Are you age 40+? If so, have fun and take the Maven’s Baby Boomer "Wow, Look How Old They Look" Quiz."

Ready? Indentify this man!

- German Ambassador to the US?
- Former US Senator?
- Member of the Politboro?
- Announced Presidential candidate in 08?
- CEO of Haliburton?

(Answer at the end of this post)

"I don’t know who that is, Reeg"

One of my favorite on-going skits on SNL is the "Live with Regis and Kelly Show" send-up where Amy Poehler as Kelly is continually confounded by Regis’ old-time show business movie stars and night club celebrities. (Can you say Lola Falana? She was the last and final wife of Sammy Davis, Jr. I know this because I used to watch Merv Griffin as a kid - I know, you’re asking yourself — WTF is Merv Griffin? :=)

I’ve been watching SNL since it first broadcast in the mid-70s. There was a time I recognized all the guest hosts and the singers/bands. Today, more times than not, I have no idea who the guest host or the band is. (I have become my parents!)

The SNL of the 70s/80s reflected my generation’s cultural touchstones. The SNL of the 90s/00s, for the most part, does not. The advertising reflects that, too. I get it as a marketer, since SNL has always targeted the 18-34 year old market. But I’m no longer part of the target market, hence "I don’t get it."

On the flip side, there’s Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) pitching aging baby boomers about Fidelity Investments. "Your generation continues to shape the world, man." or some such. Fidelity also uses lava lamps and the 70s favorite whacked-out rock album, "Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida" to sell annuities. The advertising pitches aging baby boomers using our music, our celebrities, our touchstones to establish the right environment for the message.

The iconography and cultural touchstones are shortcuts (sometimes lazy shortcuts) to the audience. They say "Yes, we are you and you are we and we are all together." (That’s a paraphrase from a Beatles tune, dudes.)

When you’re writing copy to an audience/market outside of your own experience, consider the generational/cultural touchstones that will be meaningful to this group and use them.

• Watch You-Tube videos of old TV shows and commercials.
• Watch a few movies of the time and pay attention to the language.
• Visit the blogs/egroups/sites that cater to the age group you’re looking to reach and pay close attention to the language used.
• Call your parents/grandparents and listen to the words/phrases they use.

Years ago, I was asked to write a direct mail piece for a computer-based memory training program geared to late-middle age/young elderly men and women. These were WW2 and Korean War era people. So I began the letter with something like, "Think you have to accept increasing memory loss as a function of normal aging? BALONEY!"

I loved it, it was spot-on. Exactly the right word in the right place. It reflected the language of my market. Even my mother thought so.

My client, a PhD who thought very highly of himself, hated it. Thought it was, his words "undignified." My response to him centered on the point that memory loss is already a highly undignified sign of aging. Folks get scared when they can’t remember where the car keys are. The word, baloney, sets up the product as solution with a happily defiant posture.

Client didn’t get it. Too bad, it’s one of the best packages I ever wrote that never saw the light of day :=)

Personally, I think it’s easier to write for an older audience than younger. For older groups, the cultural touchstones/language has solidified. They’re easier to grasp. Writing for younger markets is harder, especially today. Language/symbols are constantly in flux, evolving and reshaping so much faster than before.

But the steps are the same — and you can always vet your copy with a few genuine members of your target market. They’ll tell you whether you’ve nailed it … or not. And if not, give you good suggestions as to how to revise the phraseology to have it all hang together and ring true.

==================================

And now to the answer of today’s quiz! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you …

Mike Nesmith
of the Monkees

"What a drag it is getting old."
(Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones)

Maven’s Maxim
You know the old saw, "It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it." Not everything you promote will have a generational/cultural undertone. But when it does, make sure you speak to your market in the language that will reach them best. The touchstones your present will help create mood, texture, and context for your message. Just keep it real :=)

• Enjoyed this post? Get free updates by email or RSS
• Need a copy critique or a consult? Contact the Maven

Get a free subscription to Website Magazine (aff)