TV in the Millennial Age

The paradigm effecting media began with the entrenched attitude of a by-gone era. 

"Talking pictures? No one wants to listen to that chatter. They want to see acting."

"Television? No one wants to squint at that tiny screen. They want the experience of the big screen. The Silver Screen." 

"The Motor Car? Noisy smelly toy for the rich. It'll never replace the horse." 

Next: 

We had channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, & 13. But let's keep the math simple. 

100,000,000 viewers, 10 Television stations. Each station has 100,000 viewers and sells advertising time accordingly. 

 The "tech" explosion. We now have 100 stations. Each station has 10,000 viewers. The advertisers spend accordingly. 

Then you have M&A. Then target marketing. Then television companies become part of a large corporation's "agglomeration". 

Now, however, we are dealing with millennials. The market demographic has shifted. It has become more segmented. That, and computers are better able to identify viewers and tailor the advertising to "interest" the viewer and appease the advertiser. Well, assuage the advertiser.


This is analogous to Gillette's new strategy to challenge the competitors who sell razors on-line to men who embrace the scruffy 3-day fashion statement. Their new pricing policy comes across to me as a promotion. 

I read the circular. $3.99 after coupon. Okay. I go to CVS. It appears that the slot for what I want is empty. But I can't find what I'm looking for. There are other models with various prices touted by flashy signs. 

 I speak to a very helpful manager. He gets a circular. It is no real help. It looks different. Maybe I had last weeks circular. (not likely, and not the case.) He offers a substitute. Happy customer. The coupon doesn't scan. They override. The discount is applied. I go home to check the circular. I see the small change. An eye-catching black box with white letters 

Your Final Cost 
$3.99 

is in my circular--not the store circular. That's okay. I got a better razor. Except that it has one of those swivel heads that I don't want. However, for $3.99 it's worth a try as a marketing and product design study.


My suspicions are raised when the manager tells me these blades last longer.  This will last a month--so you don't just use it for a week and toss it.  I know this.  Gillette blades last longer than a month.  My suspicion is raised when the manager and the full page newspaper ad draw attention to the quality of the blades--a given for a long time.


Back to television.  

The media giants are attempting to approach a new market, a new paradigm with old [ b-school] thinking.  I went to b-school.  I can see their doomed course.

What happens when millennials who buy on-line  (Amazon)  buy razors on-line. Pricing will be the issue. That for the few trendy hipsters who still shave.  Our generation is fading away.  Will "razors" go down the path that barber shops did back when hippies grew their hair long and barbers  lost a generation of customers?

Fortunately, the computer can analyze and select the ads tailored to each viewer.  But only companies like Facebook and Google and perhaps, YouTube know that.  The large corporations are trying to solve tomorrows problems with yesterday's thinking.

If you find anything here to be helpful, please don't hesitate to send me a really tricked out Mac Pro and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope along with the thank you note.  Slim

Bob Asken
Box 33
Pen Argyl, PA 18072


Marketing to Millennials

Ad Revenues & the Media 


Mob Technology: Retail & the Media


Warmest regards,

Slim.

Slimfairview@yahoo.com

Copyright (c) 2017  Bob Asken
All Rights Reserved.