Baton Rouge to flood New Orleans market

New Orleans is a poorer city than average. Old people in the U.S., in general are middle class or better (home price appreciation, Social Security, Medicare, etc. do that). But the point is, there are products and services which need to advertise to mass markets, and poor and old people are part of the mass. You think those personal injury lawyers on TV are aiming at the country club set?

 

How dumb can this guy be?

 

Christ almighty.

A paper actually tries to do something that's good for journalism, and to serve a large city that is being shat upon by corporate out-of-town assholes, and you've got people shitting on it.

I know, as an industry, we've been in self-loathing mode for a long time, much of it is justified.

But sometimes self-loathing goes too far. Sometimes the angst we all have hanging over us about the long-term health of our industry doesn't make us think straight.

Whether it succeeds or not, and I hope it does, kudos to the Advocate for making the effort. It would have been easier for them not to.

 

Old people buy certain things. There are lot's of products they're just not going to have any interest in.

They're also very unlikely to change toothpaste, or alter their purchasing habits.

A person who's been drinking Coke for 50 years isn't switching to Pepsi.

There are certain times in a person's life when you can best reach them: when they move out/go away to college, when they get married, and when they have kids.

 

Coke, Pepsi and toothpaste NEVER advertised in newspapers except in supermarket flyers and ads. Old people go to the supermarket. Based on my local Stop & Shop, many go almost every day for the company. Why else buy an eighth of a pound of cold cuts?
Find out what old people buy, and pitch whoever sells it.

 

What Bubbler said. I hope it works.

 

I agree with Bubbler and hope the Advocate is a raging success in New Orleans.

 

I gotta say the same thing.

In this era of cut cut cut, hack hack hack, kill kill kill (sorry for sounding like a bad Friday the 13th spoof), it's nice to see someone trying something different.

Not to mention LSU fans will get the Advocate's coverage, which originates from right in the city where LSU is. I think it's a win-win situation if it works the right way.

 

I guess . . . but I'm curious: When Walmart takes out its full-page ad in my paper every Sunday comparing their prices to the local grocery store, are they really targeting the hip 25-49 group?

Those ads for hearing aids (one half page, one quarter page) and assisted-living residences (quarter page) in my paper today . . . targeted for the 25-49s?

We repeat this stuff so much and don't even consider the obvious. Such as . . .

You can't make them switch from Coke to Pepsi, but there's no brand loyalty on hearing aids or scooters or assisted-living homes. And while they may be loyal to Coke, if your store can advertise Coke at a lower price than the local supermarkets, you'll get their business. Hospitals, prescription meds . . . all kinds of opportunities to advertise to an older audience.

Newspaper readership skews old. So should its ads.

Why would a newspaper ad target a demographic that will never see it?

TV, of course, is completely different.

 

And if the glorious day ever comes when local journalism makes money on the web, the Advocate has a huge leg up in positioning itself as the state's top site.

 

Hey, now, stop talking about my mom!!

 

When did they start naming hurricanes after cities?