50 Minus and 30 Plus Plus

My top proposals for next special editions

Last weekend, a local newspaper ran a special edition insert titled 50 Plus. Splashed the photo of a popular television meteorologist on the cover. I assume that inside, a feature article about him mentioned his age and that it was somewhere between 50 and 100, still thankfully alive in any case. Probably talked about how he deals with getting older.

While I always had a good impression of the man, I didn’t read it. Didn’t need to open a page. Was sure the main content other than his interview would be about health supplements, insurances, maybe beds that can be electronically adjusted.

What makes anyone think we want to read such an overgeneralized mashing-up of decades together as if all interests in them are homogenous? You might as well rename it, “From 50 struggling to death.”

When will they run the 50 Minus special edition insert? I wondered.

That one might be named, for example “From birth to first signs of maturity and wisdom.” I’ll bet a lot of us could suggest the perspective based on real experience and might like to give some tips! 🙂

Let’s face it, the insert was about selling space for the advertising. Not about readers.

Or maybe – to be open to new ways of thinking – I am just missing something. So I’ve tried to brainstorm some additional good variations.

If I take it at face value as useful at its basis, we could do an equally inspiring 20 Plus Edition – instead of stock photos of cool old people, we could be multi-gen. Show beautiful pics of people of all ages with mobile phones in their hands. Influencer style. Also sell a lot of supplements. Maybe face creams. Sun protection lotions.

Well, maybe that’s still too overgeneralized. Let’s narrow it a bit: the 30 Plus Plus Edition. The second Plus representing “plus children.” That could be a lot of baby products for parents through grandparents who are babysitting. HUGE audience. Tons of advertising potential!! Might be my favorite.

In fairness, this is primarily about me being annoyed at a way of marketing. Of approaching people in general. We all deal with advertising and marketing, some good (fun even) and some not so great.

Marketers create categories that they believe will sell to their audiences.

Perhaps 50 Plus as a category fit four decades ago. May I suggest that the reference now becomes both intellectually and emotionally uncool. No longer reflecting current times and culture, even if initially well-intended.

Times change. We must change. Time for marketing to go the way of the typewriter and Walkman and move on!

PS After first being annoyed, I eventually flipped through the 50 Plus insert to test my theory about the content. I was pretty much right. Yet there were two ads that got my attention. Plus they made me smile:

• One was for a Whiskey and Music Festival in Zurich on 28-29 November. Apparently will include 1,000 whiskeys. That would have fit my 20 Plus option. 🙂
• The other for Swiss shoe brand Kuenzli, which chose to run a big ad for a premium lifestyle shoe instead orthopedic ones! This exact headline: WHY BE NORMAL WHEN YOU CAN BE THE F*CKING BEST. The Model Helvetia.

Challenging the old stories. Bravo to them both!