The
New York Times recently ran a
story about a new PBS effort called "Next Avenue," which will package
lifestage-directed programming combined with a website offering additional content on themes important to Boomers.
The founders (a coalition of non-profits funding this effort through Twin Cities
Public Broadcasting in Minnesota) are calling it "Sesame Street for adults."
Since "Next Avenue" won't roll out until next month, we can't review the content, but the announcement itself is
meaningful and worth discussing.
The importance of the Boomer media consumer has been known for a long time, but only recently are we seeing mainstream media companies do something other
than take this demographic for granted.
Only in the last few years did newspaper executives seem to appreciate that the largest, fastest-growing demographic in the U.S. -- Baby Boomers --
will likely remain loyal to their medium for the foreseeable future. That's good news -- if you're a newspaper executive over 50.
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NBCU's iVillage division, on behalf of P&G, recently
launched a lifestyle website www.lifegoesstrong.com targeting themes relevant to Boomers.
And anyone who watches the evening news knows that advertisers (and Big Pharma in particular) have
recognized it as the best mainstream venue for reaching Boomers.
If other mainstream media are already recognizing value in their Boomer audience, what's different about PBS' effort?
First, it's PBS. It's hard to imagine a media distribution platform better naturally suited to a Boomer campaign than this one. The Boomer television viewer (especially the vibrant, educated Boomer
woman) already embraces PBS -- which is a lot more than you can say for the AARP.
Secondly, PBS is generally saying the right things, which means not just that it is willing to tolerate its
Boomer base, but that it embraces it.
For those of us who have managed Boomer media and Boomer campaigns ourselves, now it's time for the fun stuff. How do we think "Next Avenue" will do?
'Next Avenue': What's in a Name?
For all the efforts to capture Boomers, there have been few that got their names or brands right, and there are several examples of
failed efforts to engage all Boomers (a giant and diverse generation) with a single website or programming platform focused on their general interests. Who remembers BoomJ.com or TBD.com?
While the name "Next Avenue" is a hundred times better than other efforts, and a hundred times better than a name that includes the word "Boomer" in it, I think it's close without being quite right --
mainly because it might suggest a later lifestage than the one in which the average Boomer, still smack in the middle of her 50s and the middle of her own life, finds herself. While her needs and
interests may be changing, she is not (yet) moving on.
I'm sure that PBS was trying to avoid any name that sounded like AARP, but I'm not sure "Next Avenue" quite passes the test.
What do others think?
What would it take to get 'Next Avenue' right?
My doubts about the name also make me wonder if "Next Avenue" will do the right thing, which
means embracing Boomers and embracing only Boomers. The flaw of many marketing campaigns that say they target Boomers is that they target Boomers and Seniors. This is also a mistake
made by non-profits focused on the aging population, and PBS is being funded by several such non-profits for "Next Avenue."
Yet, the underlying error remains surprising to me, given that
Boomers make up the largest generation alive in the U.S. It is also strange because you don't see the same mistake made with other demographics. When Disney, for example, targets tween girls, it
never seems tempted to capture 20-something women while it's at it. Or when ESPN goes after the MLB fan, I don't see it trying to grab mindshare from the extreme sports fanatic at the same time.
Yet, time after time, media companies and brands that target Boomers can't help themselves from trying to reach their parents as well. This is a terrible mistake (who perceives themselves to
be in the "50-to-death" audience?). "Next Avenue" will succeed if it does what it says it will do, and targets the themes related to the active, vibrant lifestage currently enjoyed by Americans aged
46-64.