golden Oldies--remember your elders

Golden Oldies
By Paul Herbig


I don’t feel old. Yes, my bones creak and I am not as fast on my feet as I once was, but I do not consider myself a senior yet. Unfortunately, Madison Avenue and Hollywood decree otherwise. Remember the Boomers war cry in the 60s,” Never Trust anyone over 30?” Beware of what you ask for, you just might get it. It appears the cry is the new mantra for our own sons and daughters, except the age has increased to 35, past that age and you are invisible as far as many are concerned. For advertisers, the golden age are those between the ages of 18 and 35. It is these viewers that they seek and constantly strive to obtain. Advertisers want the 18-35 prime audience and will pay a premium for shows that deliver those youth.
Check out prime time and what will you find? Friends (I am probably the only person who can boast He has never seen an episode of Friends and is none the worse for it). Will and Grace (I wouldn’t recognize either one if they introduced themselves to me). Sex and the city. Survivor One Two three etc. And a dozen other shows all oriented towards yuppie urban 20ish gorgeous singles.
Whatever happened to shows for us old people (Like I said I don’t feel old but anyone over 35 let alone 40 let alone 45 can be considered obsolete and ancient as far as the mass media is concerned). Remember the Golden Girls? What about Barney Miller? Let alone Sid Caesar. Whatever happened to shows for us “mature” audiences? Do others remember variety shows like Carol Burnett, The Smothers Brothers, Red Skelton, even Ed Sullivan? You haven’t seen a variety show on the tube in over a decade. Why? Because they do not attract the demographics wanted They have all gone the way of the dinosaur in the media’s attempt to relate to those prized demographics of 18 to 35. ..
Obviously Hollywood and the media can do what they want. But like any outspoken celebrity, they must face the consequences. By consciously choosing the age demographics, choosing the shows and stars that appeal to them, and creating the action (sex, violence, language, pace) that appeals to the desired demographic, they have insured that those audiences are the ones who will watch those shows (I have polled numerous people my age and us old folks predominantly have no interest in the type of shows being created and viewed today). The media will have achieved their goal of grabbing 18-34 year old eyeballs but at what cost?
If one were to look at income and assets, how does the 18 to 35 audience compare to other groups? The major earning years are those in the 45 to 60 age bracket, just prior to retirement. It just so happens those years are those between children leaving the nest and becoming grandparents. What about assets? Who has the greatest assets? Those in the 18 to 35 age range? Perhaps they have the most loans outstanding. The greatest assets are held by those in the 55 to 70 range, at the end of one’s working life, in the beginning of retirement, and before large health expenditures occur.
So what is the allure of the 18 to 35 age bracket? Is it that is the prime age for household formation and asset accumulation? Probably so. Is it the prime age for branding imprintation that will result in brand loyalty over the rest of one’s life? Once again probably so. Or is it just because America’s love story with youth, beauty, sex appeal, and attractiveness? There may well be excellent conscious business reasons for choosing the 18-35 age range to concentrate one’s shows on but at what cost to the other 80% of the population? (Author’s note: the youth generation is notoriously fickle while we olders tend to be loyal. As broadband and cable expands, internet usage will dominate further; already it is the leading source for communication, news, and entertainment for today’s youth and will continue to grow. At some point in time, in the not so distant future, the young will be staring at computer tubes, not TV tubes. I will then ask the networks and media: what is 100% of 0?)
If the money and assets are in the over 40 crowd, what are the networks losing by ignoring us old folks (sic). Nature abhors a vacuum. Other media alternatives, primarily cable, have decided us oldies are a good market and have taken the time and attention to focus on shows and issues we like and care about. And we in turn have given these media vehicles our loyalty.
Any good marketer knows it is not wise to long ignore large segments of the market, let alone intentionally irritate or anger them. Loyalty is a two way street. I am not wedded to your station or products and ignore me long enough and you have lost me forever. Let Hollywood and prime time concentrate on the youngsters. When they finally decide to once again ‘honor’ us with their presence, we might not be there for them. There will be a price to pay.