Another sex scandal broke this week – this one involving a 62-year old man, something you would think would hit close to home for the members of VibrantNation.com (smart, successful women over 50).
But the opposite has been true this week, where we’ve seen Vibrant Women talking about David Letterman and his workplace girlfriends.
Check out one such conversation, where a Vibrant Nation member asked, “Is anyone really shocked over the news that David Letterman had affairs?”
How Vibrant Women over 50 join conversations like this one tells us a lot about what they think is and isn’t worth fighting over. And marketers who want to do business with Vibrant Women (and that includes any advertiser on the “Letterman Show”) should pay attention.
Who knew how much Letterman’s success depends on Vibrant Women?
The fallout of the Letterman story has reminded us, once again, of the unacknowledged importance of Boomer women to the success of the entertainment industry. For who makes up the core audience for Letterman’s show? It turns out to be women, and older women at that. 58% of Letterman’s audience is female, with an average age of just under 55.
Just under 55?! How many advertisers realize that they are speaking to so many Vibrant Women when they advertise on the Letterman show? How many of them consciously prepare advertising messages that will resonate with this important, fast-growing demographic?
Celebrity gossip has limited value
A basic assumption of mass media is that gossip alone will drive attention, traffic, and engagement by readers, viewers, and website visitors. This is less true for smart Boomer women, who will pay attention, and even comment about issues like Letterman’s infidelity, but quickly move on. They have more important things to do.
Affairs with employees: Stupid, but who’s shocked?
Vibrant Women understand that sexual harassment in the workplace is both threatening and common. They also seem to assume it won’t go away and is not worth wasting a lot of time over. As one VibrantNation.com member said on a Letterman thread, “Sometimes people in power use it in wrong ways.”
They think about the women
Journalists, bloggers and others seem to think this story is about the man himself. Women know better, and their attention is more drawn to the stories of the interns Letterman (allegedly) had affairs with and the wife he betrayed (even if they weren’t married at the time).
Conclusion: Lessons for marketers
Does all of this say anything to marketers? I think so.
It tells them that while women are interested in celebrity gossip, they aren’t driven by it. Even when they talk about it they use it as a springboard to talk about other issues more important to them.
It also tells them that Boomer women aren’t easily caught up in the distraction of scandals. They know that people make mistakes – big mistakes, bad mistakes – but want to get on with their own lives rather than get sucked into fights over behavior they know that people will engage in forever.
Finally, it tells marketers (who are still more likely to be men than women) that the ultimate stories are not about men but about women – women who spend a lot of time putting up with men who do wrong. Tell them a story about real women facing real challenges – women like them – and they will respond.
While David Letterman’s affairs may have been in poor tast. Not a good idea to have affairs with employees. everyone knows that. From a legal standpoint what did do? No one has come forward to say he coerced them in any way. No one has said anyone’s careers suffered for it. I am not a huge Lettermany fan but I don’t know what all the uproar is about. Some young women took a chance and had a fling with a celebrity—maybe they found himm charming, who knows. I live in a state where one of our Senators admitted (in so many words) to having sex with prostitues while married and serving in the senate. That is a crime and where is the outrage for his bad deeds? Why is he still in the Seante? He has gone back to preaching about family values agian, what a joke. Don’t preach to me anout family values and sleep with whores! Re-election coming up soon, maybe we’ll see.
My guess is that his Republican supporters will make excuses for him and simply sweep it under the rug once more. A married senator has sex with prostitutes, where is the District Attorney on this one? Let’s don’t waste time on David Letterman who wasn’t married at the time and broke no laws. I think that is between him and his now wife.