Plan B Institutes Senior Work Program for 'Mature' CopywritersPosted By: John Steele Tue Nov 14, 7:00 AM ET ADVERTISEMENT if (window.yzq_a == null) document.write("");if (window.yzq_a) { yzq_a('p', 'P=qrai4ULaS.ZRqLeaXNUbkQVBSDRIwkVaHtQABzxR&T=1aov63ip8%2fX%3d1163534036%2fE%3d96654906%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d1.1%2fW%3d8%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d1968221049%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJNaWNoYWVsIEphY2tzb247Y3JlZGl0O3JlYWwgZXN0YXRlO0lUO2dpdmU7SG9tZTtOZXR3b3JrO2hlbHA7aXQ7UmV0aXJlbWVudDtyZXRpcmVtZW50O3NlbmlvcnM7aG9tZTt2aWRlbzt0ZWNobm9sb2d5OyIgcmVmdXJsPSIiIHRvcGljcz0iIg--%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3dACA949D1'); yzq_a('a', '&U=13avt6g0u%2fN%3djsq2AELaSs0-%2fC%3d557585.9452447.10283134.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4097199'); } The effective lifespan of the average advertising copywriter is roughly comparable to that of shaved ice: about 20 minutes, less if left in the sun. In an industry with a lust for youth that would make Michael Jackson blush, old copywriters are seen as disposable. Once they hit the downside of their 20's, they're relegated to grunt work -- credit card junk mail, real estate brochures and infomercial scripts selling Victoria Principal cosmetics or gimmicky kitchen gadgets. The office manager stops re-stocking their pens, the IT department stops answering their emails, and their cushy corner office is reassigned to the hot new talent coming out of middle school, who's rumored to be so brilliant that their MySpace recommendations can produce an immediate 10% increase in market share for clients. "I've seen so many great writers just wither away at 26, 27 years old. It's really sad. I ran into a guy -- who helped create the Budweiser Frogs -- a few weeks back. He was greeting customers at Wal-Mart," joked Ric Van Sickle, founding partner of Plan B™, The Agency Alternative. "The reality today is that youth rules. I heard that Leo hired a four-year-old girl as a Senior Writer on Marlboro." In a reaction to the rampant age discrimination at the "big" agencies, Van Sickle created the advertising industry's first Senior Work Program, designed to match an older copywriter with projects that would draw on their personal and professional experience, and give them a fresh crack at professional life. "It's a lot more fulfilling than watching The Home Shopping Network, you know?" he says. A pioneer in innovative senior living, Mather Lifeways (www.matherlifeways.com) was launching their newest state-of-the-art facility in Evanston, Illinois, and they approached Plan B to develop an integrated campaign that would re-define the entire concept of a "retirement home" to help attract the next generation of active senior residents who aren't interested in taking a seat in "God's Waiting Room." "For new client Mather LifeWays, I knew we had to rethink the 'business as usual' approach that rules the category. The Marketing Director for The Mather, charged us with creating a voice for the brand that would; 'Give her goose bumps.'" "We decided to turn the tables on the youth culture dominated approach to marketing, to show that this project was one where a young writer would be virtually useless," Van Sickle said. "Originally we tested three different twenty-something writers on the project, and after the first round of creative, I knew we were right. The 'Bam Margera Old Folks Hizzle' concept was definitely a new low." Undaunted, Plan B enlisted Tom DeMint, 72, a former Creative Director at J. Walter Thompson who worked on some of the most famous ad campaigns of the 70's and 80's. "Tom was perfect. He's hip. He's older. He's a writer. He was exactly what we were looking for," Van Sickle said. "And just as we expected, he hit one out of the park." DeMint helped Plan B communicate the essence of the Mather Lifeways brand with an authentic voice that no Gen X copywriter could hope to imitate. "No traditional ad agency can do this," Van Sickle says. "They just don't have the flexibility we do. And, to be blunt, this time of year they're so busy with ear infections, choosing Halloween costumes, and trying to nail down an inside track on a PS3, they would never have even thought of it." "Instead of trying to 'get into character' and develop creative based on second-hand insights, Tom helped us make the work 'real' at a level that you just can't fake," Van Sickle says. "And it's been a nice change, not tripping over all those toys lying around the office." As both an experienced advertising creative and a retiree, DeMint brought deep empathy to the project that captured an essential truth that would have escaped younger writers: Retirement isn't about slowing down -- it's about setting yourself free. "Tom helped us develop the concept of 're-priorment,'" Van Sickle says, "The idea is that Mather Lifeways represents a new way of thinking about retirement, where seniors can focus on the things they didn't have time for before -- achieving their life's wishes -- instead of struggling to maintain a large home, or disappearing into some bleak rest home." The campaign, "Ten Wishes," speaks to today's new breed of retirees. DeMint's copy conveys an excitement and optimism about the future that portrays Mather Lifeways not as a final destination, but as the next stop on life's great adventure. "Tom really believes Mather's philosophy, and it shows in the work," Van Sickle says.
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