Carrie Bradshaw mit 55: Immer noch fabelhaft, aber zu alt für Werbekunden?

The character of Carrie Bradshaw made her debut on HBO as the lead of Sex and the City (SATC) in 1998 at the age of 33. For six seasons, SATC became a kind of secret roadmap for those looking for love, those starting out or starting over, the cool kids wanting the latest look and anyone who just wanted a fabulous life in what many believe is the greatest city in the world.

Showrunner und Schöpfer Michael Patrick King und Hauptdarstellerin Sarah Jessica Parker begannen ihr kleines Projekt, das auf dem Roman von Candace Bushnell basiert, mit wenig Geld. Sie durchstöberten Secondhand-Läden und die Schränke ihrer Freunde nach den ikonischen Looks, die das Image von Parkers Figur ausmachten, einer Sexkolumnistin, die einen unverhältnismäßig großen Teil ihres Gehalts für Schuhe ausgibt - Shoppen ist Bradshaws Sport, und sie ist eine Meisterin.

Die Handlung der Serie, wenn sie nicht gerade ihrem Titel gerecht wurde, spielte sich in Restaurants, in Boutiquen, bei der Immobiliensuche und gelegentlich auf Reisen außerhalb von New York ab - das Durchziehen von Kreditkarten hätte der Soundtrack sein können. Carrie und ihre Freunde - und damit auch ihr Publikum - befanden sich mitten in der wichtigen Zielgruppe der 25- bis 54-Jährigen, die für die Werbebranche Gold wert ist.

Die Ausstrahlung auf HBO bedeutete, dass die Serie die Freiheit hatte, sich kreativ zu entfalten, ohne auf die Werbekunden Rücksicht nehmen zu müssen. Aber als die Serie ein Hit wurde, folgte die Syndizierung. Danach fand SATC ein riesiges Fernsehpublikum, und Designer und Marken stürzten sich darauf. Thrifting wurde zu einem fiktionalen Unterfangen, nicht zu einer Produktionsnotwendigkeit.

Nearly 18 years after Carrie and friends closed out their final season, HBO rebooted SATCthis past December with And Just Like That-where the characters picked up their storylines in real time. Everyone has aged (magnificently) and matured into the next chapter of their lives. Our dear iconic Carrie, who graduated at the end of SATC from her one-bedroom/one-bath walk-up, where the stove doubled as extra sweater storage, to her penthouse with a closet the size of many Manhattan living rooms, has now, at the age of 55, also graduated out of the key demo of 25-54. Does that mean that advertisers should give the cold shoulder to the darling of designers?

In the 10 years between 2011 and 2021, the 55+ segment of the population grew 14.74%, while two cuts of the key demo shrank: persons 35-49 decreased by 4% and persons 50-54 decreased by 9%¹. Expanding that key demo to persons 25-64 would incorporate Carrie, half of the Baby Boomer segment, and all of Gen X².

Carrie’s credit card still sings, and loudly, as demonstrated in the current 10 episodes of shopping, restaurants and real estate. Likewise, the buying power of the 55-64 segment is strong; this group outspends younger demos on new vehicles³ and in many other key categories, because, to riff off of Carrie herself, “Enjoy yourself! That’s what your 20s are for. Your 30s are to learn the lessons. Your 40s are to pay for the drinks.” I say, your 50s and 60s are to buy what you want.

The 55-64 age segment, in fact, spends more on several key home improvement categories, including pools, bathrooms, kitchens, siding and the not-so-sexy but let’s-face-it-gotta-have-it HVAC categories. Looking at net worth, the trend is clear: 55-64 is the age break with the money to spend. In a 2021 survey⁴, household net worth broken out by age rose from $380,000 for persons 25-34 to $450,000 for persons 35-54 to $504,000 for persons 55-64.

If the past informs the present, And Just Like That could have a second and extended life in the syndication world that could mean an even larger broadcast audience. While broadcasters have already made the case for adoption of the extended demo, our data shows that if you don’t include the 55-64-year-old set as a buying target, you may miss a big opportunity. No doubt advertisers are already paying attention to the aging population trend which necessitates keeping up with consumers, consumer spending habits and audiences. And just as the creative world adapts and expands to an aging audience, so should the key demo.

This article originally appeared on Broadcasting + Cable.

Sources

1. Nielsen NPOWER, UE- und Stichprobeninformationen, Messungen der letzten 11. Februar
2. Nielsen NPOWER, % von P2+, USA insgesamt, 15. Juli 2021
3. Nielsen Scarborough USA+ 2020 Release 2; *Scarborough misst Erwachsene ab 18 Jahren
4. Nielsen Scarborough USA+ 2021 Release 1; *Scarborough misst Erwachsene ab 18 Jahren