Moses Znaimer is not old. He will never be a “senior” or a “fogey.” The former Citytv head hates the terms used to describe his baby boomer generation—which, at 14.5 million strong, has elbowed its way into its place as the most powerful consumer demographic in history.
Znaimer wants to remake his demo as “zoomers”—or boomers with zip (and money)—to prove that just because they’re over 45 doesn’t mean they’re irrelevant to advertisers.
To do this, he has built his second media empire—MZ Media—with properties catering directly to zoomers. And what an empire it’s shaping up to be.
After acquiring Kemur Publishing and becoming executive director of the 350,000-member CARP (formerly known as the Canadian Association of Retired Persons), Znaimer assumed control of several media properties: Carp.ca, 50Plus.com and the association’s niche-busting member magazine.
In 2007, when it had more than 185,000 subscribers and no newsstand presence, CARP magazine earned an estimated $4.4 million in ad revenue, ranking 59th on Masthead magazine’s annual list of the Top 100 Publications.
This year, Znaimer rechristened the magazine Zoomer, enlarged the target audience to include men and women 45 and older, and transformed it from a members-only advocacy mag to a fully fledged consumer newsstand glossy. With big-name editorial talent at the helm—most notably former Flare editor Suzanne Boyd—content has been revamped to include fashion and lifestyle.
According to Leanne Wright, MZ’s vice-president, communications, ad pages have increased 60% and net ad revenues have doubled since the redesign.
The word zoomer is also now appearing all over the websites for Classical 96.3 FM and the “adult standards” station AM 740, the two radio properties MZ took control of this year.
Liz Janik, a radio researcher and consultant, says the classical music station in particular was a wise acquisition, and not just because of its stereotypically older audience. “The population base of Toronto is skewing non-English speaking,” Janik says. “In the younger demographics, it’s skewing more than 50% that way. It really changes the marketplace in ways that we in radio have not come to terms with.”
In other words, it’s hard for Mandarin- or Farsi-speakers to identify with English lyrics. Because classical music is mostly language-free and well-known globally, this radio format “is a phenomenal opportunity to bring in listeners from all disenfranchised languages. It creates a common, relaxing mood service, which is in huge demand among radio listeners.”
It also provides cross-promotional opportunities for advertisers looking for a Zoomer ad package. MZ is happily bundling radio, online and print inventory together.
Not satisfied to simply broadcast his thoughts on the subject, Znaimer invited advertisers and consumers to come together at the “Aspirin 81mg Zoomer Show” in Toronto earlier this month. 150 exhibitors—including LG, Pfizer and Lavalife—interacted with an estimated crowd of 10,000 association members. And to help zoomers connect with each other, MZ Media also runs network.zoomers.ca, a social networking site. Clearly, Znaimer believes this generation will not slow down as it ages.
Janik, a card-carrying boomer, agrees. “Typically, media throws away this age group. Today, it’s one-third the population,” she says. “When are we going to wake up and go with ‘what is’ instead of ‘what was?’ Whoever leads the way in selling radio to the baby boomers is going to make a lot of money. It will be copied throughout North America.”
