• by Brent Bouchez , January 7, 2010

America is a country that loves firsts and people who want to be first.

The Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong, Henry Ford, Michael Phelps and, of course, Barack Obama are "first" names that come readily to mind.

So, in a country that loves firsts, here's a question:

Who will be the first mainstream, big-name, famous brand, non-pharma CMO to spend a serious chunk of the marketing budget against the 50+ consumer audience?

I know, I know -- it's not like I'm asking for something easy like defying gravity by jumping off a cliff with a wing strapped to your back or landing on the moon, walking on the surface and coming home again, or running for President and changing the entire course of American politics and history in the process.

No, this is seriously hard. And loaded with risk beyond anything mortal man has ever imagined.

Whoever has the stuff to stand up and do this will be going against all known marketing logic -- something that surely would have caused the likes of Einstein, Darwin, Newton or Copernicus to lock themselves away in their ateliers, never to be heard from again.

I mean, who in their right mind would target a marketing message at 90 million people who control 75% of the country's wealth, earn $2.5 trillion dollars annually, will inherit over $15 trillion in the next 20 years and have 2.5 times the discretionary spending power of any other consumer group?

Yes, it does sound slightly suicidal.

But I'm sure Chuck Yeager had thoughts like that the first time he flew faster than the speed of sound. Sure, it wasn't marketing, but it had to be damn scary all the same.

There is no question about it -- facing the largest, wealthiest, fastest-growing consumers on the planet and offering them messages and products that appeal to them is going to require the kind of bravery not often seen outside of comic books or movies.

Especially since AARP studies show that the majority of 50+ consumers feel that advertising and marketing either portray them negatively or ignore them altogether. And they're just waiting for someone to do it right so they can open their wallets and throw wads of cash at that brand.

And then, of course, there are the very real and daunting corporate consequences of such rash and unthinkable actions.

The huge sales success. The runs on products. The empty store shelves. The quarterly earnings and profits piling up all over the place. The stock prices going through the roof or the IPO offers maxing out the inbox.

And let's not forget the personal repercussions for the rogue CMO.

The taxes on that giant bonus. The furnishings that will have to be bought for the corner office and the oversized new house. Not to mention the struggle of choosing a color for the Ferrari California Spyder and which private school to send the children to.

It does make the blood run chilly and the palms sweat profusely just to think about it, I agree.

But we are Americans. We are pioneers at heart. We are the people who were born with the innate desire to know what's on the other side of the mountain. We coined the phrase "to go where no man has gone before."

And in my American heart, I believe there must be one. One CMO who will step up and step forward. One who will ignore the fear and accept the risk. Accept the riches and fame and comfort and guarantee of a big, cushy job at any company in the land.

One CMO who will stand tall and, with fists held high, say, "I, I'm the one. I'm the one who will break all the rules, ignore all the old, misguided thinking and say nay to the uninformed naysayers. I will do it. I will reach beyond my grasp and be the first. The first to take hold of the lowest low-hanging fruit in the history of marketing."

Okay -- maybe it's just too much to wish for, but it's my wish for 2010. And I'm sticking to it.