"40 Is The New 30, Baby"

A new client asked me today about the demographics of the average podcast user. Nielsen, Forrester and Pew Internet Life have been doing studies on podcasting since early 2005. For some reason the media continues to act surprised by the fact that mature adults have embraced new media. I've read dozens of articles after each release of new data. You'd think a 90 year old great, great grandmother had just swam the English channel. The article that showed up in my news alerts today from the Eagle-Tribune in Andover Mass. has to be the best example yet. The lead in sets the tone for the article. I cracked up when I read it:

"New media is no longer just the province of the pubescent. A growing share of its audience is old. Ancient. Like, even over 40."

The writer has some fun with the recent Nielsen stats that were released regarding YouTube and other New Media demographics. Of particular interest are the stats regarding podcasting:

"Podcasting consumers: 47 percent are over 35. All told, the digital revolution illustrates a theory heretofore popularized only by pudgy, balding men in too-tight pants: Forty is the new 30, baby."

Another stat released was something I am very familiar with. There are plenty of over 40 women that are classified as casual gamers. Count my lovely wife Laurie amongst them. If you met her you would never guess that she loves to fire up the X-Box and blow the crap out of alien invaders playing HALO with my daughters and their friends. I've yet to play anything but a bad round of golf on a gaming console.

New media marketing activities like blogging and podcasting are no longer fads or the exclusive domain of the early adopter. Given the demographic of the home buying public, they are actually more targeted and, in my opinion, have better ROI opportunity than any other medium. If you're making your media buying decisions based on how and where you consume media yourself, or how people in your sphere of influence interact with it, you could be making some poor choices.

If New Media isn't a category in your budget planning for next year, perhaps it's time to fire up your favorite web 2.0 spreadsheet application, loosen the belt on your "too-tight" pants and give some serious thought to moving a chunk of that old media money to a new column.

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