Social Networking and Mobile Marketing to Baby Boomers Top What's Next Boomer Business...

Social Networking and Mobile Marketing to Baby Boomers Top What's Next Boomer Business Summit Agenda

Annual Summit of Top Business Leaders and Organizations Marketing
to Consumers over 45 Convenes in Washington, D.C.
LAFAYETTE, Calif.--(Business Wire)--
Baby boomers, though aging, are not much different than the
under-25 set when it comes to mobile technology adoption. Social
networking, mobile marketing, and texting are exploding among the
boomer population, creating unlimited new opportunities for
organizations marketing to consumers between the ages of 45 - 64 years
old.

These trends will be among the key agenda items to be explored at
the What's Next Boomer Business Summit on Wednesday, March 26 from 8
a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street,
Washington, D.C.

Boomers are catching up to younger consumers in their embrace of
mobile technology adoption and mobile phone penetration is spreading
equally across the generations, according to research published in
2007 by InsightExpress. Although Gen Y (18-24) leads the pack at 85
percent, it is followed closely by Gen X (25-44) at 82 percent,
younger baby boomers (45-54) at 80 percent and older baby boomers
(55-64) at 79 percent.

Jeff Hasen, CMO of HipCricket, a mobile marketing company, will
speak at the Summit about how to use mobile marketing to create
relationships between consumers, broadcasters and brands. "While some
believe texting is a young person's activity, the average age of
texters is 38," Hasen notes. "The fastest growth group is folks 35-54.
The mobile phone is a personal device - and the ideal way to reach
boomers who opt in for information, reminders and offers."

Jenna Woodul, another What's Next speaker and founder of
LiveWorld, Inc., a global leader in building customer relationships
through social networking and online community, points to the
importance of word of mouth and peer referrals in the growth of social
networking opportunities for this demographic. "As social
networking expands among boomers, shopping is often most satisfying as
a social experience, and any transaction is potentially social, given
mobile connection to one's network of trusted advisors," said Woodul.
"We will see huge growth in boomers connecting on line to consult each
other, stay in touch with their children, and just plain socialize and
have fun."

Other presenters, such as Bill Johnston, director of community and
research at Forum One Communications, will address privacy as a major
issue of concern for boomers. "Facebook is a great lab to study. One
of the biggest issues facing Facebook is the lack of formal guidelines
-- there are no behavioral mores," Johnston observes. "Data
portability will be a huge issue for boomers as well because they will
not just join a network unless they see the value in it for
themselves."

On its 5th anniversary the What's Next Boomer Business Summit
provides a unique opportunity for influential boomer thinkers and
entrepreneurs to share proprietary research, innovations, market
strategies and success stories. The theme for the conference is
"Master the Big Boomer Deal."

"The value this event will provide to anyone interested in
marketing to boomers is truly significant," said Dr. Mary Furlong,
president and CEO of Mary Furlong & Associates, the event's producer
and a leading authority on the baby boomer generation. "You'll walk
out with great leads, insight that will inform your business strategy
and an understanding of the technologies, causes, products, and
services that are transforming the boomer marketplace."

The summit will be particularly meaningful to advertising
executives focused on the 40+ market, marketing managers in industries
that include healthcare, travel, entertainment, financial services,
consumer goods and housing; media who report on senior issues and the
boomer marketplace; investors, venture capitalists and analysts
interested in the baby boomer market; and association leadership who
will have a large stake in the boomer population as their
organizations swell with new members.

Sponsors of The 2008 What's Next Boomer Business Summit include
AARP, AARP Services, Inc., ALCiS, Boomj.com, DecisionStreet,
EquityKey, Fleishman-Hillard, HipCricket, Life Stage Financial,
LiveWorld, Inc., Longevity Alliance, MetLife, Microsoft, Pharmavite -
Nature Made(R), Phonak, Posit Science, Qualcomm, Quantum Intech,
Inc./HeartMath, Retirement Living TV, Springboard Press, The Stress
Institute, Verizon Wireless, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, and Yahoo!

Complete Summit details and registration information are available
at www.boomersummit.com.

The What's Next Boomer Business Summit is an official
pre-conference of the NCOA-ASA National Aging in America Conference
March 27-30. Come to What's Next - stay for NCOA - ASA. For more
information, visit http://www.agingconference.org.

About Mary Furlong & Associates

Founded in 2003, Mary Furlong & Associates (MFA) is a proven team
of business innovators, comprised of talent from marketing, editorial,
business, online content and community. Mary Furlong, Ed.D., the
firm's founder and CEO, has guided the offline and online 40+ market
strategies of leading corporations and nonprofit organizations for
more than 20 years. Her latest book, Turning Silver into Gold: How to
Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, was published in February 2007.
More information is available at www.maryfurlong.com.

For Mary Furlong & Associates, Lafayette
Common Language
Michelle Bauer, 727-510-2524
michelle@common-language.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008