How much is ageism costing your brand?
George Clooney, Cindy Crawford… not your average 50-year-old, so why do we continue to lump 50 in with 70 when establishing marketing targets, asks Nick Richardson?
Against all the evidence, ageist stereotypes continue to reinforce advertising activity, leaving the Over 50s largely forgotten.
Not that they care – they’re out there spending anyway. But it’s high time more brands defied ageism to tap into what Nielsen calls “the most valuable generation in history”.
It’s the stereotype that’s old, not the market
Here are just five of the many preconceptions that snowball into a distorted picture of what today’s 50+ consumers are like, because they are like no generation before.
Interesting piece, but i fear until the neomania and millennial obsession subsides, there will never be change no matter how much supporting data. Critics will argue younger actors are cast/tone is tailored toward younger audiences as brands want to build lifetime value
50+ MEDIA USAGE: The old model for reaching them has changed. WYZA Research found people over 50. particularly 50-69 year olds, now spend more time using the internet, social media or mobile than any other medium.TV, radio and hard copy print media still play a role in their lives but are no longer enough on their own to reach this growing demographic. Women and 50 somethings are much more likely to use social media and mobile communication than are men and those over 60, while online news, hard copy print media and subscription TV skew to men (mostly due to sport and series like House of Cards on Netflix). WYZA found their audience spend on average a total of 5 hours per day on internet, social media and mobile.
Well said Nick!
The proliferation of agency teams of a particular age proudly portray the very stereotypes that permeate so many campaigns. Not surprisingly, anyone over 40 in the industry will find themselves on the receiving end of ageism. The industry debate on diversity is often just about the lack of women in senior positions. Whilst true, the lack of diversity of different ages within the industry is also a major problem.
Any agency team photo highlights the fact that far too many people with great experience are removed in favour of maintaining the industry’s stereotype of itself.
When the industry has ageism entrenched internally, how can it reflect outward a true vision of consumers. When agencies would rather hire and burn through 3 or 4 cheaper people with inexperience rather than hire experience
Good article Nic and good luck withe new venture.
This is nothing new, the age debate and the lazy targeting by agency and clients has been going on for decades. It is just becoming more pertinent as the ‘aged’ are becoming a larger group, ‘the baby boomer bubble’ , and the holder of more of the disposable income.