Nine says the 25 to 54 demographic ‘no longer the silver bullet it once was’

Nine has said TV and radio advertisers have a ‘blind spot’ when it comes to older demographics and claimed the 55 to 64s are the ‘super consumers’ that advertisers are ignoring.

Nine operates radio assets including Sydney’s 2GB, Melbourne’s 3AW, Brisbane’s 4BC and Perth’s 6PR.

In new research alongside research house Kantar, Nine said the key advertising demographic of those aged 25 to 54 “is no longer the silver bullet it once was” because “times have changed and so have consumers”.

Nine noted 55 to 64s represent 12% of the population and are the fastest-growing age cohort in the past two decades.

Based on the age group’s disposable income, financial confidence and penchant for luxury goods, Nine recommended advertisers extend their focus from 25 to 54s out to 25 to 64s.

“Extending target demos to 25 to 64 unlocks additional household spend on goods and services worth $2.3 billion on average each week,” Nine said.

Nine’s director of sales for TV and radio, Richard Hunwick, said the research paints a clear picture of how those aged 55 to 64 are “the new power group of highly valuable super consumers”.

“The problem is the conventional framework for targeting this group,” he said. “It is outdated and leaves marketers missing out on extending their target market into a demographic which can actively drive growth in their brands.”

Denise Hamblin, head of sensory at Kantar, said too often the age group is targeted with messages and products about life’s decline “when life is actually on the up”.

“They’re happier, more body confident, more financially secure and less constrained by social expectations than younger groups, leaving them feeling ignored and stereotyped by media and advertising,” Hamblin said.

“There is an opportunity for advertisers to connect with them in a more aspirational light. To this end, we also know that inclusive advertising pays dividends – Kantar’s global advertising effectiveness work shows that including and portraying under-represented groups like the Super Consumers in a more positive and empathetic light can help with short-term sales lift and long-term brand growth among all consumers.”

Hunwick noted the group are big spenders across food, alcohol, tech, auto, travel, luxury and fashion, so the approach to reaching them needs to change.

“It needs a shift in approach to refresh the messaging and include an optimistic, dynamic and influential set of consumers who will no longer languish in the advertising blind spot,” he concluded.

Sydney’s 2GB is currently first overall in people aged 10+, with an 11.8% share. Its share of people aged 18 to 24 is just 2.0%, while in 25 to 39s it’s 4.2%, and 40 to 54s is 3.7%. This jumps to 12.5% for the older 55 to 64s and a massive 28.9% for the over 65s.

It’s a similar story for Melbourne’s 3AW, which has a market-leading 15.5% share in people 10+. It has only 0.4% of the 18 to 24s, 3.6% of the 25 to 39s, and 13.1% of the 40 to 54s. This climbs to 17.6% for 55 to 64s and 32.5% for the over 65s.

Nine Radio is far less dominant in Brisbane, where 4BC has a 6.4% share. It didn’t register a share in the 18 to 24s, had 2.5% in 25 to 39s, and 4.2% in 40 to 54s. In the older 55 to 64s, 4BC has 8.1%, which climbs to 14.9% for 65+.

And in Perth, 6PR has 9.1% overall. It has the highest share of all Nine Radio stations in 18 to 24s – 5.8% – but this slips back to 2.8% for 25 to 39s. It’s up to 8.6% in 40 to 54s, 13.4% in 55 to 64s, and 14.7% in 65+.

You can see all the ratings figures from survey 4 here.

Survey 5 will be released on August 31.