The lost demographic
Image via WikipediaAbout a year ago, executives at CNBC were alarmed to discover that they’d suddenly lost one-third of their audience. They couldn’t figure it out; news programming, as a rule, attracts the 25- to 54-year-old demographic. So the network delved into the data with the Nielsen Company and made a startling finding: That missing one-third was, in fact, still there. They were no longer being counted as viewers, because they’d turned 55.There is much more.
“They had just turned invisible,” says Alan Wurtzel, president of research at NBC Universal. “And it occurred to me: Every seven seconds, somebody turns 55.”
While the 18-34 demographic remains the most coveted among advertisers — get a consumer young, goes the thinking, and you get them for life — it is actually the 55- to 64-year old demo, the so-called “alpha boomers,” that are the most dominant.
Consider: Alpha boomers are the fastest-growing demographic in the nation. They make up half the population and spend more money on goods and services — nearly $2 trillion — than any other age group. They buy more technology and gadgets — 40% of the market — than any other demo. They drive elections, accounting for the biggest voting blocs in both 2008 and 2010. Alpha boomers have the second-highest median household income, at $69,000, trailing only the 35-44 age group, whose median earnings are $75,000 annually. They own the most second homes in the nation. They largely share the same tastes in online usage as the 18-34s, ranking Facebook and YouTube among their favorite sites, and they buy at least one product online per month. They own more iPads and smartphones than any other demo and record and watch more programming on their DVRs than anyone else. They are less loyal to brands than Gen Xers.
They are almost completely ignored by advertisers.
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Does this mean I want be getting anymore cold calls?
Uh, No. They are just from people trying to sell me a burial policy and a Medicare plan.
What a clear statement about how profoundly assumptions impact decisions. I've linked to your post here: Hiding In Plain Sight, or...
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