PLAY1NG TH3 NUM83R$ GAM3

An industry publication reported this week that “1Q’06 cable winners,” meaning networks that reported double-digit ratings gains for viewers aged 18-to-49, included BET, E!, FX, TV Land, USA Network, and VH1. Other networks also reporting gains were Biography, Style Channel, and WE. The 1Q’06 “losers” (I suppose you have to call them that) were Comedy Central, Lifetime, Sci-Fi Channel, Spike TV, and TNT. They were all down in that “key demographic.”

This report raises an interesting conundrum. On one hand, advertisers want real engagement. On the other hand, their view of success is entrenched in demographic data of the last century. Instead of insisting on metrics that matter, they continue to rely on measures that don’t generally matter anymore – especially given that locating segments of targets isn’t really the challenge it was a couple of decades ago. This is not, perhaps, the most efficient way of going about 21st Century media planning.

I suppose that you can’t blame the cable networks for celebrating such “wins.” They’re businesses after all. They’ll use any tools available to them, and if that means old-fashioned demographics, well then, 18-to-49 it is! Given the absence of anything else, Lord only knows what those networks that have lost in those demographics will do!

Perhaps they should talk to Rainbow Media. They recognized the need for real engagement metrics a couple of years ago and built them into how they assess real competitive advantage. They can show advertisers how to more cost-effectively engage consumers and successfully turn demographic targets into paying customers. Validity studies and all.

So it appears that for marketers continuing to rely only on demographics from which to plan, the future will be exactly like the past. Only far more expensive.