坐進最新款法拉利恩佐(Ferrari Enzo)跑車，你可能不大會注意到某些設計上的改動。這些改動是為身體發福、患有關節炎的養老金領取者所作的。恩佐售價66萬美元，能在不到四秒的時間內加速至每小時60英里，隨后達到217英里的最高時速，足以考驗任何心臟起搏器的極限。

Climb sintosthe latest Ferrari sports car and you are unlikely to notice the modifications designed with overweight, arthritic pensioners in mind. The ,000 Enzo can accelerate to 60mph in less than four seconds before reaching a top speed of 217mph - enough to test any cardiac pacemaker to the limit.

許多公司都在疲于應付人口結構的轉變，這種轉變向營銷與設計的基本規則發起了挑戰，生產法拉利的意大利汽車制造商不過是其中之一。由于出生率下降，且富裕的“嬰兒潮一代”愈加長壽，在意大利，法拉利消費者的平均年齡將大幅提高。歐洲許多地方都是這樣。在工廠內，有一款法拉利跑車受到工程師們的珍愛，這款充滿陽剛之氣的品牌，由一群年輕賽車手充當代言人，他們的形象宣傳牌掛在一級方程式(F1)賽道四周。

But the Italian carmaker is just one of many companies grappling with a demographic shift that challenges the fundamental rules of marketing and design. Outside the gates of its Maranello factory, the average age of consumers in Italy, as in much of Europe, is set to rise sharply as birth rates fall and affluent "baby boomers" live longer. Inside, engineers cherish a sporty product whose virile brand depends on images of youthful drivers hanging around Formula One racetracks.

F1車手邁克爾•舒馬赫(Michael Schumacher)及魯本斯•巴里切羅(Rubens Barrichello)都是30多歲，而與他們形成鮮明對照的是，法拉利跑車買主的平均年齡都接近50，而且這個年齡還會上升。汽車設計師對此作出回應，擴大了駕駛員的坐靠空間，并通過改變車門高度使他的膝蓋(他們幾乎都是男性)得以放松。這里的竅門在于絕不能讓人看出這種改變。

In contrast to F1 drivers Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, both in their thirties, the average buyer of a Ferrari road car is nearing 50 and set to get older. Car designers are responding by enlarging the space available for a driver's spreading backside, and sparing his knees (they are almost always men) with changes to the door height. The trick is that no one must be able to tell.

“我們客戶的體型意味著，我們必須注意實用性與功能性，同時又不犧牲運動性，”公司戰略營銷總監朱塞佩•博諾洛(Giuseppe Bonollo)說，“你可以選擇進行一些工程學上的調整，以方便進出，并增加內部空間。以法拉利恩佐的車門開啟方式為例，它可以讓車頂的一部分與車門的一部分一同展開，這樣就更容易進入汽車。”由于現代法拉利車的舒適度得到改進，因此現在車主的年均駕駛車程已達5000英里，比1990年的2500英里翻了一倍。

"The profile of our customers means we have to pay attention to practicality and functionality without compromising the sportiness," says Giuseppe Bonollo, strategic marketing director. "There are some engineering choices you can make which give you better accessibility and internal roominess. The way the doors open on the Ferrari Enzo, for example, allows part of the roof and part of the door undermoulding to come away as well, making it easier to enter the car." The improved comfort of a modern Ferrari means the average distance driven by its owner has doubled from 2,500 miles a year in 1990 to 5,000 miles today.

在大眾市場上，為上了年紀的消費者所作的改動就沒那么遮遮掩掩了。通用汽車(General Motors)最近首開先河，推出“Sit-n-Lift”電動座椅升降機，作為其小面包車的配件。福特(Ford)的設計師則借助“移情套裝”，來模擬關節炎、白內障或斜頸患者的駕駛操作，從而對門把手、儀表盤照明和其他裝置作了相應調整。

In the mass market, there is less disguising the modifications made for ageing consumers. General Motors recently pioneered a "Sit-n-Lift" motorised chairlift as an accessory on its minivans. Ford designers adapt door handles, dashboard lighting and other fittings with the help of an "empathy suit" to simulate driving with arthritis, cataracts or a stiff neck.

然而汽車商對年老客戶的體諒越明顯，就越有可能失敗。沒有人喜歡接受恩惠或被過分呵護。而且，在本世紀頭十年行將邁入花甲之年的人，不太可能被提醒他們年紀的產品所吸引。在這方面，這一代人可能尤甚于以往任何一代。

Yet the more explicit companies are about their consideration for ageing consumers, the more likely they are to fail. Nobody likes to be patronised or pigeon-holed and - more than perhaps any generation before - the people turning 60 this decade are unlikely to be attracted by products that remind them of their age.

盡管對汽車商具有吸引力，但對主流行業的許多領域、尤其是廣告業而言，賺老人的錢與其說是機會，不如說是威脅。西蒙•西爾維斯特(Simon Silvester)是市場傳媒公司揚雅(Young & Rubicam)駐倫敦的規劃總監。他寫了一份有爭議的行業調查報告，題為“你正在變老——歐洲的人口問題就是你的營銷問題”。

Although attractive to carmakers, grey money is seen as more of a threat than an opportunity in many parts of mainstream business, particularly advertising. Simon Silvester, a planning director at Young & Rubicam in London, is the author of a controversial industry study entitled: "You're Getting Old - Europe's Demographic Problem Is Your Marketing Problem".

