Madison Ave. Declares ‘Mass Affluence’ Over

[marmar]

from Too Much: A Commentary on Excess and Inequality:




Madison Ave. Declares ‘Mass Affluence’ Over
May 30, 2011

The American middle class, concludes a new study from the ad industry’s top trade journal, has essentially become irrelevant. In a deeply unequal America, if you don’t make $200,000, you don’t matter.

By Sam Pizzigati


The chain-smoking ad agency account execs of Mad Men, the hit cable TV series set in the early 1960s, all want to be rich some day. But these execs, professionally, couldn’t care less about the rich. They spend their nine-to-fives marketing to average Americans, not rich ones.

Mad Men’s real-life ad agency brethren, 50 years ago, behaved the exact same way — for an eminently common-sense reason: In mid-20th century America, the entire U.S. economy revolved around middle class households. The vast bulk of U.S. income sat in middle class pockets.

The rich back then, for ad execs, constituted an afterthought, a niche market.

Not anymore. Madison Avenue has now come full circle. The rich no longer rate as a niche. Marketing to the rich — and those about to gain that status — has become the only game that really counts. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://toomuchonline.org/madison-ave-declares-mass-affluence-over

[n2doc]

1. Good article

And the marketing to the rest of us are largely scams- payday loans, tax and credit card debt "advisors', and pills that are supposed to cure all what ails you.

[marmar]

2. 'are largely scams- payday loans, tax and credit card debt "advisors'

Very, very true. At least one of those types of commercials airs during every commercial break on every channel.

[ixion]

3. Moving the Neo-Feudal Age into Primetime

it won't be long now.

[damntexdem]

4. And this is but a symptom of the death spiral of the American economy.

These executives are happily digging their own graves.

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. The rich are no longer a niche, they are now "the game".

Wow.
So Madison ave has just one target.
And we poor lil "comsumers" no longer count, we have been jilted for the rich guys, eh?

I have no tv, I don't see ads, thus have not noticed this trend.

But...would that not mean that ad revenue for the tv wasteland will be disappearing, since I doubt very much the
veddy veddy rich sit around watching Dancing with Stars.
Are the tv networks worried?