Targeting Boomers

American Demographics, March 1, 2003

Byline: PAMELA PAUL

Print, radio, television, the Internet. When it comes to Baby Boomers' media consumption, it seems just about anything goes for this generation of 78 million Americans.

But even in a market so large and fragmented that it defies the attempts of anyone to make generalizations, a few broad statements about Boomer media patterns may be made. For one thing, in an era of increased niche targeting, television may still be an effective mass medium for reaching Boomers. For another, as this generation gets older, it appears willing to embrace new forms of media. "Everything is being accommodated into a new mix," says Marty Horn, senior vice president of strategic planning and research at ad agency DDB in Chicago. "Baby Boomer media habits, formed early on, haven't changed dramatically in terms of television, radio and print. Baby Boomers have stuck with what they've known over the years, but they're also embracing the new. It's a matter of 'and' rather than a matter of 'or.'"

Though Boomers may have the most education of any cohort in American history, and though they may consume print media at a vociferous rate, what truly differentiates them from the previous generation is television.

"This is the first generation to grow up with TV," says Sarah Zapolsky, senior research advisor at the AARP. "When times were tough - when Kennedy was assassinated - this generation turned on the television. The Baby Boom accounts for a huge portion of TV viewers. Even if you only get 10 percent of Boomers, you're still capturing about 7.8 million people. It surprises me that the entertainment industry doesn't cater to them more."

According to Nielsen Media Research, households headed by people between the ages of 35 and 54 comprise 40 percent of all households using television (HUTs) during prime time. While much on TV is targeted to the youth market, adults between the ages of 35 and 64 spend an average of 248 minutes a day watching TV, 22 minutes more a day, on average, than adults 18 to 34, reports a Television Bureau of Advertising/The Media Center survey that was conducted by Bruskin/Audits & Surveys Worldwide in 2000. In general, television viewership increases with age, so Baby Boomers currently are somewhat in the middle of the spectrum, and their viewing time continues to increase.

The type of programming Boomers tend to watch centers around life stage, according to Diane Denesowicz, senior partner and group director of consumer insights at Mindshare, the joint media operations unit for J. Walter Thompson and Ogilvy & Mather that's based in New York City. Denesowicz breaks the cohort down into Leading Edge (45- to-54 year-olds) and Later Boomers (35- to-44-year-olds). For the fourth quarter 2001, three favorite television shows of older Boomers were CSI, The West Wing and ER. For younger Boomers, ER, Friends and Survivor held the top three spots. Older Boomers tend to be more interested in news programs and shows on the Lifetime cable network. They are less interested in reality shows, which draw a high concentration of younger Boomers, Denesowicz says.

It's not all about life stage, however. Denesowicz notes that science fiction programming, in particular, is popular among Boomers, a fact she attributes to Boomers' heavy watching of the genre during their formative years. Science fiction shows about space travel, such as the Star Trek "prequel" Enterprise, no longer hold great appeal to 18- to 34-year-olds. Gen Xers and Gen Ys have less of a connection to the miracles of space exploration, whereas Boomers remember and are nostalgic for such historic moments as man's first walk on the moon.

Denesowicz also points out that Boomers' high education level distinguishes them from earlier generations of television viewers. "We've always associated 55-plus TV programming, like Touched by an Angel, with being downscale and not very sophisticated," she says. "But the type of programming for Boomers in the future will be more like The West Wing, more intelligent and sophisticated - particularly entertainment for women, because that's where the change in education is the greatest." And researchers at the VALS Program at Menlo Park, Calif.-based SRI Consulting predict that Boomers will increasingly look for "in-depth" programming, such as multidimensional social documentaries, challenging scientific specials and comedies with sophisticated historical and cultural references.

Boomers also search for substantive radio programming. According to the fall 2001 RADAR (Radio's All Dimension Audience Research) study produced by Arbitron, Baby Boomers listen to the radio an average of 21 hours per week, about two hours more per week than most other adults. Program preferences differ slightly between older and younger Boomers. According to Arbitron, news/talk is No. 1 for older Boomers and rock is No. 5, while rock is No. 2 with younger Boomers and adult contemporary is No. 1. And just as Baby Boomer viewing supported the rise of cable news networks, their avid ears have led to the enormous popularity of talk radio.