Drop the pity – women over 50 are wealthy, savvy and happier than ever
Too often, marketers patronise older shoppers and mark them as past their sale-by-date. But as Bauer Media’s Jane Waterhouse points out, today’s defiant generation are not growing older, they are simply growing.
“Wait a minute,” the client interjected, stopping the presentation.
“We don’t want old people in the ad.” Bemused, the publisher pointed out the age group the product was targeting.
“No – we don’t want to alienate young people,” he repeated.
According to Jane Waterhouse, general manager of Bauer Media’s Story54, that exchange highlighted an attitude that for years has crept, almost unchallenged, into advertising and society more widely. Ageing is considered a negative, almost sinful.
Fifty? Your best-before-date has expired.
And it’s not just everyday women who are being put out to grass. From Madonna being trolled by the Daily Mail, Helen Mirren criticised for strapping on a backpack, to former supermodel Helena Christensen shamed by a former Vogue editor for daring to wear a bustier, women of a certain vintage from all walks of life are frowned upon by judgmental elements of our society.
“We always focus on the joys of youth,” Waterhouse told delegates at the Mumbrella360 conference. “Yet it’s somehow a secret regrettable shame to age. It’s seen as a tragedy rather than something positive. But the way we market and talk to women over 50 has got to change.”
The research in question, unveiled at Mumbrella360, was conducted amid growing criticism older women have become “invisible” to the advertising industry, and regarded as a generation past their prime.
In March, so disillusioned was former UK ad executive Jane Evans that she launched The Uninvisibility Project with the aim of pushing her peers into the spotlight.
Explaining the launch, Evans said her “glittering 30-something-year creative career” was, in effect, worthless once she began looking for a job beyond her 50th birthday. “I was completely unemployable. I was too experienced, too opinionated and, apparently, totally irrelevant,” she said. “We have to show the world this is the most powerful time in our lives. That raising families gives us leadership, business and time-management skills that cannot be surpassed.”
Exacerbating the issue, she said, was the paltry number of women holding creative director roles. Evans suggested the number stood at just 3%. Little wonder, then, that the demographic is being grossly misunderstood, if not forgotten altogether. There is barely anyone in agency land who represents the sector.
During its study, Bauer spoke to 1255 women of which 655 were aged 50-64, with the aim of exploring how and why they had become so invisible to marketers. But to the surprise of researchers, far from finding a segment of society who were “growing old”, they discovered a group of people who were adventurous, supremely confident and living life to the full.
Moreover, they have money to spend, and the desire to spend it.
“They are the most financially stable they’ve been in their lives and they’re actively seeking products that help them grow, not to age, but to grow as women and they’d like to spend their money,” Waterhouse said.
As Bauer dug deep, the behavioural traits, interests and life perspectives that emerged became unrecognisable from the imagined world of the uninformed marketer.
Addressing marketers, Waterhouse said: “I’d like to introduce you to who we call the Defiant Woman. And right now, she doesn’t give a shit about you.”
In a further insight that should strike fear into marketers, the study concluded she possesses “the strongest bullshit radar possible”.
The study found a rising sentiment of positivity among women over 50, and an age group who are self-assured, fun-loving and optimistic. They are also learning new skills, travelling – often solo – retraining and mentoring. In short, women over 50 are “having a secret party”. Yet marketers are nowhere to be seen.
“She just seemed to disappear,” Waterhouse said.
From the findings, it appears to be a demographic advertisers have simply not understood, failing to recognise their characteristics, potential, or what makes them tick.
In a withering assessment, women questioned in the Bauer study accused marketers of treating them “like your mother”, as “idiots”, of being “technologically inept” and of “fighting against who they really are”.
“These Defiant Women told us you think about ageing negatively,” Waterhouse told marketers.
Story54 commercial research director Casey Greig said ads promoting retirement villages, over 50s insurance and depicting “older people dressed in an old way” were just not resonating.
Such ads are targeting an audience women over 50 simply do not recognise, she said.
“Our findings were starting to reveal maybe the advertisers and marketers were the invisible ones. It’s not society making her feel invisible, it’s perhaps the lack of accurate representation in the media that contributes to her not seeing you. It’s no wonder 75% of them agreed advertising is often ageist.”
Worryingly, Greig said very few 50+ women offered a response when asked what brands they are passionate about or what advertising they “love and connect with”.
“Perhaps over time she has switched off and doesn’t think advertisers are interested in speaking to her,” Greig suggested.
Supporting that were figures showing 70% believe advertisers are just not interested in them, compared to 30% of women under 35.
The conclusions of Bauer back up a study last year which found more than seven out of 10 women aged 53 to 72 don’t pay attention to advertising.
The survey, Elastic Generation: The Female Edit, conducted by JWT, also found more than nine out of 10 respondents wished advertisers would stop stereotyping. A similar number agreed with the statement, ‘I’m not going to start dressing in beige just because I’m over 50’.
Tearing up those stereotypes is what Bauer’s Defiant Women is all about. Already, the publisher has developed a toolkit to help spread the message, and, in the coming months, will be advising brands and advertisers directly. Why? Because such readers have long “been part of Bauer’s life”, Waterhouse said, and “spend millions of dollars on magazines each month”.
“We implore you tap into her too,” she said.
“One of my favourite stats from the research is 70% of women under 35 say they don’t find older women unrelatable in advertising. I can’t wait to present this research to this particular client.”
As for Madonna, she has become a poster child for this generation of women, said Waterhouse.
“Madonna said the Daily Mail seems offended by her. But it keeps her motivated. We know these women have grown up busting norms, and we invite you to join them.”
Thanks Jane – or should I say Jane of Arc. We have been talking about this topic for years and it’s finally getting traction with advertisers and the media – thank you for lighting another fire. One of our recent campaigns targeting middle-aged women was really successful with an integrated campaign thanks to AWW https://www.evergreenam.com.au/portfolio-item/feros/
For readers interested in some practical tips
https://www.evergreenam.com.au/resources/what-women-want/
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Love it !
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Love it Jane, well said and well done!!
Nothing beats the experience, know-how, network and knowledge of the 50+ worker/business-owner.
In fact the average age of SME owners is 56, so there’s another lucrative demographic that the “marketers” are not connecting with!
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Well said Jane,
As an ad industry executive over 50 and also an active consumer, it is both incredibly refreshing to be invisible in some ways, (happily wandering the streets of big cities and not feeling self-conscious nor leered at any more, also to be able to speak my mind without fear of looking naive or inexperienced), but then find as a consumer that advertising doesn’t reflect who I am or what I want (most either filled with smiling vapid young things who I don’t aspire to emulate, or as you mentioned beige suited, grey haired retirees, ditto).
By the way I’m currently in the market for new work clothes, a travel case, a rug or two, a new sofa and some great birthday presents for my sister and sister in law (both 50-somethings) and yet can’t recall seeing any relevant ads offering any of those things in any media location that I consume…..
Would both creatives and media planners take stock please.
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