A+E Research Smashes Stereotypes About Older Adults

quotThe World Health Organization has done extensive work on the issue of ageism globally on stereotypes prejudice discrimination and how we act towards others or oneself based on agequot noted Tara Lantieri Senior Director Primary Research Ad Sales Strategic Insights at AE Networks quotA lot of the research we39ve been doing is on how so much of ageism is internalized and selfdirected It39s a complex issue that begins in early childhoodquotAE Networks conducted multiple phases of research aimed at improving engagement and inclusion of the 50 consumer in advertising The latest piece of work focused on understanding the response to different advertising creative approaches it included a younger sample to highlight differences and similarities between 1849s and 5074squotWe are all absorbing a narrowly constructed societal narrative about age and aging through the images and stories we see in the media every dayquot explained Marcela Tabares Senior Vice President Strategic ampamp Cultural Insights Ad Sales Research AE Network quotWe internalize these ideas of what older age looks like or doesn39t look like This impacts our expectations for ourselves as we get older and it influences how we perceive others based on their age That39s why advertising and media are so important in crafting more expansive and inclusive ideas of what life can be as we agequotThat impact can be seen with people in their 30s and 40s Tabares added quotThey actually hold more negative views and feelings about aging than people who are older because people who are older are 39in it39 You39ve arrived and you realize that it is not as bad as it39s been presented to you for decadesquot In fact the research shows that older adults feel they39re doing well across various dimensions of their lives their independence happiness physical health and financial healthOlder adults39 consumer participation and the possibilities they see for themselves are underrepresented in advertising According to AE39s research twothirds believe they have a lot to look forward to and nearly 80 say they don39t let agerelated changes hold them back from living a full life There is a gap between what they see as possible for themselves and societal expectations For example they39re more likely to believe traveling wearing stylish clothes starting a new hobby and being seductive are possibilities for them compared to what society expects from themThis gap also exists when looking at individual ad categories quotFor example adults 50 account for around 10 of faces in ads for fitness auto tech travel apparel and restaurants while they spend 4055 of the dollars in those categoriesquot Tabares noted quotThey want depictions that acknowledge their contributions as consumersamp8221Perhaps it shouldnamp8217t be surprising to see widespread underrepresentation when we think about the creative development process How often is this consumer given a seat at the table According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the median age of advertising and marketing managers is around 3440 years oldquotIt is incredibly difficult to authentically depict what life looks like for older adults without having that perspectivequot Marcela said quotWe acknowledge this when it comes to race ethnicity gender and sexual orientation The same is true for age This is why it is so important to invest in research that brings the voice of the older consumer into the creative processquotThis lack of understanding is evident in current representations AE Networks39 audit of approximately 20000 ads found that representations of older adults leaves much to be desired in terms of quantity and types of depictions The audit found that only one in 10 faces appear to be 50 and only one in three of those faces appear to be womenTabares noted that the context of those representations also reinforces stereotypes about age quotYou start to see how small their world is constructedquot she said quotIn advertising we39re less likely to see older adults using technology exercising driving dining out shopping and engaging in some recreational activities like going camping to festivals and amusement parks On the other hand weamp8217re more likely to see them using a newspaper staying at home on the porch or in the dining room as a patient or in a medical setting and cleaning maintaining amp160what they have rather than being active consumersquotFor advertisers grappling with the challenge of engaging both younger and older consumers it is possible to strike that balance quotIt39s about balancing realism inspiration and respectquot Lantieri asserted quotIn partnership with cultural anthropologists we39ve developed seven key principles to portray older adults in a way that resonates across age groupsquotThe findings dismiss some popular but faulty logic about wanting to see one39s felt age rather than one39s physical age quotWe39ve seen consistently in our work that people feel about 15 to 17 years younger than their agequot she noted quotBut feeling younger doesn39t translate directly to wanting to see somebody whose embodied depiction is 15 years youngerquotTabares found that quotit doesnamp8217t have to be a choice of showing an older person or a younger person There is a way to appeal to all by showing both younger and older people in social or family settings in multigenerational relationships and in the way we live our lives Showing these relationships communicates that our social value doesnamp8217t diminish as we age Advertising and media can help us create a more agepositive society for allquotClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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A+E Research Smashes Stereotypes About Older Adults

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Charlene Weisler

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