Biography
Jeff Weiss: As a Baby Boomer with over 30 years of marketing experience on both the client and agency sides of the business, Jeff has witnessed the dramatic changes of the aging population. In his experience of working for and with major brands including Pepsi, Gillette, Dannon, KitchenAid and Unilever, he understands why major brands and corporations are missing the boat on the over 55 crowd and he knows what’s necessary to take advantage of this largest and fastest growing segment in business.
Weiss, J.
Workshop
The Age of Rewirement
More than half of American baby boomers plan to work past the age of 65 or not retire at all
and they are projected to have faster annual rates of labor force growth than that of any others. And when it comes to starting new businesses, the reality is that senior entrepreneurs (aka “Seniorpreneurs”) are creating jobs for themselves and others, contributing billions of dollars of taxes along the way. In fact, more than 50% of all US business owners are over the age of 50. They are also considerably more successful with start-ups compared to younger entrepreneurs. The numbers are staggering, yet older entrepreneurs are the most under supported and underserved group of business owners.
This inspiring and entertaining presentation will present the true picture of aging consumers in the workplace and the move away from Retirement to the new world of “Rewirement”. Many older consumers have no desire to completely stop working once they hit the age of 65; instead, they are going back to school, learning new skills, starting new careers and leading the charge in creating new, disruptive businesses.
Jeff Weiss will present an overview of the largest opportunity for businesses around the world – engaging and marketing to active aging consumers. He’ll then present the Dirty Dozen Myths of marketing to aging consumers, highlighting the ones associated with older consumers in the workforce.
Wendy Mayhew will squash the myths surrounding older entrepreneurs, sharing data from the Canadian WISE 50 over 50 Awards and using examples to showcase how innovative older entrepreneurs are driving successful business ventures, not only in Canada but around the world. Wendy will also discuss the shortcomings of support and services for this group and what needs to be done to make the word “entrepreneur” inclusive of all ages.
Attendees of this session will be inspired to think about potential changes and impacts in their respective areas of focus — from public policy changes to shifts in marketing to new thinking about the needs of the overall workforce and workplace.