It’s that inevitable moment where a business or a brand realizes that perhaps it’s stayed a bit too long at the dance.
Last week, the board of Men’s Wearhouse offed spokeperson and company founder George Zimmer in a scene right out of Game of Thrones – minus the blood.
For Zimmer, he was the long-time face of his own brand, like Dave Thomas and Colonel Sanders before him. These guys all had the entrepreneurial juice to start incredibly successful companies. But in the world of fashion, pop culture, and yes, radio, when businesses get too “generational” and don’t evolve, trouble will follow.
We watched this happen to Oldies, and now Classic Rock is experiencing similar growing pains – or age spots. And while the backrooom team at Men’s Wearhouse may be going after Millennials who want to “look good,” many formats also have that need to appeal to a younger audience.
Public radio is experiencing a similar changing of the guard, but networks like NPR, PRI, and American Public Media are working hard on creating programming and web content designed to appeal to up and coming listeners, while continuing to satisfy the core.
Not everyone can pull it off. Pierre Robert from MMR – who is no kid, but still acts like one is always going to concerts, showing up all over town, and still living and loving the life of a rock n’ roll DJ. But other personalities along the way may have lost their fast ball, and that’s the challenge that aging demos can present to a brand and the personalities who have historically made it special.
That generational tipping point is what appears to have tripped up Zimmer. As a recent Motley Fool featured article noted, the Men’s Wearhouse image was still looking pretty solid among lots of guys in the business world. In the graph below which shows “purchase consideration” of Men’s Wearhouse up against similar stores, Zimmer’s aging brand holds its own among the 35+ adult male target:
But it’s a different story among that new breed of business attire buyers as evidenced by the chart below. In YouGov’s BrandIndex polling, those young guys aren’t sold by a spokesmodel who looks like their dad – or grandpa.
Will a young, new spokesperson turn the tide? Will it invigorate the Men’s Wearhouse brand, reminiscent of those cool viral Old Spice commercials? Or will it feel more like Shaquille O’Neal hawking Buicks. (How does he seriously fit in that thing?)
Growing brands is fun.
Keeping them vital for decades is challenging.
Navigating changing waters is hard.
Managing to stay appealing to multiple generations is truly a feat.
You have to do your homework, be prepared to make some tough but necessary calls, and hope that it all works.
It can be done, but it’s never easy.
I guarantee it.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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