Do you shop online?
Do you have to overcome some advertiser ageism in order to get there? Do you think marketers are doing a good job reflecting you, and your needs, in their ad campaigns?
We’ve written about ageism before, in our book and on this website, here and here. It matters because a key part of SuperAging — “getting older without getting old” — is to keep on being an active player in the marketplace. SuperAgers have the interest, the tech savvy and above all, the money to be taken seriously.
On the spending side, it’s definitely happening. As reported here, a survey of a segment of the Baby Boomer demographic (ages 60-64) far outstrip Gen Z (ages16-26), the generation to which marketers are increasingly turning their attention:a
– 63% of the Boomer group have a credit card vs. 41% of Gen Z
– 39% of the Boomer group shopped online in the past week vs. 35% of Gen Z (and guess who spent more)
– 23% of the Boomer group have high purchasing power vs. 8% of Gen Z
These are global numbers. So where’s the problem?
Boomers (and those older than the segment surveyed here) might spend even more if marketers did a better job of reaching them.
– Only 17% of Boomers said they tend to buy brands they’ve seen advertised vs. 25% of Gen Z
– And that’s no surprise, because only 10% of Boomers feel represented in the ads they see vs.15% of Gen Z
And that’s where the ageism comes in:
– About 75% of cast members in TV and video ads are ages 20-39. The percentage who are 60 or older? Less than 2%.
You might argue that this isn’t a serious problem: if marketers can’t effectively reach the “older” consumers, that’s their problem. If they lose sales as a result, why should SuperAgers care?
It’s a fair argument, up to a point. But beyond the immediate rewards and punishments of successful or unsuccessful marketing campaigns, ads and videos represent a tremendous collective picture of who counts and what matters in our society. The invisibility of SuperAgers in the overall consumer marketplace promotes invisibility in other arenas like public policy. It reinforces stereotypes that are harmful downstream. We’re fighting strongly against this — and we hope you will, too.
If you see ads, commercials, videos or other communications that unfairly represent, or marginalize, the older age groups, let us know and let the advertiser know. You have the purchasing power to make them sit up and take notice. We can help!