Posts Tagged ‘Media’

“Listen to your mum”, advises Tom Hooper,  Academy Award-winning director of The King’s Speech

The biggest winner on Oscar night might well have been Boomer mothers everywhere, as Tom Hooper thanked his for discovering the original material for The King’s Speech and recommending that he make it his next film. She saw something in it that audiences could relate to, and of course, she was right.

Meanwhile, hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco, chosen to represent and draw a younger demographic, apparently influenced many fewer viewers to tune in or stay tuned to the Oscar broadcast. Didn’t the brief glimpses of Alec Baldwin and Billy Crystal make viewers of all ages want to hit the pause button in hopes of making them stay?

Can it be that Boomers, as they always assumed, have managed to remain players after all? Are they now defining the power of an older demographic just as they have defined almost everything else?

Counter to conventional wisdom in the movie industry, the over-50 audience is growing faster than any other age group. While they still haven’t caught up in total ticket sales, the 50+ market of 2+ times a year movie-goers is up 67% (18-34 year olds +11%; 35-49 year olds +14%). (source: Motion Picture Association)  “There is an older audience that is growing, and it’s underserved, which makes for an obvious and important opportunity,” says Nancy Utley, co-president of Fox Searchlight, whose Black Swan has sold over $100 million at the box office. If the core audience for a particular film is over 50, she notes, “that’s now a gigantic core.” (source: New York Times )

SCAN confirms that Boomers remain in the thick of the action, the most likely group to see themselves as financially responsible and ethical, and the least likely to call themselves “humble.” And in social contexts that make them influential and connected, they are increasingly likely to give themselves and their lives an “A” grade.

Tom Hooper’s shout-out to his mother was a good reminder that Boomers remain a force – on their own and in their confident connectedness.

Business Implications: The Great Recession may have stunned Boomers into new game plans, but finding a way to win, to be influential, to stay ageless and to have a great life are still part of their DNA. Words like “underserved” and “important opportunity” capture the sense of possibility for marketers who respect and understand where Boomers are now.

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