5:00 am. Alarm goes off. Vaguely remember something is due today. Momentary panic. Hit snooze and turn over.

5:18 am. Have hit snooze twice. Now the dog is whining. Groan. Turn alarm off and get up. Remember that the promo concept is due today and panic. While standing in the driveway waiting for the dog to potty I develop a hopeful feeling and go inside to get this day going!

5:59 am. Working out. Turning the project over and over in my mind while jogging. Halfway through a 6 minute hula hoop interval forget about the project entirely and wonder if this exercise is working at all.

6:20 am. Attending to ADLs*. Have a really funny idea for the promotion. Say it over and over in my head so as not to forget it. Got it! It’s a lock! This will work!

7:30 am. Driving to the office. What was that idea I had in the shower? What was it!? CRAP! Start thinking about the creative brief, the client objectives, and the timeline. Become convinced we’re not going to make it. Get distracted by the radio.

8:00 am. Arrive at the office. Check email, have breakfast, and start Workamajig. Holy cow what are these new tasks and edits and man this hard boiled egg is delicious.

10:00 am. Finally have time to devote to the project. Start by feeling stupid that I can’t remember the shower concept. Give up trying to remember it and open a file with a blank page.

11:00 am. Looking at some words on the page now. Have used thesaurus.com, rhymezone.com, onelook.com, and wikipedia. Have researched on various industry sites and blogs, then got distracted by an article about color. This coffee is cold.

1:30 pm. Back from lunch. Decide that I can use some of the ideas from before, a couple of them are growing on me, and begin massaging them.

1:50 pm. I now have three or four headlines I like, and hoping they work for Jeff.

3:00 pm. Coffee shop with Jeff talking about the promo. Look at the creative brief again, and talk about my ideas. He likes them. He has some ideas, too. We merge one of his with mine, and go with my headline on a couple. AWESOME. Three solid concepts! Plus we come up with a couple of interesting POS ideas and a funny Facebook tie-in. Success. Plus, this coffee is delicious.

4:15 pm. Typing up what Jeff and I discussed, putting the concepts in the folder so he can grab them and start making Catalyst creative history!

4:18 pm. Momentary panic that the client won’t like the ideas. Remember that I do that and remind myself of the good stuff we’ve done before.

6:00 pm. Home for the day. Remember the idea I had in the shower. Oh crap, it’s better than that one concept we had. Write this one down on a post it note and put it on the back door to take to him in the morning… we still have time to change it…make it better…

Note: This story is presented in a compressed time mode. Meaning, normal turnaround for making Catalyst creative history is two weeks…

*ADLs – Activities of Daily Living. Bathing, dressing, grooming.

We have been working on a proposal for a client prospect with a customer base that is predominantly made up of senior citizens. The company is fairly new and they do not have the budget to blanket the entire country with their message. They need a targeted approach to help sell their product and they need to show their Board results. Based on these objectives, part of our presentation will revolve around new media – specifically facebook advertising and fan building.

I think most companies are becoming more aware of the opportunities within facebook: managing your spend, immediately monitoring results, zoning in on your target audience, etc.  However, I am not sure they understand the engagement level that seniors have with the social networking site. Here are two big myths surrounding senior citizens:

Myth #1 - Seniors aren’t using the Internet.

Back in December 2009, Nielsen released a report that indicated Internet usage among those 65 and older had increased more than 55% over the last 5 years. That is a jump from 11.3 million active users in November 2004 to 17.5 million active users by November 2009. According to Nielsen, this age group is the fastest growing demographic on the Internet.

To further dispel this myth, the same study found that seniors are also staying on the Internet longer. By November 2009, those 65 and older were spending over 58 hours per month on the Internet.

Myth #2 – Seniors aren’t on facebook.

It may surprise you to know that facebook growth among seniors is pacing faster than all other demographics. According to an article by allassistedliving.com, senior citizens have recorded 1448% year-over-year growth for the past three years. Seniors became 11% of all facebook users as of 2010.

The article also shared a few other stats that prove not only are seniors creating facebook accounts, they are truly engaging with the social media tool:

• Hundreds of classes are being held each year to teach senior citizens how to use facebook. Class size averages 80 people!
• 40% of those on facebook want to connect with family and friends.
• 30% are sharing photos.
• 10% are engaged in contest or promos.

I share all this not to propose that you target senior citizens with nothing but facebook. We would never recommend a single tactic for any group. However, don’t assume Grandma Alice doesn’t understand how the Internet works or that she will never sit down to update her status. Seniors are becoming more tech savvy every day. Make sure that you are considering social media as part of your marketing mix when targeting this group.

Okay, now I have to get back to that proposal. Wish us luck!

Catalyst worked with Warner Bros. and Tyson to develop a spectacular summer promotion timed to coincide with the theatrical release of the Warner bros. film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The family-oriented promotion includes savings on Tyson® Chicken Tenders, and an online sweepstakes with thousands of prizes. The promotion will be featured in more than 7,000 stores nationwide.

Catalyst designed everything for the promotion including the microsite, in-store merchandising, email campaign, sales materials, and trade relations materials. We also facilitate the partnership between Tyson and co-promotion partners such as Warner Bros.

Try your luck today by registering at the site! And remember, Catalyst is a superb source for unique and effective promotions like this!

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