The Perfect Curve

I posted the following on Facebook two years ago. The people who were 16 when Never Mind The Bollocks came out are this year now 62.

#marketing #advertising #stereotypes

Today is a significant day not just in music history, but in marketing history.

It's 44 years to the day since the UK release of the Sex Pistols' debut album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols.

'What is the significance of a 44th year anniversary?', I hear you ask.

Well, let me answer that question for you.

44 years ago today, when the album was released, people who were 16 on that date would have been born in 1961. ie, people who were born in 1961, would have been old enough to get married, have children, do various other things which are the first steps that the UK's legal framework considers to be 'becoming an adult'. And those nascent adults in 1977 when Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols was released will now be 60.

So when those people who were 16 when NMTB,HTSP came out, when their grandmothers were 60 they would have retired. Indeed now, although the formal state pension retirement age is some years beyond 60, 60 is still considered the age when people start to transition into 'retirement age'.

'Where are you going with this, simon?', I hear you press me because you're getting a bit bored by now.

The age cohort who were just transitioning into adulthood on this day 44 years ago when Never Mind The Bollocks were released are now the people who are just transitioning into retirementhood.

And the relevance to marketing? Marketing people - stop representing 'retired people' in terms of folks who want to listen to Glen Miller and dance the foxtrot. Indeed, stop thinking you're hip and 'understanding your audience' by representing retired or retiring people as wanting to listen to The Beatles. The demographic of people who are coming into retirement age now, they're the people who were just starting to listen to The Sex Pistols when they just started to become adults themselves.