Older Audiences & Advertiser Appeal (For All Markets)

[davideduardo]

You're right, but neither David nor I ever said that consumers over 50 don't have purchasing power. What we've said very consistently; is that many advertisers which broadcasters rely on for their existence, are primarily interested in reaching a younger audience. It's just business, nothing personal. Heck, David and I both fall into the 50+ bracket, but we also understand our place in the advertising demo orbit.

And we know by experience as well as from statistics and research that the older a consumer gets, the more tied they are to specific products and brands. To an advertiser, that means that the older consumer will need to hear or see more ads before they try a new or different product.

Absolutely. There certainly are advertisers who want to reach older folks. Right wing talk radio has been profitable because advertisers know that's where a certain demographic lives. Same with classic TV 'diginets'.

And those advertisers represent a vastly smaller "universe" which is not big enough to support local music radio formats.

There's a lot of money to be made if you have content that's popular with the older set, especially on TV.
Some on this site get so butt hurt about some stations not being interested in reaching seniors. Just like programming to the 50+ crowd, other stations just program to a younger audience that certain advertisers want to reach. Nothing new. It's been this way for decades.

We see a parallel about 50 years ago in the decade of the 70's when teen accounts gradually dropped off radio in favor of other media options. So, Top 40 stations that heavily focused on teens became more interested in very young adults and a whole format was transformed. Today, we see the focus on 18-49 and 25-54 being more and more important.

Most important, major advertisers seeking both teens and seniors have moved almost entirely to network TV as their traditional media choice. And, of course, to new media's highly targeted choices.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Rod Stewart put out five "Great American Songbook" albums of standards from 2002 to 2010, all of which were big sellers; Volume III in 2004 reached #1 on Billboard's album chart.

I can't find the original post but I had a different experience with Rod today.

I stopped to get gas and 98.7 Simon was playing "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" (followed by Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer"). The last time I checked, Simon played "everything". For the Greensboro NC market it is the de facto classic hits station. Where I get 6+ ratings it's still listed as Hot AC, but as Simon it never had that format.

The closest thing to a good radio station I have in the car, unless I'm closer to Charlotte, is a Good Time Oldies affiliate. A few songs will make me change stations (and there is a classic country station). "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was played a few minutes ago (okay, I've been home an hour, so longer than that). I don't care for it, but it is disco so at least it's not that bad.

Where's the thread where they mentioned The Cowsills? I found out I just heard them (while still in the car). Now I like them.

 

[Don CT]

Carly Simon is much better at singing standards than Rod Stewart.

Just about everyone is better at singing than Rod Stewart.

 

[landtuna]

Just about everyone is better at singing than Rod Stewart.

Yep. An unusual voice to be sure but more than a competent musician.

 

[KeithE4]

Just about everyone is better at singing than Rod Stewart.

"I think I can challenge that." -- Bob Dylan

 

[landtuna]

Where's the thread where they mentioned The Cowsills? I found out I just heard them (while still in the car). Now I like them.

My old navy buddy turned me on to the Cowsills back in the 60's after he caught the family group singing in a local northeast nightclub. They were the inspiration for TV's "The Partridge Family" show.

 

[Don CT]

"I think I can challenge that." -- Bob Dylan

Is that even singing?

Trying to get my car to turnover on a cold day sounds better than Bob Dylan.

 

[rparky54]

Just about everyone is better at singing than Rod Stewart.

Maybe not Joe Cocker..R.I.P

 

[KeithE4]

Maybe not Joe Cocker..R.I.P

I'll still take Cocker over Dylan. Dylan was one of America's greatest songwriters, if not THE greatest -- but I'd rather hear others sing his songs.

For example:
It Ain't Me Babe: Turtles > Dylan.
Mr. Tambourine Man: Byrds > Dylan.
All Along the Watchtower: Jimi Hendrix > Dylan.
Mighty Quinn: Manfred Mann > Dylan.
Need I go on?

 

[b-turner]

I recall my Dad saying his beautiful music station went away. He opted for country but country changed enough to where he was no longer happy with country. Then a station playing a base of 1970s soft rock was found but in a couple of years went to a new format. He was shocked that 1970s soft rocker as playing songs I was playing as a top 40 jock and he hated almost all of it then. Finding nothing else on radio to satisfy him, he quit listening to radio. By this time he was long since retired and spent many hours daily watching TV. Those TV channels were running a decent load of commercials geared to people like him. Honestly, judging by how much time he would have spent with radio versus TV, my money would go to TV.

