Does Anyone Want to Win? 76ers vs Cavs: Behind the Box Score
March 29, 2015Sam Bradford wouldn’t sign extension with the Browns
March 30, 2015Happy Monday, kids. Is it pretty safe to say that March is going out like a lion? April will bring us crummy things like tax deadlines and such, but come this time next month, we’ll be fully ingrained in the NBA Playoffs, the MLB regular season and NFL Draft talk. Buckle up, you guys…It’s going to be a fun few weeks. But While We’re Waiting…
Today is my birthday. I say this not in search of acknowledgment or well wishes, but in search of some sort of reasoning. You see, it’s my 34th birthday—or, as advertisers see it, my final year as a member of the target demographic of 18-to-34-year-old males. While I’ll admit that even I have had it better than women, a segment of people who are automatically ixnayed from potential admittance to this demographic from Minute One, I’m still unsure as to why this range is what it is.
Don’t get me wrong: I completely understand why it was, at some point in ad-focused history, set this way. Mid-30s may as well be 40, and 40 is, well, no longer where the influencers exist. A giant portion of A-List celebrities are well north of 40, but they aren’t the ones getting billed for commercials these days. Some are even still single and, by definition, still hip. Leo DiCaprio is 40. So is Derek Jeter. Pharrell Williams is 41, and is married and has a son and is the current personification of hip. It could also be argued that if you produce “Rump Shaker” and “Blurred Lines” over the course of a 20-plus year career, and continue to be a part of fashion trends around the world, that you’re more the exception that the rule. This all said, I think it’s worth reconsidering what exactly comprises the target demographic—and not just because I’m clinging to my last 365 days of relevance, but because I think it just makes damn good sense.
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Once you start to tread into your 30s, real life starts to knock on your door and pesky things like utilities and insurance command a bigger share of the wallet than it did when I would willingly drink copious amounts of Bud Light.
To the advertisers who are in search of my hard-earned dollars, it could reasonably be assumed that I spent more money, at least more frequently, on items of leisure when I was 18-through-33. Once you start to tread into your 30s, real life starts to knock on your door and pesky things like utilities and insurance command a bigger share of the wallet than it did when I would willingly drink copious amounts of Bud Light. But given the trends of wages plateauing and the whole feel-good quip about 40 being the “new 30,” it would make sense for marketers to keep folks like me (and you, if you’re in my same boat—the balding, greying, weight-gaining boat) on their radar. We may not look as good as we did when we were 18, but Lord knows that our dollars go just as far.
I firmly believe the “target demographic” should morph into something closer to 21-40. Eighteen-year olds have enough at their advantage. Let’s have them wait a few years before entering the radar. And hey—you can join too, ladies. Who’s with me?
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Speaking of being old and nostalgic, I can’t believe that it’s been 25 years since Michael Jordan’s 69-point game. Just like all of the documentaries discussed above, Peak Jordan occurred in the late-80s and early-90s, a time where there were plenty of distractions. Like most fans my age, I don’t believe I truly understood how special the events I was witnessing actually were. Being that young, there was no point of reference. It didn’t help that I also spent so much time loathing the man for how much of a thorn he was in my side as a Cleveland fan, but if Jordan provided me with anything as a child, it was to not take excellence for granted when presented with the opportunity to watch. It’s the reason I refuse to live and die with every Cavs game. It’s the reason I watched all of the Miami Heat games when LeBron James went away for a few years. It’s the reason why I’ll watch random sporting events like Tennis when Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal are playing. I have no vested interest in who wins (though I love pulling for Andy Murray), but I simply love watching the best in the world execute their craft on the largest of stages. For this, I can thank Michael Jordan.
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These “brutally honest” push notifications are fake, but some of them should be conjured up before it’s too late. Some of my favorites:
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Oh, hey there Hot Takes. We’ll need you to step aside. #ActualSportswriting is coming through:
“Inside Jeremy Lin’s Life after Linsanity” by Pablo S. Torre (ESPN The Magazine): “Sometimes the gloom of this trajectory strikes Lin on the team plane, when he’s tired and trapped. Sometimes it strikes him at home, so he’ll go to the beach by himself and take deep breaths. Often he’ll come home after games and watch film on his iPad, climb into bed by midnight, pray aloud, read, then fail to fall asleep until 4. “And then I wake up at 6, head spinning with a million different thoughts,” he says. “About plays from the previous night. About when I’ve had success in the past. How I can try to replicate that. How I can work on certain moves. How I can analyze the game differently.”1
“Take These Broken Wings” by Kim Cross (SB Nation): “Delvin McMillian lives in a two-story brick house in an upscale subdivision in Alabaster, a community 30 minutes south of Birmingham, Ala. Blond boys toss footballs across landscaped lawns and race each other down the street. Walking up to his home, I stupidly look for a wheelchair ramp. Delvin is a world-class wheelchair rugby player. But when he is not on the rugby court, he goes about his business on two prosthetic legs that begin below both knees. They vanish under his pants so well it is easy to forget them.”2
“Being Andre the Giant” by Denny Burkholder (CBS Sports): “Having worked many uninspiring manual labor jobs, a teenage Andre had yet to find a path in life that excited him. That changed when he tried pro wrestling. Suddenly, the small-town kid was performing in the world’s biggest cities in front of throngs of mesmerized fans. Pro wrestling was perfect for Andre the Giant. He could travel the world, become a celebrity, meet new people, make lots of money and have fun doing it.”3
“Story of Patty Mills: Spur, Aussie, Bala” by Alexander Wolf (Sports Illustrated): “The walls of the locker room in the Spurs’ arena, the AT&T Center, are festooned with the same Popovich-chosen motivational saying, posted in every language represented on the roster, including Meriam Mir, which is spoken in the eastern Torres Strait. “I wasn’t interested in ‘There is no I in team’ or any of that crap,” the coach says. Instead the words are from Jacob Riis, the 19th-century Danish immigrant to the U.S. who became a social reformer and championed the stranger in a strange land.”4
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And finally, this week’s Brew Sneaker Album du Jour: Wale’s “The Album About Nothing”
Prince George County’s own is back with another album. After abandoning the Seinfeld-based theme that made him famous in the mixtape circuit, Wale Folarian is set to release “The Album About Nothing” on March 31. A look at the cover to the right, and you’ll see the DC-native standing next to Jerry Seinfeld, but rather than the comedian being in his trademark plain-white sneakers, the Jordan fan has him outfitted in some fresh VIIs.
