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Aspiration doesn't Have An Expiration Date

Updated: Jan 15


By Simon Derungs (aged 61)

Here’s a question - whom do you consider aspirational? Who do you respect, admire, look up to, and aspire to be like?

Of course, your answer will be unique to you. But did age play a part in your selection process? Did you avoid people older than yourself? I struggle to comprehend why so many marketers and advertisers assume that age relates directly to aspiration. And for the record, my list includes David Attenborough (aged 99).

It’s a commonly held belief amongst advertisers that older = undesirable, particularly to younger audiences. The result is that older consumers are ignored, or at best represented with lazy and condescending stereotypes to promote slippers, funeral plans, and walk-in bathtubs. This obsession with youth is infuriating, not just because it’s wrong, but because it makes absolutely no business sense, or common sense for that matter.

TWO EXAMPLES

I vividly recall working on a shampoo brand and observing that well over half its purchasers were women 50+, representing a great opportunity to establish a powerful, focused position. I lost the argument because the client feared they might “alienate” younger consumers. So a product that was of greatest appeal to older, mature women (the ones with money to spend) was actively targeting twenty-somethings - effectively “alienating” its core customer.

Here’s another example. The average age of a new car buyer in the UK is 54 (it varies by marque; for Toyota, it’s 63), not that you'd know it by watching car advertising. The over-50s account for the majority of all new car sales, but you’ll be hard-pushed to spot a new car ad that features its real customers. 

RISE OF THE GREY POUND/GRAY DOLLAR

People are living longer. The over-50s are the fastest-growing segment of the population on both sides of the pond. In the US, there are 124 million people over 50 years old! 

So one of the biggest changes in recent years has been the rise in spending power of older consumers. According to a Saga report, the over-50s are the most valuable generation in the history of marketing -  they have all the money (70%+ of household wealth) and active lifestyles. 

The over-50s now outspend every other age bracket on alcohol, cars, food, health, recreation, culture, travel, household goods, and services. And in case you thought they’re not tech savvy, 93% of adults in the UK (89% in the US) aged 55-64 own a smartphone. I could go on. 

Yet according to Havas Group, only 5% of advertising is even aimed at people over 50, and this has a direct impact on brand choice and loyalty. A recent AARP survey found that 62% of adults over 50 (70% of women 50+) would consider switching to a brand they feel better represents their age. That said, the folks with the money buying most of the stuff will readily drop brands that don’t speak to them…and actively choose brands that do.

This just in, research suggests that younger people are less brand loyal than older people. A 2022 report by Accenture found that Gen Z and Millennials are more likely to switch brands compared to Gen X and Boomers.


SO WHY THE OBSESSION WITH YOUTH?

One imagines the main argument marketers use is that younger audiences represent higher lifetime value (LTV), even if that means they will have to cultivate them for decades before they can actually afford to buy that product. What are you going to do in the meantime?

That makes no sense.

Aspiration doesn’t have an expiration date. In their obsession with youth, advertisers are making a terrible miscalculation. 

Look at it this way. Here’s a ranking of the most popular actors amongst Millennials (aged 25–39) according to YouGov. 

  1. Keanu Reeves (61)

  2. Morgan Freeman (88)

  3. Denzel Washington (70)

  4. Samuel L. Jackson (76)

  5. Sandra Bullock (61)

  6. Jamie Lee Curtis (66)

  7. Julia Roberts (57)

  8. Anne Hathaway (42)

  9. Emma Stone (36)

  10. Scarlett Johansson (40)

Nine out of ten are not in their age bracket. 

When, in fact, Gray Market people are admired and seen as aspirational. Proving there is no use-by date.

Here are three things I believe advertisers should stop doing, and three they should start doing.

STOP

  1. STOP ignoring them.It’s all too common for older women, in particular, to use language like “I feel invisible” or “I disappear” when talking about how society treats them as they age. They don’t feel seen, valued, or listened to. It’s very similar to people with disabilities. Honestly, when you see two people, one in a wheelchair, one pushing, who will you speak to first? Advertisers make this mistake all the time. Ads aimed at the older generation often appear inauthentic, patronising, and out of touch. Why would a shampoo marketer ignore their most important customer segment? Yet with the odd notable exception (eg, Dove), this highly lucrative audience is hardly represented at all in advertising.As Bob Hoffman says in his excellent book, Marketers are from Mars, Consumers are from New Jersey, "According to Nielsen, people over 50 are 'the most valuable generation in the history of marketing.' They are healthy, wealthy, and wise. And, in many ways, hipper and more youthful than the marketers. Yet only 5% of advertising is directed at them. Why? Because marketers are embarrassed by them. They are afraid that 18-year-olds will, God forbid, see people over 50 using their products." No matter how fit or vital they are.My message is blunt - ignore them at your peril. They’ll vote with their wallets (the ones on their smartphones).

