TV Execs Giving Up On The Kids?
from the one-way-to-deal-with-things dept
We’ve already written about how kids are avoiding the movie theaters for a variety of reasons, including all of the other entertainment options out there that often are cheaper and don’t make you feel like a criminal. It appears those same kids and young adults are also ditching television as well. Again, not a huge surprise. A year and a half ago, we wrote about how people in the “hot” demographics were watching less TV and how TV execs were mostly in denial about the whole thing. It seems that some of those execs have moved past the denial stage, and, as alex points out, are now saying that the “youth” market they used to love so much doesn’t really matter so much any more. Nope, now they’re focusing on a somewhat older demographic, hopefully one that includes the millions of baby boomers out there. It turns out they’re the important ones to go after, and all those kids can go to hell… or play Grand Theft Auto, or whatever it is they do with their time that doesn’t involve watching TV.
Comments on “TV Execs Giving Up On The Kids?”
Of course, the future isn't their problem
Those Execs are worried about raising profits for the current quarter, not about where they are leading their company 5-10 years from now.
Never fear though, plenty of companies are working hard to fill in the gaps. Microsoft, Apple, Google… the future media companies.
Good!
I?m a 22 year old male and this great news! I for one don?t particularly like being in the crosshairs of corporate marketing.
No TV For Me
I’m 20 and have been without TV (Not counting X-Files DVD’s or whatever) since April. I really don’t miss it at all.
From the Advertising Perspective
Well, not all agencies fail to see the light. As a partner in an advertising agency (http://zghdesign.com), we’ve been telling our clients for some time now that traditional media is NOT the way to reach this (we believe still) core demographic. We tell them, “…start with a good product.”
The days of selling the sizzle are over, you’ve got to have real steak and a better steak than anybody else in today’s market. Then you tell’em about it. Mediocrity can no longer be forced to the top by virtue of clever marketing — hence the downturn for things like movies, music and virtually anything from Micosoft.
Re: From the Advertising Perspective
I’m 23, No time for TV, Movies, Games. Full time job, 2 kids, and debt. I believe I have already “Gone to Hell” and become a functional part of society, who… much to my dismay… reads articles like this.
Re: Re: From the Advertising Perspective
Well, I for one cannot fathom why media companies started to ignore the Baby Boomer generation in the first place. The sheer size of that generation alone ought to have been enough to keep them within the target sights of the marketers. I bet that they are the demographic that?s probably still the biggest users of ?traditional? media. Let?s also not forget that they have more discretionary cash to spend (their kids have mostly left the nest, but they?re not retired yet) and they have proven to be a pretty self-indulgent demographic. In their middle-aged and retirement years, they?re far more likely to spend money than their parents? generation was. (I say this as a Boomer myself.)
Kids are just more
Kids are much more hip than we were (back in the day!). For instance, if a movie sucks, they have no qualms about opening up their cell phone in the theater and text messaging their friends “CHKN LTTL SUX!” — and their friends will warned away from the latest dreck coming out of Hollywood. (Sorry, Disney!)
The same goes with TV. I see TV “targeted” to kids by dumbing down their content. Hell, it worked form them on Saturday morning for forty years, right? Well, no! Comedy Central gets them tuning in with Daily Show and the Colbert Report (although following that with Carolla is back to the “dumbing down” technique!).
If you are older, then ask yourself a simple question. What did you like watching when you were 18-25? I mean, what did you really like? I sure as hell wasn’t watching Laverne and Shirley! Television almost lost me completely because the sitcoms back then were notoriously bad (there were some exceptions: M*A*S*H comes immediately to mind). Now, add to this the fact that kids have more options nowadays, with game consoles, iPods, the Internet, and content producers will need to come up with something worth watching.
Lorne Michaels was considered a genius when he created SNL back in 1975 which had a demographic that advertisers had only considered a wet dream before that. It wasn’t anything drastically different, and he readily admits that he got the idea from watching Monty Python in Canada. It’s basically the old Dean Martin style variety show with more current entertainment and a very cynical eye on current events. I admit that SNL has had its ups and downs since then, but it’s still out there and people notice it… just ask Ashley Simpson! However, even that is getting a bit old and kids see it as from an older generation. Somebody needs to come up with a format that will catch the attention of the kids (even while horrifying their parents, as SNL tried to do).
Come up with better stuff than Ashton Kutcher and those horrid UPN shows. Despite what you may think, kids aren’t just listening to their iPods, playing GTA, pirating songs and movies, and swooning over the latest People magazine. Give them entertainment that they want, or risk losing them forever.
Because…
Like it or not, that “no longer important” kids demographic of today is going to be the important “thirty and forty something” demographic of tomorrow, and if you piss them away now, you’ll find it very hard to get them back.
TV Sux
Ugh. I’m in the gen x demographic and I have no desire to watch tv. I actually don’t own a tv and haven’t since 2002 (and it’s not because I can’t afford it).
The sitcoms are mostly tired old “tried and true” formula sitcoms. The news is not even remotely interesting especially since almost every story is hyped beyond sensibility. Most of the reality shows are just terrible with their negative plots to tear people down and show them at their worst.
I would rather spend my money on a FIOS connection and time on the internet reading stories that are interesting. Researching things I’ve heard from everyone else to get my own well rounded opinion. Also, many of my fellow gen xers are physically active. We get out and play and socialize.
And we teach our kids to do the same. Move beyond just what we are told to watch and what we are told is news. Find things that are interesting to you and don’t let tv tell you what is interesting. We are no longer at the tv’s mercy for news and entertainment! Halleluiah! I LOVE THIS ERA! 🙂
No Subject Given
well i say fuck em back…….love watching free anime and shows from bittorent….fuck all them fucking executives……..
Re: No Subject Given
Looks to me like you have had enough years in front of the TV anyway.
Is that exclusive?
Just curious… can you really make a distinction between “playing GTA” and “going to hell”? 😉