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  3. The Golden Years Rule One key to a happy retirement is the means to enjoy it. Roger de Haan ended up with more than enough m

The Golden Years Rule One key to a happy retirement is the means to enjoy it. Roger de Haan ended up with more than enough m

admin2013-07-11  36
问题                     The Golden Years Rule
    One key to a happy retirement is the means to enjoy it. Roger de Haan ended up with more than enough money to finance his golden years when he decided to retire and sell Saga Group, his family’s business, in late 2004. Saga Group, the British travel, media and financial-services company that targets older consumers attracted several major bidders, with Charterhouse ultimately paying $ 2. 4 billion. What attracted Charterhouse and its rivals was Saga’s market strength in Britain’s fastest-growing consumer demographic: the over-50 set.
    While most businesses make great efforts to attract the young, Saga realized early on that there’s often more money to be made from the mature. Marketers have traditionally stayed away from older consumers, preferring to aim their pitches at a younger audience it hopes to develop into lifelong customers. But Tim Bull, Saga’s group marketing director, says mature consumers are just as eager to buy as youngsters, though they are more sensible and more discerning. They are also richer—much richer.
    The rise of the silver spender is not co-nfined to the U. K. , of course. The trend is the same across Europe and beyond. Within five years, about one-third of the U.S. population will be older than 50, and consumers in that age bracket currently own 65% of the net worth of all households. As a commercial company entirely focused on aging consumers, Saga remains unique. The U.S.’s AARP, for example, also sells products and has a magazine, but it’s a nonprofit group more interested in public policy and political lobbying. So as businesses look for opportunities to court older buyers, they are increasingly turning to Saga for advice. It’s got partner ships with a growing number of companies eager to attract the " gray pound", including Hilton hotels, Hertz and David Lloyd Leisure, a chain of health clubs. "They have the products older people want, but are not sure how to reach them. It’s a good business model for us," Bull says.
    Barriers remain, however. The taste of old-fashion, though fading, clings to the company like the scent of grandma’s flowers. Trendy advertisers, for example, still stay away from Saga Magazine, despite its impressive circulation. Although the monthly runs features on still-cool celebs, it’s filled with ads for retirement properties and health-improving facilities. In order to combat that perception, Saga is planning a brand improvement campaign designed by ad agency Doner Cardwell Hawkins. " It will stress our core strengths to a new generation," says Bull.
    Given the success of Charterhouse’s buyout, there’s speculation that Saga may soon go public. The company declines to discuss whether an initial public offering is in the works, but, investors would likely welcome a debt-raising because of Saga’s strong brand and impressive track record. And given that nearly half the U. K.’s adult population will be 50 or older by 2020, it’s not about to run out of potential customers anytime soon.
It can be learned from Paragraph 3 that more and more companies are______.
选项 A、adapting their products to the aging trend among consumers
B、competing with Saga for customers
C、planning to imitate Saga’s business model
D、cooperating with Saga to attract the older
答案D
解析 本题考查事实细节。第三段最后三句提到：由于萨迦集团对老年市场一直以来的专注是独一无二的，所以，当其他公司想吸引日益强大的老年消费群时，会寻求萨迦集团的建议，采取的具体方式为：和萨迦集团合作，让萨迦集团帮他们将产品推向老年消费者(reach them)。所以，[D]正确。第三段虽然描述了老年消费者增多的趋势，也提到了越来越多的公司在努力适应这一趋势(a growing number of companies eager to attract the“gray pound”)，但adapting their products在文中没有提到，排除[A]。[B]错在compete，文中只提到其他公司和萨迦集团的合作(got partnerships with)，而没有提及竞争。[C]的错误在于对business model的断章取义。它出现在第三段末句，指其他公司和萨迦集团合作的模式。
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