Older radio listeners do have buying power

Older radio listeners are now being more clearly defined with the ratings firm Nielsen splitting groups into the 55 to 64 year olds and those that are 65 and over.

Until now, people were lumped together in the 55-plus bracket with lack of awareness of the potential spending power of older consumers by many younger advertising representatives and their clients.

Melbourne Magic radio boss, Gary Hoffman, told The Age that “all the reps are young so they only buy spots on youth stations. One buyer sat there and told me with a straight face that supermarkets won’t advertise with us because people over 40 don’t go to supermarkets. They don’t realise that our listeners have money and live active lives”.

Generational divide on technology use
A generational divide in the cell phone usage habits and preferences of United States (US) adults has emerged in a poll conducted by AARP, a US association for seniors.

Although cell phone users of all ages report answering their phones in a variety of venues, younger ones are more likely than older ones to say they answer their phones in all eight of the places they were asked about, to report using their cell phones while driving, and to say they text while driving.

Younger cell phone users are also more likely than older ones to report being not bothered or being only mildly annoyed when other individuals use their cell phones in public places, while driving, or for texting while conversing with them. 

In contrast, older cell phone users said that someone using their cell phone in each of the four scenarios they were asked about would be very annoying to them.

AARP also reported on a national telephone survey of the 50+ population, on this age group’s use of social media and technology.

Key findings revealed:

• Two out of five (40%) adults age 50 and over consider themselves extremely (17%) or very (23%) comfortable using the Internet. 
• The majority of those 50+ who access the Internet do so from a desktop computer (57%). One-quarter use a laptop (26%), 4% use smartphones/blackberries, 4% use mobile phones, and one-quarter (27%) do not access the Internet. 
• Approximately one-quarter of all those 50+ use social media websites (27%) with Facebook being by far the most popular (23%).