Author Archives: Barry Robertson

Adland blacklists 17 million Gen Xers – including clients. Oops! With summer almost gone and plastic pumpkins poised to promote America’s retail places, the marketing media will soon be prepping for January 2019 and its annual look back/look forward ritual. January, … Continue reading →

By the time you’ve read this there may be no American sedans left  Everywhere you look commentators are belatedly noticing the death of the traditional American 4 door sedan. It’s been a long goodbye. The American family sedan has been … Continue reading →

Boomers back on top as America’s largest generation For a few years at least, we thought we knew the birth years that define the Millennial Generation. In 2015, after a decade of confusion and conflicting opinions, the U.S. Census Bureau stepped … Continue reading →

Advertisers in the winter of Boomer discontent Anyone in adland worth their paycheck knows Americans aged 50+ represent the world’s 3rd largest economy, hold 80% of US household assets, own two-thirds of the homes and account for 55-60% of the … Continue reading →

So many Boomer icons passed in 2017 Boomers lost way too many icons in 2017 … so many candidates for the annual review of those who played key roles in the ever adaptable – and still adapting – lives of older … Continue reading →

Mid-Century Modern – Millennials mesmerized / Boomers bifurcated Everywhere you look, mid-century style is on trend – high end collectibles to modernist inspired designs to mass affordability from popular furniture and decor chain West Elm to Target, Kohl’s and Best Buy. It’s … Continue reading →

Redefining mobility: Volkswagen’s Roadmap E to the electric Microbus The 2017-2018 Auto Expo season kicked off at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September with energy-saving electric vehicles gleaming under a gazillion spotlights – powered, hopefully, by sustainable wind and solar, not … Continue reading →

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds The Victorians had a more ornate, verbose way of saying things – even now it makes them seem sophisticated. But if Charles Mackay, the canny Scottish author of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the … Continue reading →

Taxation without representation, adland style As everyone knows, when Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776, the American colonies were done with being bossed around by the Mother Country. And mom was none too happy either, … Continue reading →

Continued from Part 1: reprise … Although import nameplates captured 55% of the U.S. new vehicle market in 2016, the three best-selling vehicles – by far – were all full-size domestic brand pickups. In contrast, when Boomers were growing up, American passenger cars … Continue reading →

Anniversaries and milestones Outside the automotive community, one of the sneakiest trivia questions around is what is the best selling vehicle in America? It’s easy to see why most people guess wrong: the highways are full of cool, stylish offerings with suave foreign … Continue reading →

Half of Millennials say adulthood starts at age 30 A new study by CBS researcher David Poltrack finds the median age at which Millennials say adulthood begins is 30. Apparently, the other half see themselves fending off grown up status until as late as 40. … Continue reading →

Long, long, ago in a galaxy far, far away When the Star Wars franchise launched in 1977, bell-bottom pants, platform shoes, FM radio, cassette tape players and pocket calculators were the E Rides of cool. Yessiree Bob, technology was king. Why, … Continue reading →

Ski resorts: No Country For Old Men Did you ever have to deal with a skiing injury? It begins with humiliation – being wrapped like a mummy by the ski patrol and loaded onto a rescue sled in front of a gawking throng. … Continue reading →

February milestones in La La Land In February we celebrate two icons whose careers intersect in that magical place called La La Land – architect Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980) whose birthday falls on the 18th and “Oscar” whose award ceremonies … Continue reading →

When truck world and the Boomers were young Until the mid-sixties, truck-world was a manly, grimy place. We talkin’ work here, people. Sure, huntin’ an’ fishin’ an’ rock-houndin’ on the weekend, but mostly it was work – rugged, hard and plenty of it. Then … Continue reading →

Star Wars turns forty in 2017 The fortieth birthday of the Star Wars franchise arrives this year; look for quotes and metaphors to crop up ad nauseam in marketing circles. Always ahead of the pack, we’ll get ours out early – no less … Continue reading →

Way too many Boomer icons passed away in 2016 Every month in 2016 brought news that another Boomer music, TV or movie icon had passed away; the sudden deaths of Carrie Fisher and mom Debbie Reynolds rounded out the list in late … Continue reading →

Influencers – the hot new buzzword in marketing circles Just when we had learned to suppress a gag reaction to a slew of cringe-worthy 21st century pop-marketing buzzwords, along came influencer to send us reaching – actually, retching – for the Pepto-Bismol. Check out ADWEEK if you’re … Continue reading →

Smoking made big news in the 2016 elections The 2016 elections put smoking squarely in the news – you know, the other news. California voters approved a $2 tax hike on a pack of cigarettes, bumping the total to $2.87; … Continue reading →