文章的觀點是：企業之所以傾向于把年輕消費者作為目標，并不是出于偏見或習慣，而是因為他們最容易受廣告的影響，而愿意采用新品牌。“研究一下美國的市場營銷史，就會發現那是嬰兒潮一代的歷史，”西爾維斯特說，“在過去50年，消費品企業通過迎合這些青年人的口味與需求賺了錢。如果當初沒有年輕人狂熱的追捧，方便食品、泡沫清潔劑和噴霧除臭劑，所有這些東西作為新產品推出時都會失敗。”

The argument goes that companies have tended to target younger consumers, not out of prejudice or habit, but because they are most susceptible to the power of advertising and therefore willing to adopt new brands. "If you look at the history of US marketing, it is the history of the baby boom," he says. "Consumer goods companies have built their fortunes over the past 50 years by appealing to the tastes and needs of these young adults. Convenience foods, foam cleansers and aerosol deodorants - all would have failed as new product categories without the bubbling enthusiasm of young adults."

然而，昔日的輝煌已不復存在。現在，四分之三的德國人從不更換開戶銀行，更換開戶銀行的學生比例也在迅速下降。婦女一過青春期，更換衛生防護用品品牌的可能性就極小；而歐洲人一旦超過35歲，喝酒的口味往往就不會有太大變化。

Yet the glory days are over. Three-quarters of Germans never change their bank, and the proportion of students who do so is falling fast. Women are extremely unlikely to switch their brand of sanitary protection after adolescence and European taste in alcoholic drinks tends not alter much beyond 35.

從最好的方面看，這種想法是對精明的老年消費者拐彎抹角的贊揚。相對年輕人來說，他們的經驗更豐富，知識更淵博，因此不會成為時尚的犧牲品。他們的私生活沒那么隨便，因此無需炫耀，也不會那么頻繁地改變個人習慣。而且，他們對不必要的產品創新沒那么關心，因為他們明白，泡沫式檸檬沐浴露并非生命的全部。

At its best, the idea is a backhanded compliment to discerning older consumers. They are more experienced and knowledgeable, so they do not become fashion victims. They are not as promiscuous, so they do not need to show off and they do not change their intimate habits as often. And they are less concerned with unnecessary product innovations because they realise there is more to life than foaming lemon bath-scrub.

從最差的方面看，這種想法表明，廣告業管理人員似乎已斷定，老年消費者無法吸收新觀念。在接受新科技或新時尚方面，他們總比年輕一代要慢，而且更有可能忠于他們了解并信賴的品牌。

At its worst, the idea shows that advertising executives seem to have concluded that older consumers are incapable of assimilating new ideas. They will always be slower than younger generations to adopt new technology or fashions and are more likely to stick to brands they know and trust.

廣告公司及其客戶十分重視這個觀點，因為這會從根本上威脅公司吸引顧客的方式，尤其是在吸引支出較高的快速消費品顧客的方式上。由于老年消費者擁有品牌忠誠度和品牌慣性，因此，新產品市場份額的年增長速度幾乎不可能超過幾個百分點。

Ad agencies and their clients take the argument seriously because it represents such a fundamental threat to the way companies attract customers, particularly those in the high-spending category of fast moving consumer goods. Brand loyalty and inertia among older consumers will make it almost impossible to grow the market share of new products by more than a couple of percentage points a year.

廣告界人士認為，更糟糕的是，這可能會對資本主義構成全面威脅。但這個觀點的漏洞顯而易見。以互聯網為例，網上媒體和購物網站通常都為自己樹立一個年輕的形象，但老年人能夠上網的時間最多，購買力也高得多。這些“銀發沖浪者”形成了一個眾所周知的消費群，從而推翻了年齡超過50歲便是技術恐懼者的假定。

Worse still, argue those in adland, it could threaten capitalism entirely. But holes in the argument are apparent. Take the internet, for example. Online media and shopping sites usually cultivate a youthful image, yet older people have the most time to spend at their computers and far higher purchasing power. These "silver surfers" are a well-known consumer group, contradicting assumptions about technophobe over-50s.

今后五年內，嬰兒潮一代將開始大量退休，屆時真正的考驗就將來臨。雖然各公司剛剛開始改變策略，但大眾新甲殼蟲(Volkswagen Beetle)和寶馬(BMW)改良型迷你車(Mini)等“懷舊”產品出人意料地獲得了成功。這提醒設計師們，如果能設法吸引白發人市場，就可獲得潛在回報。

The real test will come when baby boomers start to retire in significant numbers over the next five years. Companies are only beginning to adapt their strategies, but the unexpected success of "nostalgia" products such as the new Volkswagen Beetle and BMW's revamped Mini has alerted designers to the potential rewards if they can find a way to appeal to the grey market.

Headlight Vision是“快速消費品”領域內幾家戰略咨詢公司之一，該公司的顧問勞拉•科倫索(Lara Colenso)說:“有人說，你無法向這個年齡群推銷東西，這種說法很荒誕。嬰兒潮一代仍然是最愛炫耀的群體，他們總想比別人先了解事物。最重要的是，他們不愿成為父母的翻版。”。

"It's a myth that you can't market to this age group," says Lara Colenso, a consultant with Headlight Vision, one of several strategic consultancies working in the 'fast moving consumer goods' sector. "Boomers are still the ultimate show-offs and they want to know about things before anyone else. Most of all, they don't want to turnsintostheir parents."

譯者/張征