Well here we are, inhabiting this Brave New Digital World, full of Blogoshpheres, Plugins, Links, RSS feeds, trackbacks, pingbacks, and a different brand of new media every week to help Gen X keep its ADHD addled minds abreast of every new technical wizardry that comes down the test tube.
Of course Barking Carnival seemlessly slid down that tube and is firmly entrenched in our Burnt Orange Corner of the World.
And we can thank the Gen Xers such as Sailor, Scipio, Trips, and yes, Henry James for creating this corner of the blog world. They even invited a few of us Baby Boomers along for the ride, if for nothing else than to add a little historical perspective to the commentary.
OMG! You mean Paul McCartney was in a group before Wings???
So in this Brave New Digital World, just how does your young, hip and cynical Gen X Barker spend his time on the blog? He tries to entice us into twittering, whatever the hell that is. Or he waxes nostalgic about the good old days when he was a bully in PE class.
Worst of all, he makes fun of the sacred game of golf.
Have your fun boys, but remember the Golden Rule:
He Who Has The Gold, Makes The Rules.
Your generational compatriots who are in the advertising business are quickly coming around to this basic fact: Ignorning the Baby Boom Market was a big mistake.
While the 18-49 target demo is still a cherished plum, advertisers now are asking Boomers to forgive them and please come back.
There are several factors for this change of heart.
SHEER NUMBERS
The estimated 78 million boomers born between 1946-1964 are aging and Madison Avenue is discovering that "50 isn't what it used to be." Boomers are still the best way to reach the largest mass audience with your message. CBS is the lone over-the-air network to experience a ratings growth over the past couple of years.
Did you ever wonder why I'm more popular than Jimmy Kimmel and Conan O'Brien?
IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID
Older consumers are better prepared to survive the recession, and many have already paid off mortgages, and are more secure in their business. A lot of the twenty to thirty-somethings are finding themselves in the "last one in, first one out," downsizing spiral.
BOOMERS ARE ADAPTABLE TO THE MARKETPLACE
A surprisingly large number of boomers are willing to "go with the flow" and are comfortable in the digital age, and are comfortable with staying in touch with products that they used and enjoyed when they were younger.
According to a recent study, Boomers buy 60% of the beer, 59% of the carbonated beverages and 54% of the candy sold in the U.S.
Advertisers are also finding that the brand loyalty established with Boomers decades ago can be reinvigorated with the right campaign. For instance, the cable network, TV Land used to appeal to Boomers with reruns of "I Love Lucy," and "Leave It To Beaver." Today, they are attempting another avenue to attract that brand loyalty.
To my younger, (and callower) Barkers I say, "Go ahead, be hip, be cynical, be cool and updated in this digital world.
I (and my fellow Barker Boomers) will simply remind you of the AARP card that we carry in our wallets.
Remember this: Boomers Own The World, We Merely Let You Inhabit It.