New Baby Boomer Site Brings Death To Life As Advertising Hook
Posted August 1, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Believe it or not, that’s just one of the ‘attractions’ behind a brand new website that is to Baby Boomers what myspace.com is to kids.
It even contains an online database of obituaries and in a somewhat morbid offering, sends out email alerts when someone you know dies.
Eons.com is designed to be the first site social networking website specifically aimed at Baby Boomers, who now range in age from 42 to about 60 years old.
It’s a huge demographic, generally with a lot of disposable income. But as advertisers seek a less entrenched youth market, it’s a large group of people who are often ignored.
Founder Jeff Taylor thinks marketers are missing a gravy train and while the Boomers are by no means on their last legs, he believes there’s a lot of life where death is concerned.
“The death business is growing,” he avers. “Many people no longer live where they grew up so the idea of a rich story about someone’s life in a local newspaper is often lost.”
The death database, which for now covers only the U.S., goes all the way back to the 1930s and allows relatives to add photos and comments about their long lost loved one. Surfers can use a keyword to be alerted when the name of their school or company is used in a death notice.
But the site, which hopes to attract those advertisers who understand what the potential audience is, doesn’t just deal in the great beyond.
There are also sections on improving memory and keeping your mind sharp, news on hobbies for older people, tips for longevity and even a calculator to see how long you’ll live.
And there’s a special search engine dubbed “CRANKy”, designed to find items specifically of interest to those from the Big Generation.
Taylor, who made his money creating job site Monster.com, believes there’s a lot of life in the concept.
“We now live about 20 years longer than our grandparents,” the 50-year-old entrepreneur reflects. “These are people who want to spend money to save time rather then spend their time trying to save money.”
He estimates boomers are sitting on a collective $1 trillion in savings. And if he can grab even a small piece of it, this is one business that won’t be dying anytime soon.
To visit the site, click here.
