It is well-documented that the global population is ageing – but how well do we understand and provide for older consumers?

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AgeingSociety,
Growing
Opportunities

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Ageing Society, Growing Opportunities
The global population is ageing; it is well documented that with advances in medicine and
technology, each generation will live longer and healthier lives than the previous, and by
2050, over a fifth of the world’s population will be over the age of 60, with that number
closer to a third in much of the West.1
When you ask consumers around the world what
proportion of their population is over the age of 65, every single country guessed much
higher than reality – in Italy, average guesses were twice the reality2
.
This is just one of many misperceptions we tend to have about a massively over-
generalised group – but consumers over the age of 50 can and should no longer be
underappreciated and misunderstood. They are hugely significant and hugely influential.
For businesses, this segment is particularly important - alongside their scale, older
generations tend to be wealthier. In the UK, over 50s represent a third of the population
but hold 80% of the wealth.3
This being said, money remains one of our greatest concerns
throughout life, and the flipside of living longer is a longer period of relying on pensions,
investments and family members – therefore, getting older consumers to spend is not
always easy.
Industries and governments alike have to prioritize the needs
of an ageing population, which has been referred to by some
as the world’s most compelling business opportunity.
One of the reasons for the widespread misunderstanding of this group may be that they
are neither accurately or widely represented in the media or advertising; nearly 78% of UK
consumers over the age of 50 “feel under-represented or misrepresented by
advertising.”4
A lack of screen time can lead to older characters being reduced to
stereotypes that do not help wider perceptions.
“Many, including women in the 60-plus bracket, are not only misrepresented, they’re often
completely ignored by advertisers—their depiction completely cemented in cliché—which
is crazy,” explained Michael Jones, creative director at AMV BBDO, who sought to
challenge this lack of representation while working with Mars. “We met so many
entertaining women and heard so many funny, outrageous stories. We were inspired.
1
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori
2
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori
3
https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/50+-age-group-grey-area-brands/1429270
4
https://www.marketingweek.com/2018/10/15/brands-stop-age-defining-feature-over-50s/

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Ageing Society, Growing Opportunities
These women should get their own TV shows, let alone some air time in an ad for such a
well-loved brand.”5
TRYING TO DEFINE ‘OLDER’
There are massive disparities in the way we view age around the world. When you ask
consumers globally how old you have to be to be considered old, there are almost two
decades between the extreme responses - old age starts at 74 in Spain, while in Saudi
Arabia its 556
.
If there is this vast disparity in the way we define old age, it follows that there will also be
vast disparities in other impressions we have. 61% of UK consumers aged 50+ “don’t like
the fact that ads assume that older people are a homogenous group, simply targeting
‘older people’ rather than individuals.”7
Terms including “older, silver, senior, and mature”
are resented by more than half of this group.8
These frustrations are valid; the way ageing is currently depicted means that we have
certain expectations of our own futures which are largely negative. Nearly two-thirds of
people globally say that they are not looking forward to their old age, although there are
considerable differences by country. In India, 73% say they are looking forward to old age,
while in Hungary only 7% say the same9
.
A REALITY CHECK
The reality is that those in later life are some of the happiest in society. Studies in the UK
and US find similar U-shaped patterns - levels of personal wellbeing are very positive in
our youngest years, fall off in mid-life and rise again from the age of 65 until at least our
mid-70s.10
Living longer and staying healthier means that ageing can offer a wealth of new
experiences: over-65s are the most satisfied with their leisure activities and hobbies; they
are among the most likely to volunteer11
. They also are still experimenting in the bedroom,
with one in 10 over 75-year-olds in the UK having had multiple sexual partners since
turning 6512
. These facts are important antidotes to the better documented and significant
5
https://www.adweek.com/creativity/maltesers-wonderfully-awkward-diversity-ads-are-back-featuring-hot-flashes-and-
lesbian-dating/
6
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori
7 https://www.gransnet.com/online-surveys-product-tests/advertising-to-over-50s-survey
8 https://www.gransnet.com/online-surveys-product-tests/advertising-to-over-50s-survey 9
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori
10
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori
11
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori
12
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori

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Ageing Society, Growing Opportunities
fact that older consumers are likely to be lonelier, with more people over the age of 65
living alone. Finland has the highest proportion of older people living alone at 39.5% of
over 65s.13
When advertising to over-50s, advertisers should seek to realistically represent the
segment as the active, interesting group that they are. Several advertisers have been able
to hit the “sweet spot,” by incorporating over-50s in their advertisements, without
overemphasizing the role of age.
MALTESERS - POWERPOINT, BY AMV BBDO
Last year, Maltesers’ released two spots which aimed to “recreate real-life situations faced
by women from different groups in society who you don’t often see or hear from,”
according to Mitch Oliver, Marketing VP for Mars Chocolate UK.14
One of these –
Powerpoint - light-heartedly took on the menopause taboo, while accurately portraying
women over 50 as energetic, humorous, and engaging. Maltesers demonstrated that
vivacity does not have age-limit, nor does enjoying a treat.
SAGA - THE WORLD IS WAITING TO MEET YOU, BY VCCP
Saga offers insurance to the over 50s. Its most recent holidays campaign, ‘The World is
Waiting to Meet You,’ features local people reflecting on their experiences with Saga
travelers: stories include Charlotte, who “danced til’ her shoes fell apart;” and a couple
that told “Wicked jokes” and made everyone sing musicals. The advertisements
exclusively feature men and women 50 and over, yet their age clearly has no effect on the
excitement and enthusiasm.
THE WORLD’S MOST COMPELLING BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
It is not just a communications challenge – this is an important group that has not always
been prioritised, and brands must make sure both communication and products are
relevant and adapted to the segment going forward. For instance, the average 70-year-
old has the grip strength of a 10-year-old child, and brands will lose out on these valuable
customers if they don’t get their product experiences right. Many brands are already
embracing universal design – creating products that can be accessible for all – such as
Ford’s Focus, which has enlarged doors, headroom and differentiated dashboard controls;
13
“The Perennials” by Ipsos Mori
14 https://www.adweek.com/creativity/maltesers-wonderfully-awkward-diversity-ads-are-back-featuring-hot-flashes-and-
lesbian-dating/

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Ageing Society, Growing Opportunities
or kitchen utensil maker Oxo’s Good Grips range, which make their products easier for
anyone to hold. Businesses that don’t adopt universal design will soon be on the backfoot.
When it comes to communication and representing a particular age group, reducing them
to a homogenous group is never the answer, especially today when relevance is of
paramount importance. Brands must better understand and build for an ageing
population; as the segment grows in size, we can only expect older consumers to become
more varied, diverse and more fascinating going forward.
If you are interested in learning more about the subject of this article, please contact
Sarah Emmerson, Insights Planner, emmersons@bbdoknows.com,
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