Posted on 01/16/2007 7:32:49 AM PST by qam1
Now approaching 50 itself, AARP is heading off a midlife crisis with a new TV ad that celebrates the aging process to the strains of the Buzzcocks' classic punk song "Everybody's Happy Nowadays."
The image overhaul, aimed in part at future AARPers now in their 30s and 40s, is part of a long-running effort to reposition the organization formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons (it has gone by just AARP since 1999) as one devoted to vigorous, working people who are 50-and-up.
There is a lingering perception that AARP is a retiree organization," said Emilio Pardo, AARP chief brand director. "But people are living longer and working longer and we want to reflect that back to them. We are in a position to further enhance the lives of people 50-and-over."
A cornerstone of the brand update is a theme with five words that reflect members and future members' needs: "Health. Finances. Connecting. Giving. Enjoying."
The AARP spends close to $115 million annually in measured media, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.
The AARP logo itself also has been updated, via Siegel & Gale, New York, to resonate with the brand's more energized spirit.
Ads are designed to increase Washington-based AARP's 38 million members, who pay annual dues of $12.50. In return, the organization lobbies for pet issues like Social Security and provides discounts with participating brands.
The first TV ad, one of seven brand and advocacy ads slated for this year—via GSD&M, Austin, Texas—was set to break yesterday during the Golden Globes Awards. The 30-second spot shows several generations of a family celebrating the matriarch's birthday.
"There's a new focus on creative that is energetic, engaging, very emotional and multigenerational," said Pardo.
The Internet and digital technology will play a big role in the overhaul; a revamped, more interactive Web site and blog will launch in the third quarter.
I'm much younger than you or the Captain but I embraced the music of the 76/77 era as a refreshing cultural tonic for the cugine musical milieu I grew up in.
Though I have to say that the popular music of the 65/66 timeframe is now my absolute favorite.
Who??
Johnny Rotten was the lead singer of the Sex Pistols.
Sensible and Vanian were guitarists, songwriters and vocalists for The Damned.
Ian Curtis was the lead singer and lyricist for Warsaw and then Joy Division.
All of these guys were basically the founding fathers of British punk and were the first punk groups to climb to the top of the British charts.
Oh my.
Buzzcocks and AARP. Now that's a match made in heaven...
I like that idea. Imagine a couple of thousand brick lined response cards hitting their mailroom every week?
K,
Just joking. I knew Johhny Rotten.
The name Ian Curtis rang a bell but didn't quite remember.
Love will Tear Us Apart Again
Tonight I saw a commercial for M&Ms featuring an old The The song -- weird.
Where will it end....where will it end? ;)
AARP are going to be hurting in about 20 years. Very few who are now in their 30s and early 40s will join. They should be labeled a PAC and any and all tax exempt status removed forthwith.
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