  2. STOP assuming older people dream of being young again.Most don’t. Yes, it’d be nice if everything worked the way it used to, but it’s flawed logic to assume that the 50+ want to turn back the clock. It’s a simple trap - confusing ‘youth’ with ‘youthfulness’. The former is a state of time, the latter is a state of mind. A 60-year-old’s idea of youthfulness has little to do with looking or behaving as they did 30 years ago. In 2007, Complan ran a series of ads suggesting that older people would prefer to look younger. If nothing else, it’s ignorant and condescending. Yes, older people want to stay healthy, but we’re likely much happier in our current skin than the youngsters.Want proof? Data shows that 35% of UK adults (25–59) feel dissatisfied with their body image. For older adults (60+), it’s only 28%.

  3. STOP falling into the stereotype trap.Advertisers need to understand that the over 50s don’t spend all their time shopping for slacks with elasticated waistbands, nor stand dreamily on yachts smug in the knowledge  that they chose the right pension. This just isn’t reality. Age does not have to be an unsavoury thing; it can be embraced. Yet a recent YouGov report revealed that a staggering 79% of over 50s claim they feel patronised by advertisers, whilst 80% believe brands’ representations of their age group are NOT accurate. One respondent in this 2018 Gransnet survey said: “We’re either unrealistically happy, rich and glamorous (and on a cruise!) or worried old crones peering nervously into an empty purse…You'd think people over 50 were only interested in life insurance and the cost of funerals”.Worse, there’s a tendency to depict older generations as buffoons. Frail, incapable, the object of pity, sometimes hilarity. Remember the famous 1984 "Where's the Beef?" commercial for Wendy's? Directed by Joe Sedelmaier, it’s very entertaining. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0aKKFybRNMOr the recent E*TRADE “This is getting old” ad, which shows older people struggling to do ‘younger’ jobs, depicting them as frail, helpless, and the butt of the joke. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56-22bpyh0The portrayal of Gray Market people in advertising is usually inappropriate at best, offensive at worst. A recent ASA survey highlighted the common use of negative stereotypes, with half of those surveyed saying ads using humour at the expense of older people were likely to cause offence. Which surely can’t be good for business. That does not mean one cannot use a light touch and appropriate humour.

START

  1. START celebrating age as a positive thing.As Mark Twain once said, "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." This gets to the heart of the issue. Whilst advertisers seem to think that older people are in denial and want to be young again, in truth, there are very many glorious advantages to age. We have experience and knowledge. Been there, done that. We know what we know, and like what we like. We’re comfortable in our own skins, wrinkles and all. For instance, a third of people over 50 in the UK travel four or more times a year and account for 58% of travel and tourism expenditure. As a recent Mintel intelligence report summarises:“One of the most significant opportunities for the UK travel market will be the UK’s aging population. The over-55s demographic has an increased willingness to remain active for longer and stay engaged with leisure interests such as travel. Over-55s are significantly more valuable to the UK travel market than under-35s”.

  2. START letting older audiences see themselves in your advertising. Representation should be such an obvious thing; it’s remarkable that we even have to say this. Does a typical 70-something sit at home sipping warm milk and listening to Bing Crosby’s Greatest Hits? Just step back for a moment and think about timelines. If they’re in their 70s now, they were 20-something back in the 1970s. They were the original “My Generation”. They rocked to the WHO and Led Zeppelin. They wore flares, tight skirts, and did things that would shock Gen Z!The problem with most marketing and comms aimed at ‘older people’ is that they talk to them as if they’re…old. White hair, knitting, elasticated waistbands, and Bing Crosby? I don’t think so. They are and will always be children of the revolution!In short, it’s not a given that old people feel ‘old’. The opportunity for marketers is crystal clear. One of the brilliant, sadly rare, examples of getting this right is Dove’s “Beauty Never Gets Old” campaign. The brand seeks to disrupt the conversation of aging and the pressure to look young by using real portraits of its audience and celebrating their timeless beauty.

  3. START hiring (or at least stop firing) people who represent your primary audiences. In its agency census, the IPA estimates that less than 6% of UK agency staff are aged over 50, with an average age of 34. I find this shocking, not only because I’m in that age bracket, but because I simply can’t understand why agencies place such little value on experience, when clients place so much.I know your younger employees think they can understand and communicate with older customers. But let’s remember back to when admen thought they understood women:See what I mean?Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand how agencies thrive on the energy and creativity of youth. But in my experience, that energy and youthfulness don’t disappear as people get older; indeed, their experience only makes them smarter, and often more effective still.

IN SUMMARY

The over-50s are the fastest-growing, wealthiest consumer segment. Fact. And yet they remain ignored, misunderstood, misrepresented, occasionally offended. It’s tragic, mainly for the missed opportunity. Surely it’s only a matter of time before brands wake up, throw off their misconceptions, and transform their marketing and business for the better.

One last piece of advice. Whenever you find yourself slipping back into preconceived notions of elasticated waistbands and stairmasters, remember this…



At Openly Gray, we understand this market—we are this market. As experienced specialists in advertising, marketing, and public relations, we combine seasoned expertise with firsthand insight to craft strategies that resonate with today's most influential consumer group.

Stop overlooking Gray Market consumers and start celebrating them.






 
 
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