Who Moved My Target?

Matt Thornhill who heads up the Boomer Project, a research and consulting firm specializing in boomer markets sent the following article on to me.  I addressed the issue he discusses in Ageless Marketing as well as in this space, but he has added a bit more historical depth to the issue of how age became so important in advertising and TV programming.

Sad Sad Sad:
Somebody Moved the Target?

The conundrum in marketing today is the continued fascination with the 18-49 age group. Articles in advertising and media trade journals routinuely still refer to the "coveted" audience for TV programming as "the 18-49 age segment."

But in a twist on the "chicken and egg" discussion, what came first: Boomers or the "coveted 18-49 segment?"

Want to guess?

That's right, it was Boomers, who began turning 18 in 1964, and half of whom were 18 by 1973. By simply aging into early adulthood, Boomers drew the attention of ABC television, who decided to focus their programming on the huge, young demographic in an attempt to attract viewers. It worked.

Seems ABC was wallowing in third place behind CBS and its Westerns and family fare like "Gunsmoke," "Mayberry RFD" and "Family Affair," top rated shows in 1969.

In fact, ABC only had one show in the top ten in 1969 -- "Marcus Welby, MD." In 1969, the median age of Boomers was 14.

ABC did some research and discovered younger viewers liked half hour comedies and lighter TV fare, so they began revamping their line-up in the early 1970's to attract those millions upon millions of Boomer eyeballs coming of age.

By the mid-1970's, ABC was number one with shows like "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley," "Charlie's Angels" and the "Six Million Dollar Man." ABC had seven out of the top ten rated shows in 1976. The median age of Boomers in 1976 was 21.

Here's the rub:

The median age of Boomers today is 49. They are quickly aging out of the "coveted demo." And ABC, and everyone else, are more interested in targeting today's 21-year-old than a 49-year-old. We checked the latest Census estimates: in May 2004 there were 4,172,451 21-year-olds and 4,315,016 49-year-olds.

Time to wake up: The target isn't an age segment, it's a demographic segment. It's Baby Boomers. The same demo it has been for thirty years. They just aren't 18-49 anymore. They are 40-58.

Time to shift aim, isn't it?

Source for ratings: ClassicTVHits.com.

Thanks, Matt.

Comments

[Dotty LeMieux]

Right on! I've been singing this tune for years! I have tried my hand at a Boomer sitcom. We invented sex drugs and rock and roll and bunch of other things, including the "youth culture" Guess what, the "youth culture innovators are aging and now we are the midlife culture, but it ain't your dad's middle age.

We're still hip and we still spend money (More than that coveted 18-49 year old group from what I've learned.) So we need to infiltrate the Industry and take over the airwaves.

Dotty LeMieux
Green Dog Campaigns and Communications