Hi!

I’m Andreas, the new intern at SharpBrains. I’m having a summer break from my MD/PhD program in cognitive neuroscience at Oslo University, Norway. My research group’s recent work on patients with memory complaints has brought to me a really positive impression of brain fitness and its outcomes.

This Tuesday Santa Clara University hosted the annual Boomer Venture Summit. The forum brought together a great group of industry leaders and start-ups in the growing market segment of baby boomers. Let’s see how my own memory is working…I’ll bring you the 10 things that I remember from this great event.

1. According to Mary S. Furlong, Executive Producer of the summit, healthy living and aging is a $480 billion industry. And 80% of the purchase decisions in this industry are made by women. Read interview of this important boomer with 50+ digital.
2. Paul Kleyman, editor of Aging Today is frustrated about how the media pays so little attention to baby boomers in general, being obsessed with mainly younger people. Let’s keep in mind that the boomers are a 77 million population and the biggest spenders in the consumer market.
3. Simplicity is Key. James Koch of Leavy School of Business says that the successful products for the 50+ consumers bring simplicity to the consumer’s life. World Hearing Organization and Seronostics, the winners of the $10K business plan both makes products that make the life of the consumer easier.
4. Today you are potentially exposed to 30 different media channels compared to just six 40 years ago. Think of what this implies for your brain in terms of attention, concentration and multitasking. Read about how the brain finally limits our ability to multitask.
5. Actually, as much as one third of internet users watch TV while surfing the net. Research indicates that too much multitasking can actually be bad for you. Check out this post on how to divide your attention more effectively.
6. AARP with its 38+ million members are increasingly active in creating new markets that’ll benefit the growing baby boomer population, and its representative Emilio Pardo addressed the need for navigator brands to help people find what they need, cutting through the overwhelming amount of information available these days.
7. The most successful brands today, like Google and Facebook are “User Generated Brands” – the consumers are taking control of content consumption and branding. We are in what senior analyst Safa Rashchty calls The User Revolution.
8. The web is now the principal media channel at work and second most important after television at home.
9. Video ads will be the driver of the next major growth in brand advertising. According to Piper Jaffray & Co, it’s time to visit websites like Youtube to promote your company.
10. 50% of the consumers in the casual gaming market are women above 40 years of age – many of whom seek a source of stress relief and cognitive exercise. Ready for some brain gym?