AARP's lifetuner project is a statement of intent

At the end of October, AARP, the US organization that is all about the 50-plus, launched a Web site and online community designed for 25-to-34-year-olds. Weird or what. It is like Age UK launching a Web site targeted at teenagers. This is how the site describes itself.

LifeTuner is where financial literacy becomes interactive and community driven. A place where tools spark aha moments and create an "hmm...I need to do this" sense of urgency. Where even one person's small success can inspire others like them to get started. Or an expert's good advice can help you finally take action. And, where learning from someone else's mistake means you won't find yourself saying, "If only I had known this before . . . ."

As you can see, there is minimal AARP branding on the site that looks much lighter than its parent. You can also see from the style of copy that it informal, direct and unfussy.

I have no idea how well it will work but you have to congratulate AARP for thinking outside the box. This article in Business Week is about how the project evolved from concept to launch and talks about all of the organisational road blocks encountered when trying to do something that is radically new.

If it does nothing else it demonstrates that AARP has the energy and nerve to try new things. Well done. Anybody at Age UK reading this? Dick Stroud