October 19-23, 2009

[DAYS]

Toups, could you please add Women 50+ ratings including viewers please. Thanks

[EricMontreal22]

Among the people I know--mainly around my age (23-33) there definetly is still a stigma, even among my gay friends. Sure after a few drinks other peopel will admit thatthey loved Days in high school or whatever, but it's not something most people I know admit easily. And actually with many of them there's prob more acceptance that one watches porn lol

And SNL already had two soap parodies this year alone (yes with organ music). I dunno, I disagree with you Carl

[DRW50]

SNL is a badly dated show -- that they use organ music says it all. They also think a white man in blackface is great comedy. If not for Tina Fey and her Sarah Palin impression, that would be the same "Is that still on?" that soaps get.

I don't mean to generalize, I just think soaps are past the point where it's some big shame; they're not important enough now to warrant shame.

[JackPeyton]

it just depends om who you hang with. im 22, and most of my friends are 21-28 and straight guys or lesbians and if they watch soaps we talk about them as if "did you hear so and sos new song".

[EricMontreal22]

How many of your straight male friends talk that way about soaps regularly? (Just curious--not trying to sound snarky at all)

[Ann_SS]

There is a stigma to watching soaps. Hell, I'm embarrassed that I watch this crap sometimes.

[Jonathan]

The networks and advertisers need to start selling to the other demos like men and older viewers. They have money too and there's quite a few of them at home during the day.

[marceline]

I know that's right. I remember the looks I got when I let it slip that I watched soaps back when I was watching them. I got less static when I told people I went to sci-fi conventions.

[JackPeyton]

quite a few of them.

at first they wont admit it but when me and a friend get going they always chime in. lol.

some have always watched or started in collegte or summers or whatever, but like my best friends all watch days when they can so they know what the hell im talking about.

really? i never have been.

[MarkH]

That's not the point.

They don't run ads to "sell" to us--not in an immediate time frame.

They run ads to shape brand recognition and develop brand perceptions.

People my age don't buy Tide because of ads. We buy Tide because of many years of experience with the product. The young group buys Tide because mom used it, or because of coupons...or because a lifetime of ads has shaped their preferences, so when they finally buy their own Tide...all those years of commercials worked.

That's the logic. The malleability of preference...which becomes LESS malleable...is the reason for the focus on the young female demo.

There is more (and I'll be the first to admit I don't totally know the scientific basis of some of these assumptions): Older (folks outside of the demo) adults may have more disposable $$...but they're tighter with it. Retirement savings, college savings, mortgages, credit cards....and a growing understanding of all of the demands on their wallet...makes them more likely to be value shoppers. That gives ads less room to work.

The ads that are targeted at older adults, like drug ads, are more focused at shaping preference ("Ask your doctor about Viagra"), but for many of those products, they work because someone else (the insurance company) actually has to foot the bill. Even on the senior-citizens networks like GSN...when they advertise the Hoverround, it is to elders who will then ask Medicare to pay for it.

You don't advertise to midlife and older adults to SPEND money. They will...but it is the younger age group that has more malleable preferences, and is more willing to actually shell out from the credit card.

To be clear: I don't assert that all of the above is true, but it is a part of the thinking that has built this demo preference.

[marceline]

So I've been thinking about the question of the Friday dropoff of ratings and I'm wondering, could it be DVR related?

These ratings only count live + same day viewings. Is it possible that as the week goes on the "same-day" viewings decrease because people are waiting until the weekend to watch?

Just a thought.

[Ann_SS]

I think the Friday drop off is because more people go out and run errands to prepare for the weekend. I really do not think that the weekly and daily fluctuations are due to external events not related to show content.

[chyti]

This is so true my parents and older relatives have there brand and they don't falter, I do tend to purchase what I grew up on to an extent sometimes I catch a sale. It is true that the younger demo is most likely to try new brands and products faster than older ad watchers

[chyti]

It could be a little of both viewers waiting to watch over the weekend and viewers just becoming less interested as the week goes by. Yet I notice that the ratings basically stay the same from wednesday on.