January 29 - February 2, 2007

[R!ck]

Exactly Julia

My grandmother refuses to buy anything other than Palmolive dish soap. I asked her a few months ago when she started using it and she said "Oh back in the 60's when I saw the adds during my stories"

Now my sister (22) sees a commercial for some new foaming dish soap, and she has to get it the next time she's at WalMart.

[Chris B]

I'm glad GH is kicking B&B's ass, although I hate GH. I'll give GH credit for trying, wheras Brad Bell has not for many years. I hope B&B continues to drop so CBS can do something before it's too late. The huge Y&R lead in is being wasted.

Would be excellent if they moved back to the old lineup of...

Y&R

ATWT

Capitol (now B&

GL

[SteveFrame]

That first thing is further what amazes me about the soaps suddenly deciding in the 90's - well part of them that they wanted to switch their target audience to the teens and younger viewers and put an emphasis on winning them.

I mean it is good for advertisers because they want minds that they can change and influence. Older minds are more made up and it is harder for them to get them.

That older mind set works more for the shows though. You would think that the shows would want to court those viewers, and still try to get the younger viewers but not make them their target.

I know that Days and Passions started it, but Frons now at ABC is shooting for that audience. And they are needed, but just like your sister and so many others they see an advertisement for a new product and they have to try it. The same with shows - they are more apt to abandon ship when something new sparks their interest - while the older loyal viewer is going to be there.

Soaps have got to learn balance. Don't piss off the older viewers but try to attract the younger viewers. Make things exciting for the younger viewer to tune in, but keep the family, the older vets, and stories for them. Older viewers like the familiar, while the younger viewers like action.

Frons right now is really going the wrong with esp. AMC. Days esp. pissed off so many of it's older viewers years ago. They really need those loyal older viewers bad right now.

[Mitchapalooza]

ATWT is in BIG trouble!!

That show is just spiraling out of control...WHAT IS HAPPENING!!

Despite the fact that I have a love/hate relationship with GH...I am glad that SMUG B&B is tasting sweet reality for once!!

[Reddi]

Exactly. this is when the soaps began to decline in ratings! They lose the older viewers and the lose the younger. Keep a strong older base and you'll keep a younger base, and higher younger numbers- even if they are a smaller percentage of viewers, when you have so many more overall viewers, you will still have higher numbers of younger viewers just because so many PEOPLE are watching.

I'm not sure this is as true as folks think. First of all, WHAT people buy might change with older viewers.. but there can be huge and lucrative markets with the older ones (especially for anti aging products). Also, the Baby boomers who are aging are far LESS set in their ways than the previous generations of "olders". It's like we have an ADD society,and people do like to change things. I'm 46 and I love to try new things... I have very little "brand loyalty". I do not think I'm unique (my mom was different.. I'll try new laundry soap but she used Cheer for years.. again, THIS generations of 40s and 50s is different than the last batch, and advertizers need to realize this).

IA about soaps being balanced, though... Y/R almost always nabs the 19-49 and sometimes the 18-35 markets... but they have a strong number of older folks too... they bring in the olders, and the youngers follow because 'mom' or 'grandmom' is watching... and there are stories that interest both.

My teens, btw, tend to like and watch for the older characters (30 to 60) more than the youngers, just because the characters are more interesting to them... I dont think they are unique, etither. Actually they both stopped watching soaps because they became too "teenybopper" for them (one is 19 and one is 16) but the 16 year old is now geting interested in Y/R due to the Sheila story.

[Soapsuds]

Interesting..I found this in the latest SOW...nothing close to SON had. It had Days at 2.3 tied with GL for 7th yet SON had it at a 2.5 tied for 4th. Also AMC was 2.4 and on SON it was a 2.5.

[SteveFrame]

Very good thoughts Reddi.

[SteveFrame]

The data SON uses for their Ron is the complete data - Live + tape. SOW and SOD both only use the live data. That explains the discrepancies at times.

[Brandeis]

FWIW, the whole brand loyalty/younger demos theory is losing favor as time passes. It still predominates but is increasingly coming under criticism.