 

[Don CT]

Maybe not Joe Cocker..R.I.P

Wasn't Cocker more blues. He didn't need to have a great voice.

 

[landtuna]

I'll still take Cocker over Dylan. Dylan was one of America's greatest songwriters, if not THE greatest -- but I'd rather hear others sing his songs.

For example:
It Ain't Me Babe: Turtles > Dylan. Sonny & Cher?
Mr. Tambourine Man: Byrds > Dylan.
All Along the Watchtower: Jimi Hendrix > Dylan.
Mighty Quinn: Manfred Mann > Dylan.
Need I go on?

One of my most cherished albums (most of you remember those, right?) is Nashville Skyline by Dylan. And I'm not much of a Country fan. I'm thinking that album is more Folk than Country.

 

[kfbkfb]

Has anyone surveyed the older consumers as to whether they know that many (most?) of the brand names they prefer are not the same company they once were?

The RCA brand has been licensed to various companies over the years, the Magnavox brand is currently licensed to two companies, the Zenith brand last appeared on DTV STBs some 15 years ago, the Philips brand is also licensed to the company that uses the Magnavox brand.

At Target, Westinghouse brand TVs are for sale.

These brands are owned/licensed by trans-national conglomerates (the quality may be less than what the original brand had), it could be a way to reinterest (is this a word?) older consumers to try different brands if they knew their preferred brands existed in name only.


Kirk Bayne

 

[kwthom]

Has anyone surveyed the older consumers as to whether they know that many (most?) of the brand names they prefer are not the same company they once were?
<...>

I'd be willing to bet the issue here is, again, not much marketing toward those over 50.

So, if grandson thinks the Magnavox TV is the same as the Magnavox that grandpa is using in the basement for a third TV...grandson seems to be the one that needs the education, not grandpa.

 

[michael hagerty]

I'd be willing to bet the issue here is, again, not much marketing toward those over 50.

So, if grandson thinks the Magnavox TV is the same as the Magnavox that grandpa is using in the basement for a third TV...grandson seems to be the one that needs the education, not grandpa.

I'm trying to figure out how old grandpa has to be to have a Magnavox.

If you say "old TV" to me, I think Sony. Yeah, I know they're still in the game, but the last one I bought was 1994.

Even my mom, who died 18 years ago and would be 101 next month if she hadn't, switched from Zenith to Sony in 1985.

 

[b-turner]

All this talk about bad singing voices reminded me of a guy I worked with who could do a perfect Elmer Fudd singing "Hello Goodbye" by the Beatles. Yep, it was bad when I could quit laughing.

 

[davideduardo]

I'm trying to figure out how old grandpa has to be to have a Magnavox.

If you say "old TV" to me, I think Sony. Yeah, I know they're still in the game, but the last one I bought was 1994.

Even my mom, who died 18 years ago and would be 101 next month if she hadn't, switched from Zenith to Sony in 1985.

And then, who remembers Philco and even more, an early Crosley TV?

 

[michael hagerty]

And then, who remembers Philco and even more, an early Crosley TV?

I think part of the problem is that people confuse brand longevity with brand relevance. 60 years ago, the majority of TV sets being sold were RCA, Zenith, Admiral and Magnavox.

40 years ago, it was Sony, JVC, Panasonic and Sharp.

Today, it's Samsung, LG, TCL and Sony.

My grandmother had an RCA color TV in the 1960s. By the time I was buying my first good set in the early 80s, RCA wasn't anywhere on my radar.

These are dead brands. If someone's using Magnavox, RCA and Westinghouse as brand names for TVs, I promise you, they're selling on price, not on brand loyalties.

 

[Greg Goodfellow]

I had a B&w Philco in my bedroom as a kid-no older than 9 years old.

 

[kfbkfb]

Seems like there's a marketing opportunity here somewhere - even the big food company brands have consolidated, the brand logo is still the same, but checking the small print, the brand is just one of many that a "big 10" food company owns.

Somehow explain in a clever way that "the brand you know isn't the brand you know", so try our new brand (please).


Kirk Bayne