Of A Certain Age

I just recently hit a milestone birthday, a big one.  Celebrated appropriately by leaving the country for a little getaway.  The funny thing is that ever since I have come back, I keep hearing the same phrase over and over.  I'm sure I heard it before, it just never hit my radar before.

Being "of a certain age."  Guess it means being middle-aged or even just plain being old.  I guess I am now "of a certain age."  I was at breakfast with a colleague on Friday and the term came up two times!

It does make sense when I think about it because it's not like "senior citizens" or "seniors" really applies anymore.  Being 50 is not old and it's not "senior" anymore, despite the AARP card that arrived in the mail last week as well.  Old timers are now a lot older.

Made me realize that I have to be careful in guiding clients on how to refer to older audience segments.  They're not as old as they used to be!  They're just "of a certain age."

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
- President, Cohn & Wolfe NA
- Author, The Experience Effect series
- Professor, NYU
- Contributor, Entrepreneur