Oldies have zero appetite for senior papers
Some reasons why Ringier does not (yet) have a magazine for senior citizens
Some reasons why Ringier does not (yet) have a magazine for senior citizensWhere are the magazines for senior citizens?" This question was the title of a presentation by Beat Lauber at the ASW seminar on "GenerationPlus". The head of magazines at Ringier believes that, unlike teenagers, senior citizens have no desire for their own media because they prefer to see themselves reflected in the general and therefore also younger publications. "From 49, you can see and hear what you want because you are no longer a target group," quipped a clever guy with a stupendous knowledge of mathematics at the ASW seminar. Although there are 1.9 million senior citizens in Switzerland today, these wealthiest Swiss no longer seem to be of interest to traditional media planning.
Where there is no longer a target group, there is no such target group media. Apart from specialist magazines such as Zeitlupe, Switzerland still doesn't have a magazine for senior citizens. But: according to statistics, people over 50 in this country have 618 francs a month at their free disposal. Ringier therefore came up with the idea of "GenerationPlus: the ideal consumers" around a year ago. Statistics on the general media behavior of "mature" people supported the conviction: "GenerationPlus must finally be addressed via its own magazine."
It turned out differently. A group led by Peter Rothenbühler gave the project a promising start. The inactive title Sie & Er was to be styled as a magazine for the plus generation with the new logo Sie + Er. In addition to topics such as health, travel, fashion and entertainment, the aim was also to address relationship issues and problems relating to being alone in an age-appropriate way. "Sie + Er: Das Magazin für die besten Jahre" was not intended to be a cheap magazine, but a magazine like Annabelle or Bilanz.
The analysis then had a sobering effect: precisely these and all other publications are still read by senior citizens just as much as by younger people. It also had to be calculated that there is very little advertising that the GenerationPlus target group actually and exclusively seeks out. "This generation really does have completely normal interests, just like younger people. And above all: they also know where to look for information, namely in the familiar sources," says Lauber, explaining the reason for the development stop for the senior citizens' magazine. There are no hotels for people over 50, "you'd feel like you were in an old people's home". So why should a magazine have a better chance on the market in this target group? Andreas Panzeri
Where there is no longer a target group, there is no such target group media. Apart from specialist magazines such as Zeitlupe, Switzerland still doesn't have a magazine for senior citizens. But: according to statistics, people over 50 in this country have 618 francs a month at their free disposal. Ringier therefore came up with the idea of "GenerationPlus: the ideal consumers" around a year ago. Statistics on the general media behavior of "mature" people supported the conviction: "GenerationPlus must finally be addressed via its own magazine."
It turned out differently. A group led by Peter Rothenbühler gave the project a promising start. The inactive title Sie & Er was to be styled as a magazine for the plus generation with the new logo Sie + Er. In addition to topics such as health, travel, fashion and entertainment, the aim was also to address relationship issues and problems relating to being alone in an age-appropriate way. "Sie + Er: Das Magazin für die besten Jahre" was not intended to be a cheap magazine, but a magazine like Annabelle or Bilanz.
The analysis then had a sobering effect: precisely these and all other publications are still read by senior citizens just as much as by younger people. It also had to be calculated that there is very little advertising that the GenerationPlus target group actually and exclusively seeks out. "This generation really does have completely normal interests, just like younger people. And above all: they also know where to look for information, namely in the familiar sources," says Lauber, explaining the reason for the development stop for the senior citizens' magazine. There are no hotels for people over 50, "you'd feel like you were in an old people's home". So why should a magazine have a better chance on the market in this target group? Andreas Panzeri
