The Anxiety Index has shifted! Based on our original research in December of 2008 with Boomers, GenXers and Ikes, the biggest concern then was collapse of the economy; 45% of Boomers were “very nervous”. Fast-forward to 2009 and Boomers biggest concerns have shifted from the state of the economy to the cost of health care and the political debate surrounding this issue (46%). Hear more about the impact of the headlines.

Most interesting in the recent study is a shift in media consumption. The only media activity that rose dramatically was time on the Internet. No doubt social media has made a significant dent in the time generally reserved for traditional media. Learn what media channels are being crowded out.

Meet the new Boomer Social Maven and discover the influence of their connectedness on their circle. Hear more about who they are and how they can impact ROI for your campaigns.

You can sign up by going to www.immn.org. Hope to hear you there!

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumers > 40 has moved into new offices on Maiden Lane in San Francisco. Maiden Lane has been the launchpad for a number of successful agencies.

The new agency, founded by Lori Bitter, former President of JWT BOOM, is the only completely integrated agency focused on consumers 40+. She is joined by three partners, also from JWT BOOM: Patrick Mercier, EVP Interactive; Amy Ruff, EVP Client Services; and James Wood, EVP Operations; plus an experienced staff of mature-market professionals.

“Maiden Lane is a fantastic location for our crew – it is a stimulating environment without an ounce of corporate underpinning,” laughed Bitter. “You have the beauty of the boutiques like Hermes, Chanel and Marc Jacobs, plus the people-watching at the cafes and bistros. It is as though someone dropped a little European street into heart of San Francisco’s Union Square. When we were moving in, there was a classical opera singer performing at the Gates in the Lane.”

Find Continuum Crew at 111 Maiden Lane, Suite 540, in San Francisco, or online at www.continuumcrew.com.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumers > 40 has received the Gold Award for Best Web Site for a 50+ Housing Community for a site developed for Trilogy by Shea Homes, an active-adult developer based in Arizona.

The Gold Award was announced at the Best of 50+ Housing Awards Gala at the National Association of House Builders’ national 50+ Housing Symposium in Philadelphia, PA. The site, www.trilogylife.com, bested entries by national developers Del Webb and Brookfield Homes.

The site was produced under the direction of Patrick Mercier, EVP Interactive, of Continuum Crew and former Senior Producer of JWT BOOM. The trilogylife.com site has also been awarded an Addy and Outstanding Achievement for Web Site Development by the Web Marketing Association.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumer > 40 is the nation’s only fully integrated communication firm focused on the mature consumer. The Crew has more than 15 years’ experience specializing in new ways to capture the imagination of older consumers, earn their trust and influence their purchases. They are located on Maiden Lane in San Francisco.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumers > 40 launched a new web site and blog, www.continuumcrew.com and www.boomersinthewild.com. Continuum Crew is the nation’s only fully integrated communication firm focused on the mature consumer. The Crew has more than 15 years’ experience specializing in new ways to capture the imagination of older consumers, earn their trust and influence their purchases.

The Crew’s expanded services include The Boomer Lab and The Senior Lab, where consumer listening, research, web site analysis and usability, and trend sighting are undertaken for a wide range of industries, including senior and active-adult real estate; technology products; health care and medical devices; and packaged goods. Other new services include Boomer and Senior immersions, product development, consulting, and speaking, in addition to the agency’s full range of off- and online creative and engagement services.

The team recently received the Gold Award for Best Web Site for 50+ Community for a site developed for Trilogy by Shea Homes, an active adult developer based in Arizona. They are located on Maiden Lane in San Francisco.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumers > 40 has announced that Shelby Jones has joined the firm as a Media Buyer, managing both online and offline campaigns. Jones is the former Assistant Media Buyer for JWT BOOM in San Francisco, and the Media Intern for JWT’s Technology group, also in San Francisco.

Jones has a Bachelor of Science degree from San Jose State University, majoring in advertising and speech communications. She was the President of the Spartan Ad Club, a Dean’s Scholar, and served as the Advertising Director of the Spartan Daily.

Continuum Crew – Engaging Consumer > 40 is the nation’s only fully integrated communication firm focused on the mature consumer. The Crew has more than 15 years’ experience specializing in new ways to capture the imagination of older consumers, earn their trust and influence their purchases. They are located on Maiden Lane in San Francisco.

Starting a company when the rest of the business world is shrinking or budgeting very conservatively seems counterintuitive. But then Baby Boomers have been driving the small-business start-ups during this recession. Lori Bitter, CEO of Continuum Crew, and an expert on Boomers and what drives them, decided to do just that.

Bitter, the former President of JWT BOOM, founded Continuum Crew, the only completely integrated agency focused on consumers 40+. Following a surprise closure announced in January, Bitter set about creating the agency of the future to communicate with the nation’s oldest consumers. Three partners, also from JWT BOOM, join her: Patrick Mercier; Amy Ruff; and James Wood; and an experienced staff of mature-market professionals.

“The structure of this agency is very different from the firms we’ve all been part of before; it is driven by changes in media, consumption, the role of the consumer, and the need to both listen in new ways and to communicate in very different ways,” said Bitter. “We continue to provide a full range of traditional agency services to our clients – who include many firms who chose to follow us to Continuum – but we have the best set of online communications tools created for consumers over 40. And it isn’t just about the tools. We have the research, experience and insights to create relevant engagement strategies and communications.”

Patrick Mercier, who leads the Interactive team, is the former Senior Producer for JWT BOOM, garnering numerous awards for web sites and online campaigns. He has worked for Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Grey SF and Real Branding.

Amy Ruff is charged with Client Services and is the former Client Director for JWT BOOM. She and Bitter also worked together at Age Wave Impact, a mature-market focused agency in Emeryville, CA, owned by Boomer guru Ken Dychtwald.

James Wood joined the JWT BOOM team as Creative Services Director after a stint as Group Production Manager for Leo Burnett’s studio in Chicago. He is responsible for Continuum Crew’s Operations and day-to-day management.

Continuum Crew works with a national roster of clients in retirement community and active-adult real estate, retiree associations, packaged goods, software, health care, medical devices and death care.

Continuum Crew has had several months of celebration – new clients, client successes with new campaigns, and of course, completion of our wonderful office on Maiden Lane in San Francisco. But today we are very excited about the launch of our new website, www.continuumcrew.com and blog, “Boomers in the Wild.”

Boomers in the Wild is an important part of the expanded services provided by Continuum Crew, which includes consulting, product development, and trend spotting in the boomer and senior space, in addition to the full complement of agency services provided by this team at JWT BOOM. We continue to offer a complete suite of research services, and now have expanded that to listening, observing and monitoring trends in the mature consumer market and reporting those to our clients and followers.

Watch for a new trend report from The Boomer Lab on the top trends for 2010. The Boomer Lab and The Senior Lab at Continuum Crew are also currently focused on 40+ consumer user studies in online media, and our proprietary approach to helping clients analyze their sites to maximize the results of their campaigns.

Join us in a virtual celebratory toast!