Elephant waiting to be fed peanuts

“Baby boomers sit like an elephant in the room waiting to be fed a peanut, but everyone in advertising still asks ‘What elephant?’"

This amusing comment comes from an article taken from Mediapost.com (US advertising and media Internet portal) and reviews the latest viewing figures for US television, from the The Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB).

It appears that once you have removed from the list all the sports (6 of the top ten); specials (like the Oscars and Golden Globes); news interviews tied to major breaking events and one-time specials, the list is dominated by 15 different shows. Nearly all of these are aimed at the young and trashy: reality or "talent" shows.

The writer continues, “Clearly, the networks still think advertisers won't buy anything not watched by adults 18-34”. He then goes on to make a very good point about a problem with this youth focus “the generations growing up behind them are smaller in number and more ethnically and culturally diverse, posing a key challenge for advertisers. In the future, marketers won't be able to afford to let the boomers slip away because there aren't enough younger consumers to sustain the spending level."

By the end of the article the author has really got into his stride. “As an aging baby boomer, let me reassure the ad industry that I am wide open to product pitches. My body and mind remind me daily that I am no longer 29 (or even 39), so I'm not kidding myself. What I do mind is spots where people my age always appear happy and healthy, as if they hadn't a care in the world.

Just once I'd like to see someone squinting in effort at a menu or cursing because those first steps in the morning are painful, or telling their kids, ‘No, you are getting too heavy for piggy-back rides.’

The next cohort to abandon the networks won't be young men; it'll be us old farts.”