For those who are a bit confused about all of this, a few years back in 2008, Wale released “The Mixtape About Nothing,” a 19-track independent album that featured countless soundbites from the long-time comedy Seinfeld—the self-proclaimed show about nothing. The cover art for this mixtape featured the feet of the four key characters of the show and Wale. A year later, we were greeted with “More About Nothing,” After singing with Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group, the rapper released a few general, actual albums, but largely abandoned what got him to where he was. The albums sold well with the rapper’s niche, core audience, but did little beyond the first week. Three albums later, we get “The Album About Nothing,” and rather than having an album full of old clips, we get Seinfeld himself serving as the narrator over the course of the 14 tracks. But don’t fret: There’s still a slew of key lines intertwined.
Before “The Pessamist,” a track with J. Cole, we get a dialogue between Seinfeld and George Costanza:
Jerry: “Oh, so there’s still hope?”
George: “I don’t want hope. Hope is killing me. My dream is to become hopeless. When you’re hopeless, you don’t care. When you don’t care, that indifference makes you attractive.”
Wale once again brandishes his impressive wordplay and continues to bang the drum on items like institutional racism and things like obsession with celebrities. The album itself will not compete with the recent releases of Drake and Kendrick Lamar, and will undoubtedly be trumped by Kanye West’s release later this year. But it’s classic Wale, and it’s great to see (and hear) him going back to his roots.
- Pablo, with Jeremy Lin, is effectively the Lee Jenkins to LeBron. Add in some top flight production and this is one hell of a piece. [↩]
- I love stories about random individuals excelling at random things. I had never known that wheelchair rugby was a thing. [↩]
- It’s the day after WrestleMania and I’m not sure what I’m more surprised about: A piece on wrestling linked here or the fact that it’s hosted on CBS Sports. [↩]
- A terrific story about the player who may very well be the most diverse on a team full of international talent. Very well reported. [↩]
34 Comments
Happy birthday Scott! Yeah for me, being a big sports fan skewed perception of what’s “old.” When you hit the age when MLB stars retire, you feel old. I first felt old when I saw the birth dates of an athlete and could remember that year (they’re into the mid 1990s now!). But like you say Jeter is only 40, and I’m sure he sleeps well at night (on a bed of 22 year old Minka Kelly lookalikes). If only we could all be put out to pasture that way.
The question for advertisors, etc. is when to shift the advertising from the individual to the family. For example, you 30for30 is more for the older individual and that’s great. But, Smurfs, Transformers, TMNT, and every other popular show/movie from our youth is hitting the big screens again because they know we will want to share what we loved with our kids. Smart advertisors hit all segments in as many ways as possible.
Atchison had his birthday yesterday and is still on a MLB roster. So, as long as he’s playing, we are all young!
note: I really hope he becomes the new Julio Franco and just keeps playing and playing though it’s not likely due to him being a pitcher.
I don’t understand how we are just constantly now remaking all of these older movies instead of coming up with new ones? Or we are doing a sequel 15+ years later! Have the writers hit a block?
Generally speaking, the older you are, the more money you make. So I don’t understand why 18 to 34 should be coveted more than, say, 40 to 54.
But who am I to question marketing people?
No, I am not with you, and cannot get behind this “21-40 demographic” thing that you propose, for, at the age of 41, this would immediately relegate me to “irrelevant geezer” status.
On second thought, I guess I was already in the “irrelevant geezer” demographic, so this change just puts me slightly closer to the days of relevancy. Furthermore, do I really want to be associated with Millenials? No. I’m pretty sure I don’t. (No offense; just stay off my lawn.) Okay, let’s go with it! 21-40. I’m converted.
