They are having trouble selling oil because they have lost their traditional customers.

Ford has given its traditional customers a useful car that isn't likely to raise their pulse.

Roberts says the traditional customer's median age is 62, and 38 percent of those buyers are retired.

Radio Communications is sufferring similar pressures, since its traditional customers are military.

Mr. Lewis has also found that many of his traditional customers find themselves in new territory.

But mainstream companies are beginning to pay attention to wireless initiatives as one way to reach more of their traditional customers.

Only about half of it is with our traditional customer.

Ad executives said there had also been significant growth in the last few years among those traditional customers.

But this created something of a credibility gap with Ford's traditional customers, and the commercial had a brief run.

"We have cars we can sell to the traditional customer," he said.