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Business Wire

The best and brightest in Boomer and technology research will gather at the 6th annual Beyond the Numbers: Boomer Market Summit on March 26 and 27 at The Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. This year's Summit, Boomers 2.0 -- Reaching 40+ Consumers Today, addresses the impact of the digital age on the boomer lifestyle. The two-day Summit brings together the experts who are shaping digital technology and new media to provide marketers with insights and expert information on how to leverage digital technology to better target, reach and sell to this dominant market.

2007 Boomer Heartbeat Unveiled

BoomerEyes/C&R Research, in partnership with JWT BOOM, will dive into the attitudes and usage of technology by today's Boomers as they roll out this year's Boomer Heartbeat -- their third annual in-depth study that explores Boomer's life stages and how they use technology and new media in their everyday lives.

"The use of technology and the digital age has ushered in a new lifestyle for Boomers -- a lifestyle that includes multi-tasking, mixed media usage and participating in online communities," says Anne Wall, Senior Vice President of C&R Research. "During our presentation, we will share not only the survey numbers behind Boomers' use of technology and media, but we also will take you on a video journey into Boomers' homes where you can watch and listen to them share their media and technology opinions and experiences with you."

TV Land Presents Landmark Study Findings

Having witnessed the tech revolution, Baby Boomers are willing to embrace and purchase today's emerging entertainment offerings, according to the findings in TV Land's Joy of Tech Study. 78 million strong and $2.3 trillion in annual spending, and outpacing 18-39 year olds by 53%, Baby Boomers have the numbers, financial means and desire to create their own "digital nest" -- a place where new media technology creates both a personal escape as well as an entertainment hub for family and friends.

However, TV Land's New Generation Gap Study findings indicate outright annoyance by Boomers that television and advertisers place an undue emphasis on younger demographics. And, the study's findings reveal that Boomers are actually less likely to watch shows or respond to ads they feel ignore or disrespect them. A mere 3% of Boomers polled in the study describe themselves as extremely satisfied with TV programming options currently available to them.

"TV Land's extensive Baby Boomer research proves that Boomers have unique demands and needs as consumers, and I'm very excited to be sharing our findings at this year's Beyond the Numbers Summit," explains Tanya Giles, Senior Vice President of Research for TV Land. "TV Land's New Generation Gap Study and the Joy of Tech Study underscore why marketers need to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the largest generation in the history of the U.S."

HSBC "Future of Retirement" Survey -- What the World Wants

HSBC's Future of Retirement: What the World Wants, concludes that, given the choice of government intervention, 36% prefer compulsory saving for retirement compared to 23% who want an increase in the retirement age and the 12% who would opt for raised taxes. MaryLee Sachs, Chairman, U.S. of Hill & Knowlton, will present more results from the study, which is the world's largest survey of attitudes on aging, longevity and retirement. The study, conducted in 20 countries and territories across five continents, compares the attitudes of employers and consumers regarding ageing and retirement. The study was commissioned by HSBC and Age Wave, a leading analyst of the new maturing market.

Additional participants in this year's Summit include Chris Shipley, Executive Director at DEMO; futurist Marian Salzman, EVP at JWT; Jack Barrette, Category Development Officer at Yahoo!; Brad Knight, President of Retirement Living; Dan Rexford, EVP at Erickson; Genevieve Bell, Director of User Experience at Intel; Jeff Taylor, CEO at Eons, Inc.; Tom Asacker, author of A Clear Eye For Branding; and Nancy Carr, VP at Kodak, among many others.

Beyond the Numbers: Boomer Market Summit is presented by JWT BOOM: Boomers & Beyond, which specializes in reaching consumers ages 40+, providing results-driven strategy and execution to help clients build profitable and lasting relationships with Boomer and mature consumers. The agency's former Mature Marketing Group becomes part of the new group, which is headquartered in the JWT San Francisco office. "Boomers are the largest and most affluent demographic in U.S. history. With this Boomer market focus, backed by the fully integrated agency services of JWT and the entire global WPP family, we are uniquely positioned to help companies effectively reach and grow their market share of today's most powerful demographic segment," says Lori Bitter, Senior partner for JWT BOOM.

Registration for this year's Summit is $1,895, which includes research, general sessions, workshops, clinics, continental breakfasts, keynotes, luncheons, on-going refreshments, receptions and complete conference documentation. Because space is limited, early registration is required.

Sponsors of this year's Summit include RL TV and The Erickson Tribune as Title Sponsors. Associate Sponsors include C&R Research, TV Land, ThirdAge, Paramount Market Publishing. Getty Images is the Imagery Resource. Visit www.beyondthenumbers.com or call 860-724-2649 x-14 for details and conference registration.