Killing the myth of the 18-49 demo

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Last December I was declared dead. Not by a doctor. By the marketing industry.

It was the day I turned 50. The day I was kicked out of the 18-49 year old demo. I didn't take death sitting down. And, as I seek to destroy the myth of the 18-49 demo, I keep finding allies that pump life into my campaign to destroy the myth.

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Michael Schulder

Meet myth buster Matt Thornhill, who also turned 50 last year.

Thornhill was an advertising executive who worked at some of the top agencies, including Ogilvy and Ted Bates. Seven years ago, comfortably in his 40s, he saw the future, and began what he calls the Boomer Project.

As the first baby boomers turn 65 this weekend, Thornhill is ahead of the game.

He's got the numbers at his fingertips and on his side.

Guess what the median age of all adults 18 or older is? Right around 50.

Want a reason to market to them? Thornhill points to the auto industry, which he believes has given short shrift to the 50 and over demo. Guess how many cars the average American buys in a lifetime, Thornhill asks me. Answer: between 12 and 13.

Guess how many of those cars are bought after the age of 50? About seven. Seven of thirteen cars bought AFTER 50. And the average ticket price on those post-50 year old cars is higher too.

Now, the most important word in the business world is growth. And according to the latest figures, over the next 10 years the 18-49 segment of the audience will grow by only 3%. My 50+ friends and I will grow by 20%.

To illustrate the impact, Thornhill asks us to imagine all the candy Hershey's sells to people over 50 today. If they keep selling the same relative amount of candy to those people -- their business will grow 20%. Sweet.

But here's what we in the 50+ crowd really have going for us. We're not loyal. Well, we may be loyal personally. But a number of studies of baby boomers show that boomers are less brand loyal than younger people.

In other words, boomers are more likely to try new brands, which contradicts one of the fundamental tenets that have kept the 18-49 demo on top.

In the meantime, thank you Matt Thornhill. Your Boomer Project is an important ally in the battle to destroy the myth of the 18-49 demo. But you know we need to take this farther. We must identify the culprits.