• by John Gaffney , October 17, 2002

OPRs (Other People’s Riffs) For the week that was:

Translation: “This Thing Just Wasn’t Making Any Money:” Said Time, Inc. president Ann Moore after closing SI For Women this week, "SI Women was smart, interesting and attractive. Indeed, although we had some of our best and brightest people working on it, SI Women needed a significant investment to reach its potential. The investment climate was simply not on our side."

….And God’s Away On Business: Addressing the new format for The CBS Early Show, MediaCom co-CEO Jon Mandel told the New York Times: "I'm not sure God could save it. There's too much stacked against it."

There Will Be A Special Workshop On Access Hollywood: This week Cable in the classroom sponsored a critical viewing workshop to help Philadelphia-area families separate fact from fiction on the television set. During "Take Charge of Your TV," trainers show parents and teachers strategies to use with kids as they watch television. Discussion areas include violence on television and the truth about advertising.

Reader Riff Of The Week In response to my riff about the debate over the declining importance of the 18-34 demographic (I said it was important) Doug Pulick VP, Research Regal CineMedia, took me to school: “While you too make a good point about marketing to the 18-34 now because they'll be 50 someday, that's, obviously, a very long term strategy that is usually at logger-heads with the goal of advertising, namely, sell or promote my brand image/product now. While creating brand loyalty amid a group of 18-34s now so they'll be brand "frozen" 16 to 32 years later is an admirable strategy it flies in the face of what advertising strives to do every day, namely, to get people to "try my product", "test my brand" or "think well of my company" today. The philosophy of market to the young today because they'll still be the same older consumer tomorrow, discounts changes in people, culture and most especially the marketplace. I am a baby-boomer fast approaching 50 and for all the similarities in looks and personality I may share with my late Father, I know my consumption of goods and services, and my knowledge of those goods and services, will be far different for me at 50 than when my Dad was the same age. As consumers we continually evolve, or change so while the old saw that in old age we "get set in our ways" has a great deal of validity, it is not axiomatic.