Working in radio often means I get a taste of products that are yet to hit the shops. Recently I was lucky enough (or so I thought) to try the latest energy drink on the market. Unfortunately this taste trial resulted in resounding retching noises from all of the girls in the office, myself included. One of my coworkers described it as the taste you get from licking an envelope...which was alarmingly accurate.
Anyway, this little taste test was also accompanied by a couple of questions from the sales rep thrusting the product our way on behalf of his client (who was thankfully not present for the retching). It turns out that he was only interested in the opinions of a select few of us- that being, those in the 18-24 year old age bracket.
It was then that I realised I'm on the cusp of this 'youth' target market. This time next year I will have graduated from the 18-24 group which I find a little bit scary truth be told. What is it about being 25 that suddenly makes you unattractive to youth brands? Am I going to wake up on my 25th birthday and find myself increasingly interested in mortgage rates and saving my money for more significant purchases than takeaways, pretty tops and booze?
No I am not.
Age to me is simply a perception. A perception that changes with age, ironically. When I think about what being 25 meant to my 10 year old self I would be married, and a vet that moonlights as a ballerina. I saw 25 as the age when I would have sorted out my love life and career, with making babies being next on my to do list. 25 meant I was officially grown up.
Bizarrely enough marketing and advertising companies encourage this notion by cutting off the youth target at 24. In this day and age I don't see that as entirely accurate. When I look at my friends who have turned 25 recently none of them have come out with scary grown up decisions. Turning 25 has simply prompted them to have a decent piss up.
Recently I flew down to a 25th in Wellington because I felt a sense of obligation- it's regarded as a milestone and I wanted to be there to celebrate it with my friends. I guess you could say that 25ths are the new 21sts for my group of friends....just without the parental supervision and drunken speeches about past shags whilst nana stands by awkwardly.
So I guess it's not so scary to be turning 25 after all and when I think back to how I acted at 18 (shudder) it's probably not all bad that I'm soon to be out of the youth age group. It's just a bit strange to me that so called marketing experts haven't cottoned on to the fact that 'twenty something' is a far more attractive age group to target. We spend our money as frivolously as 18 year olds, it's just that we have more of it to throw away...good times.
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