Ageism: the ‘forgotten issue’ of the industry diversity debate
Age discrimination has been branded the forgotten diversity issue of the industry but one that is real and impacting the level of knowledge and skill within agencies.
Christina Aventi, Warren Brown, Lisa Ramsey, Louise Genge and Ali Tilling at Mumbrella360
While debate rages around gender and race, the skew towards a younger workforce in advertising is often overlooked, delegates at Mumbrella360 were told.
A debate exploring the “youth-obsessed” industry concluded that having older members of staff brings experience, knowledge and confidence – traits that are often neglected.
BMF executive planning director Christina Aventi revealed she is referred to as “mama” at her agency – at the age of 43 – an indication of the way the over-40s are regarded in the industry.
“I love it, I love it, but there is something a little bit dismissive and I’m put into a box,” she said.
Aventi added that she is “mortified” at the way agencies say they want to employ “young and hungry people”.
“Back in the day I wouldn’t have thought twice about that but now I am mortified,” she said. “It’s saying if you’re old you’re not hungry.”
The experienced planner added that the term “over qualified” – often cited as a reason for not offering someone a job – is a euphemism, with “ageism disguised as flattery”.
Louise Genge, former marketing director at Bpay and, since Monday, marketing director at The Benevolent Society, said: “Over-40s are walking out of the industry before their time with knowledge and in-depth understanding, not only of the agency but the industry.”
But industry creative Warren Brown, while talking up the benefits of older members of staff and the experience they bring, said it is also incumbent on employees to maintain a positive outlook and not become “boring know-it-alls”.
Warren Brown: “As soon as you become this wise know-it-all you are pretty much sunk”
“There’s a certain amount of repetition [in the job] and that tends to leave older people in the industry to say ‘been there, done that, seen it all before’ and they become a bit of a boring know-it-all,” he said. “That really penalises them.
“There is nothing more exciting than being on the cusp of nearly screwing it up and there is great joy in being terrified. That’s what gets your adrenaline going.
“But as soon as you become this wise know-it-all you are pretty much sunk because everyone around you will be moving at a pace….and you’ll be a drag on the whole vibe, you get isolated and made redundant.”
Brown added that older workers have “cost implications” and are often replaced with “a bunch of juniors”.
Lisa Ramsey, managing director of brand consultancy Channel T said more senior members of staff are viewed with “suspicion” if they have not shown a desire to climb the corporate ladder to management positions.
She said they are sometimes regarded as being “not very good” at their job in they don’t progress when that is clearly not the case.
“We have to get better at allowing people to be good in the space they settle,” Ramsey said.
As a sign of this article, in the coming months, three 55+ gents, with around 30 + years experience each, in the industry, will leave the game. Ron Phillips, Shane Goninon, Ian Sawers. Who will replace that experience.
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Paige said ” Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don’t mind then it doesn’t matter.”
As a 50+ specialist, I have found this to be true.
Age doesn’t make you old, your attitude does.
If Ron and Ian are looking at their 3 wave careers and are reading this, I’ll shout you a drink as we are always looking for good looking older models!! – regards Gill
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Thanks for finally discussing the elephant in the room.
This has baffled me for ages, as someone in their 40s who has now gone client side and sees things from over the bridge.
Message: youngsters in their 20s and early-mid thirties aren’t actually that attractive to us clients. We’d rather have experience doing our work, not youth.
And it’s even worse with digital agencies, where the sales guys promise the world to get the work, and then I end up with a 26yo with about two years experience working on my job.
I know that person is probably on a low salary, so presumable the rest of my money is going to the agency founders – whom I never see. It’s a rort – and we’re all getting sick of it.
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If you can bring added value to a client as a result of your experience , most clients will value that . Not everyone does despite their experience . And most are not as hungry and/or have the attitude that warren refers to ( spoken by a 40+!)
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I learnt more from warren brown in a 30 minute pitch a couple of years back than anyone under the age of 40 has taught me in several years of pitching… miss the bugger
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If as an industry we continue down this path I can see a day when thirty will be ‘too old’, then twenty. Will it end there?
One thing I have learned over the years is that generalities about any generation espoused as truths are fatuous. I was told by a renowned recruiter in Sydney that I was too old for the industry when I was about to turn 40. He was wrong.
Who never wished they had the knowledge and experience they hold today when they were much younger? As they say ‘you can’t put an old head on young shoulders’, but perhaps with AI there will be no need.
Hunger is known to increase the amount of risk an individual will take. Is unfettered ‘risk’ a good thing? Perhaps not, although I am sure that Warren actually meant energy, enthusiasm and curiousity.
At twenty-five I could only imagine having the opportunity to work with the diversity of great clients and brands that I have over the years.
I have been extremely fortunate to have had a wonderful career (to date) and have no reason to believe it won’t continue.
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I found this article very inciteful as I’ve recently gone back to university to complete a bachelor in marketing to move out of sales. I’m 43 and just entering the marketing field. I am as hungry as I was in my 20’s, and I agree, that there should not be age discrepancy. I have a healthy, open attitude and thrive for new experiences and new knowledge so to have an opinion that on young people have this is rubbish.
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