Wednesday, October 08, 2003

Two interesting e-mail newsletters

Sorry to be singing AARP’s praises again but they really are in a different league with their attitude to the 50+ and technology. I have just received their Computers & Technology Newsletter. It is well written, doesn’t patronise the reader and provides useful information and links. Have a look at the computing section on AARP’s web site to see what I mean.

Another interesting e-mail newsletter popped into my inbox from Egg, or is it Egg? Well the address of the sender egg@egg-newsletter.com. If you follow the link to see the Web version of the newsletter the address is Lastminute.com.

When you look at the content of the newsletter this is not surprising since 90% of it is about Lastminute.com types of offers – ‘It's too cute. Adopt a panda - 20% off’, ‘Send someone into orbit - name a star’, ‘Buy a piece of the moon, just £20’…………..

There is an issue here about getting me to read something, because I have an Egg account, that I would normally delete, but let that one pass. What was interesting, from the 50+ perspective, is the content of the Newsletter. A central part of the newsletter is about perceived versus actual age - ‘Twenties are the new teens’, ‘Thirties are the new twenties’, ‘Forties are the new thirties’. Not a bad series of lines for getting attention.

But why was there nothing about ‘Fifties are the new forties’…..? Since Egg know my age why the hell send me the thing?

Have a look at Lastminute.com’s idea what interests the forties (new thirties). It would be fascinating to know what they think turns on the fifties and sixties. I have written to find out and will let you know if I get a response.

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