thoughts on newest 12 + ratings?

[Larry Weil]

At 09:09 PM 1/14/2006, rogerkirk wrote:

>IMHO, people our age tend to make their buying decisions a little 
>more carefully than they did in their 20's.  They value 
>functionality, product longevity and quality over what's 
>'HOT.'  Less likely to overspend on a flashy sports car that gets 
>poor gas mileage, but is 'HOT.' (Exemptions available for 
>50-somethings experiencing late/mid-life crises that demand the 
>obligatory red sports car.)  Not as likely to buy a 'loaded' 
>computer for gaming - more likely to buy a modest one for e-mail and 
>printing pictures of the grandkids.  More likely to buy a basic cell 
>phone to make calls, not a $300+ model that takes pictures, plays 
>music & videos, sends Instant Messages, surfs the Internet and 
>downloads Fitty-Cent ring-tones.  In short, they stop to think 
>before they buy, they're typically more frugal and they're a heckuva 
>lot harder to seduce with Madison Avenue trickery.  It's probably 
>much easier to get a 20-something to part with his/her disposable 
>income for something 'NEAT'.

OK, I'm 55 (almost 56), so here's my take on this.  What you said, 
while somewhat of a generalization, is very true.  What this points 
to is not that those in our age group cannot be influenced by 
advertising, but rather it gives a good summary of how products and 
the advertising for them can be effectively aimed at people of this 
age.  But, I think there also is a market of older people who don't 
want to recognize their age, who want to seem forever young, and 
there certainly are products (hair coloring, for example) that appeals to them.


Larry Weil
Lake Wobegone, NH