatt, Liberty Mutual and Verizon.
They allow would-be writers to submit story ideas to site editors, and it sounds like the gig pays, but you need to be in the 50-plus demographic since you need to access the site to write something relevant.
The site is built to deliver the 50-plus crowd to advertisers, but since I can’t get in and take a look, I can’t report about the possible public relations opportunities there. If you aren’t part of the demographic, I would consider tasking a 50-plus year-old employee to participate in the community. As for me, I am calling my Mom 😉
The site is represented by The Castle Group Inc., a PR firm located in Boston, Mass.
If you have innovative ideas for reaching Boomers, either through Eons or other sources, leave a comment so we can share resources.
