Age and Advertising

“People over 55 have the most money and buy the most products. Yet, the advertising industry is infatuated with the 18 to 34-year-old target market.” Terry O’Reilly, marketing guru, author and host of the award-winning CBC Radio One radio show, “Under the Influence.”

It’s time to dispel the myths and scrap the stereotypes! According to the latest Stats Canada numbers, today’s seniors are!

📱 Tech savvy. Canadian seniors are the fastest-growing segment of internet users.

💼 In the workforce. In 2015, one in five Canadians aged 65 and older, or nearly 1.1 million seniors, reported working during the year. This is the highest proportion recorded since the 1981 Census. Of the seniors who worked in 2015, about 30.0% did so a full year, full time.

😀 Happy. The majority of Canadians over the age of 65 reports an overall higher life satisfaction than younger adults. So why does advertising so often get it wrong? Why are advertising images of people over 65 typically rife with stereotypes about their independence, contributions, energy, demeanour, etc.?

Part of the problem may be that older adults aren’t often at the creative table. Advertising is dominated by young teams. As we’ve noted, advertising so often holds a mirror to society’s values and beliefs. So, clearly, we have some work to do. That said, some forward-thinking advertisers and advocacy groups are reframing how seniors are presented in advertising.

There are campaigns like the immensely successful, if slightly controversial, 'Sexy Santa' from @yorkdalestyle. And in recent years, there has been a trend towards featuring older women in beauty campaigns with @covergirl, lorealparis, and others expanding the breadth of ages they choose to represent in their ads. Check out the links below for more examples.

Here at Well Known, we will also work to do better. Older adults are dynamic, diverse, and, let’s not forget, tough. They can teach us a lot about living life to the fullest, through the hard knocks and all. Our ads should reflect that. We value the seniors in our lives – they’re our parents, our neighbours, our friends. And if we’re lucky, one day, they’ll be us.

Check out these popular IG accounts around aging:
https://www.instagram.com/and.bloom/
https://www.instagram.com/advancedstyle/

KyraJuly 16, 20201 Comment

Age and Advertising

WELL KNOWN INC.

Marketing and Advertising Agency serving Muskoka + GTA