VALS™ Lens Applying VALS™ to current events January 2014
In this issue:
On TV: The Simpsons
Several years ago, The Simpsons became the longest-running, prime-time, scripted television program on air—surpassing Gunsmoke. The show that helped to establish the Fox channel has been on air for a quarter of a century (it debuted in 1989). Fans will be delighted to learn that Fox has renewed The Simpsons to run through 2015. The Simpsons airs during Sunday night prime time but is also syndicated on Monday through Friday. Only 4% of adults view the program on Sunday three or four times a month; Experiencers, Strivers, and Innovators (in rank order) are more likely than average to do so, according to spring 2013 VALS™/GfK/MRI data. Experiencers and Strivers are the most likely viewers to watch at full attention. These same two groups are more likely than average to watch The Simpsons three or more times a week in syndication. Given the stability of the VALS segments, The Simpsons have stood the test of time in maintaining their voice and focus with their target audience—mind-sets are stable.
In Clothing: Cashmere Band-Aids
If your last-year's cashmere sweaters suffer from serving as moth food, help is available in the form of Cashmends—iron-on Band-Aid, elbow, and stylized moth patches to cover heartbreaking holes. Band-Aids and patches are from Stella Neptune. The company is the brainchild of former Los Angeles, California, DJ Eva Kisevalter, a self-described "devoted thrift shopper" and cashmere addict. All Stella Neptune products are made with upcycled materials so buyers can feel good about keeping sweaters from the trash bin and supporting a sustainable company. Sweater purchases is one of the few categories for which no MRI data exist. However, because cashmere sweaters are usually pricier than others, the annual spend on women's clothing can act as a proxy. Fewer than 1% of adults spent $500 or more on women's clothing in the past 12 months; Innovators and Experiencers are the most likely to do so. Typically not interested in wearing mended clothing, purchasers are finding Cashmends a clever enough solution to the further deterioration of a favorite cashmere sweater to have appeal.
In Reality: Failure to Launch
British psychologists have revised the definition of adulthood on the basis of recent research about brain development. Psychologists proclaim age 25, not age 18, as the official end of adolescence. According to child psychologist Laverne Antrobus, "The idea that suddenly at 18 you're an adult doesn't quite ring true," because the brain's frontal cortex isn't fully developed until age 25. As a result, psychologists recommend that people postpone life's big decisions—such as choosing a career path and marrying—until they reach full maturity. This finding in no way excuses helicopter parents, because making decisions for children over the age of 18 only prolongs adolescent behaviors. Some 58% of Experiencers and 32% of Strivers are among the no-longer-US-adults between the ages of 18 and 24. Almost half live at home with a parent or parents—they have failed to launch.