Advertising to the Elderly

            For over a decade, marketers have shown a significant obsession with age in targeting of advertisements. Some of the ranges that have been segmented by most ads are the age between 18 and 34, 35, and 50 and over 55 years (Beer, 2019). The questions that arise from this are; is motivation, buying patterns, and lifestyles similar for all individuals? Is it based on the number of years we live? Although it is a fact that the elderly are branded wise, they are also considered to be the most suspicious group of people. One characteristic of the older consumers is that they are overwhelmed by styles that are new to them. Besides, they are keener on value for money, quality, and they are always slow in making decisions on a product. This paper will discuss the examples of good and bad advertisements that target elderly consumers, and further provide the degree to which they are stereotyped, depict the concept of age and finally, it will provide ways in which it could be improved.

Good Example Adverts

            There are a lot of activities that individuals in cities and towns go through, but their difference both individually and in groups is not manifested in these areas; they behave well. Furthermore, people might have contrasting philosophies, social upbringing, civilizations, and different teachings. There is a need to acknowledge that individuals are unique, and no one can be the other. Besides, the kind of lives people experience, and their histories can never be the same and therefore, it needs to be understood well when advertising or offering promotion to older people(Dixon, n.d). One of the most crucial things is appreciating their lifetime journey. It brings a sense of belonging.

            Other suitable ads can be seen in various firms; for example, many businesses are beginning to find out that older people can become excellent store guides and bases of information on the running of firms. The elderly can differentiate various things, are enduring and better in managing and ensuring client satisfaction. Unlike previously thought, the older adults are more likely to work also in the night and most probably likely to perform some jobs than the new people in a store, or the workplace. Although they might not be fast continuously, they are more dependable than others.

Bad Example Adverts

            Unfortunately, the older adults have also been depicted as a group of retirees who are weak, sick, and out of trace. About 47% of the adverts have shown that the elderly are individuals who should be appreciated (Sass, 2014). This is a sad thing because, where is the other 53%. This indicates that stereotyping is not an easy thing. Furthermore, there are no benefits for them to be depicted as unhelpful individuals by most discovery ads. However, just 31% of people found worth the ads for monetary facilities and elder living and 29% for those dealing with the line of medicine (Sass, 2014). The advertisers are also falling short with recorded approximately 20% claiming that they like the existing senior adverts, which then reduces the commercial facilities and that for medicinal ads.

            Additionally, humor is a significant component when advertising to aged consumers. However, it is a sensitive matter that might become very problematic when misinterpretation of the information in the advert is taken. In that scenario, the ad becomes very unhelpful. It is also challenging to make use of humor that is considered to be unfair by different kinds of groups. Additionally, the use of cheeky disrespect can also make the consumer look like an idiot

Degree of Stereotyping Adverts

            There is little open negative Stereotyping. The tendencies labeled analysis due to alteration of the typecasting age and gender collections and the rise in the several optimistic parts within the elderly group. Besides, people are well aware of the possible consequences of communal science viewpoints and together advertising. In a survey that was carried out by GlynnDevins which focuses on marketing to the older adults, the majority of the surveyors gave low marks on the way the people in their age group are portrayed (Sass, 2014). This indicates that most ads do not consider the stereotypes that are present concerning old age. Thus it brings a picture that the older people, which is currently the largest growing market, do not fully identify themselves with.

            Besides, the majority of the adverts in the United States aim at the young population with only about 5% of all the ads struggling to aim at the old community. This does not mean that the country does not have older people (Beer, 2019). They are there, and they are involved in various normal activities such as working, they drink beer like the rest, drive cars. It is unlucky that the publicist could ignore the fact that the elderly population is still involved in recreational facilities and games and can be interested in buying new appliances and automobiles. Unfortunately, they focus more on issues concerning consumer services, health, food, and household products.

Concepts of Ads Improvement

            Advertising is a process of promoting a message about a product or service to expand its usage among consumers. It has a basis of generation of more profits or ethical consideration or party-political. One of the most crucial things that the advertisers need to consider is that generations have changed and what it was yesterday might not be the same today (Dixon, n.d.) Similarly, the people in their fifties and above are not who they were before. Therefore, prior knowledge does not usually predict customer conduct in the age of fifties and more. One area that where ageism is significantly prevalent is in the old copies in advertising. They are central features in old people magazines and ignored in the televisions and offenders. This violates the ethical responsibilities of this group of individuals, and it needs to be considered to facilitate equality and respect the rights of older people. Proper understanding of the target group and their position and their need will form the basis for ads.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, adverting in the old age can be a bit challenging due to the sensitivity and suspiciousness in changing to new products in the market. However, there is a need to appreciate the fact that older adults will always be present in society and good as opposed to bad example, ads should be prioritized, and the rest avoided. This is because of the stereotypes they have towards older people, which does not necessarily represent them. Besides, publicists should consider the changes that have occurred for the past decades and prioritize the reduction of the current level of stereotyping of the older adults, which will then promote better advertising practices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Beer, J. (2019). Why marketing to seniors is so terrible. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://www.fastcompany.com/90341477/why-marketing-to-seniors-is-so-terrible

Brooks, M. E., Bichard, S., & Craig, C. (2016). What's the score?: A content analysis of mature adults in Super Bowl commercials. Howard Journal of Communications, 27(4), 347-366.

Dixon, P. (n.d). Marketing to Older Consumers - Future of Marketing. Globalchange.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://www.globalchange.com/marketing-to-older-consumers.htm

Sass, E. (2014). Seniors Dislike Ad Portrayals. Mediapost.com. Retrieved 2 October 2019, from https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/232643/seniors-dislike-ad-portrayals.html