Happy Birthday, Scott. For what it’s worth, as much as I sometimes pine for the days (and athletic abilities) of my youth, I wouldn’t trade being older for anything. It only gets better from 35. (I’ll be sure to let you know if/when that trend reverses.)
they know the cash floor for these movies, which makes it easier for the studios to greenlight them. I would complain (and do sometimes), but most movies are just rip-offs of other ideas anyway.
Any “While We Are Waiting…” column that has a Seinfeld quote (even if indirect) is instantly in the running for greatest WWAW column of all time.
They do it because we’re suckers who will pay for it, despite our inevitable, fierce disappointment and regret immediately thereafter. (I will say this, though: The A-Team movie a few years ago was FANTASTIC. I smiled and laughed, and high-fived the other late-30s guys around me in the theater throughout the whole thing.)
Probably has something to do with 18-34 year olds being more frivolous with their money and doing more impulse-buying of the items that appear in commercials for NBA games. Or to put it another way, who is more likely to satisfy their craving for some Doritos and Coke while watching the game… a 20-year-old or a 50-year-old?
Built in audience
http://matthewsavides.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/abe-simpson.gif
Dumb and Dumber To is funny as well
Perfect. That makes so much more sense to me now than it did when I laughed at old Abe all those years ago. Now, it’s not even funny. It’s poignant.
“I would voice my pain, but the change wouldn’t last; all that comes, it comes here to pass.” – TAB
Yeah? I’ve been very afraid of it. I’ll check it out now.
Honestly, as long as you understood going in that that was a remake of the A-Team and not The Godfather, it was an easy movie to enjoy. Absurd, yes. But enjoyable. Really liked the casting choices (Rampage as B.A. wasn’t great, but the rest fit well), which are the biggest part of such remakes IMO (Megan Fox as April O’Neil? Nope. Shia LeBouf in any role? Stop it. But Liam Neeson as Hannibal? Well played).
Speaking as a marketing strategist who works at an advertising agency:
The reason (short answer) 18 year old are in the target demo is because they spend their money more frivolously. 40 year olds are more likely to be saving for retirement, their kid’s school, etc. etc.
Now as media habits shift (more Millennials consume media in non-traditional–read non TV–ways) it will effect the way advertisers can reach the younger part of that audience, but the industry as a whole is nowhere close to figuring that out, beyond trying to blanket more ads in more places, more often.
PS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT!
I saw it without beers in movies and too had low expectations. I found it quite funny.
Still waiting for ThunderCats and Voltron, not to mention a G.I. Joe or Transformers that isn’t terrible. Have yet to watch the newest TMNT because I’m not ready for that sort of disappointment just yet. Personally, if I’m a Hollywood guy, I’m looking into the less-prominent stuff as well: M.A.S.K., Centurions, C.O.P.S., and the like. Plenty to mine from.
True, but who is more likely to buy a new Buick every couple years?
The good news, Scott, is that we are now just a year away from the potential of your name atop a presidential ballot. Happy birthday!
Does this mean Pettine will be running the draft….
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12586605/cleveland-browns-general-manager-ray-farmer-suspended
Next man up!
True on the field and in the front office, apparently.
(Really hope it’s true that the team won’t lose draft picks.)
Well, that would be the guy with the gated driveway leading to his presumably huge house, but he would need to get a raise to afford that Buick. (I really, really hate that commercial on so many levels).
I’ve always assumed that the punishment would be a huge* fine and a suspension. Loss of draft picks seems so obviously to be a punishment unfit for the crime (which, admittedly, also makes it a classic NFL move). I also hope this rumor – ahem, “word from inside sources” – is true.
* To you and me, not necessarily to the Cleveland Browns.
Better, who is more likely to LEASE a new car of any kind every 2 years? (Those companies/commercials are not looking for buyers.)
NBA refs represent!
http://bustedcoverage.com/2015/03/29/ref-caught-staring-at-a-sideline-reporters-ass/
WHO PARKS THEIR CAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THEIR LONG GATED DRIVEWAY??
HOW CAN THE FAMILY NEXT DOOR SEE FROM THEIR KITCHEN WINDOW TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LONG GATED DRIVEWAY??
WHY DO THEY HAVE BINOCULARS AT THE READY??
WHO DESIGNED THAT NEIGHBORHOOD??
I have mmm….”issues” with that commercial as well.
obviously, they only parked there because they humorously forgot their automatic opener and now have to page their butler or housekeeper on the intercom. sure, they could have just updated everything to their cell phone (right down to the gate opener), but the intercom cost more so it is better.
Lucky her indeed.
Only appropriate Kevin Love leave game injured on his bobblehead night. With all of these days off between games I’d like to see Love really rest and get ready for the playoffs.
YES. Also, the “good for her” comment fills me with murderous rage. WOW THAT WOMAN SURE MARRIED THE RIGHT MAN! AND HERE IS MY MAN… BUICKLESS! GOOD FOR HER FOR MARRYING A MAN WHO CAN AFFORD A SWANKY BUICK!
Adding one thing to your enlightened comment: the younger you are the more likely you are to make a switch in brand. Once you’re a 40-year old Crest toothpaste user, it’s far less likely you’ll switch to Colgate. The younger sect have fewer allegiances.
Very true!