Time To Rant: We Won't be Kept in A Zoo

Added: Fri Feb 1st 8:20am
Posted in: Entertainment

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There's an interesting change underway in the mainstream news media. For years, the 50+ market has been all but ignored. Now, news and stories about you are beginning to pop up everywhere but news and stories for you are still few and far between.

What's the difference?  About you is a disconnect. It's still news produced for and skewed toward the "highly desirable" 18-49 demo.  It's a subtle but divisive positioning that puts the 50+ market in kind of a demographic zoo in which they can look at and marvel at the beast while not having to confront it. They fool themselves into thinking they're respecting and caring for this demographic but ask the lion at the zoo what he thinks of his accommodations.
    
News organizations, major networks and many advertisers are afraid that by targeting older customers they’ll lose their appeal to younger customers who think, according to conventional (but flawed) wisdom, that anything for grandpa is uncool.  You and I know than "coolness" is not a function of age.  I have friends in their 30’s who are major dorks and friends in their 70’s who are as hip as hip can be. 

The truth is, everyone likes to see a happy, healthy, active, older person that’s well dressed and well spoken - someone with good sense and a good sense of humor. That's as cool as cool gets. Advertisers need to realize that positive images of the 50+ market make everyone feel better about the days ahead and attract the attention of consumers of all ages.
     
As America changes, so does our vocabulary of aging. AARP’s magazine no longer uses the term “senior citizen”.  Readers don’t like it and it scares away advertisers.  So what do you call this dynamic demographic?  Old, retired, mature, golden-ager, elderly, geezer and old fogy are all out.  I suppose "active American’s with big bank accounts, vibrant health and a continuing desire to travel, dine out, play sports and have sex" is probably too long. 

So until that perfect word is discovered we’ll stick with “growing bolder”.