Have Brands Transformed 'Old' Into 'Gold'?

There was a time that turning 50 marked a gentle slide into one's dotage, with pipe and slippers at the ready.

Not for the baby-boomers of today, who are living life to the full - they're happier, heathier and possess significantly more disposable dosh than the debt-ridden younger generations. With over-50s forming the biggest consumer market, the platinum pound has never been stronger. And marketers are starting to wake up to this new reality.

This week, beauty giant L'Oreal unveiled its new 'Age Perfect' campaign which 'challenge[s] perceptions of ageing' - fronted by a defiantly unairbrushed Helen Mirren. Created by McCann London, the spot [below] features the 70-year-old Oscar winner proclaiming she's 'gold, not old' and 'Because we're still worth it' - a riff on the brand's famous tagline.

Meanwhile AMV BBDO's 2015 Control campaign for TENA Men [below] brought us an alternative to the doddering greybeard, in the shape of Stirling Gravitas - an omnipotent silver fox who's equally confident taming lions or hustling a snooker game.

In general, though, are brands doing enough to change perceptions of old age through their advertising? Below, five industry insiders discuss.

Dave Dye, head of art, JWT London

It’s a bit like asking whether estate agents are doing enough to change the perception of twenty-somethings. It’s not really their job.

If brands want to bank some grey pounds they’ll need to genuinely understand the people holding them, then demonstrate that knowledge when communicating with them.

The problem with titles like ‘grey pound’ is that they lead people to think they are special groups, not like everyone else. My guess would be that brands may have more success by not treating them as a special case, simply because they have big numbers on their birth certificates.

Rebecca Valentine, founder, Grey Model Agency

I would rather the L’Oreal strapline had read ‘Bold Not Old' and featured vintage punk model Sara Stockbridge to lead this campaign, but it is a start. There is still too much emphasis on age as the ‘other’ from consumer brands, but some do have the foresight to break with convention and show older, funkier models in place of their younger counterparts, such as a recent brief we received from a headphones brand, that's inclusive of age rather than depicting age as separate.

This is exactly the kind of client Grey [Model Agency] was created for. Brands such as Phillips, Garnier and Gillette are also beginning to present briefs that depict mature models as cool and the trend is picking up pace. For those brands stuck in the old idea of what it is to be ‘grey’ will only be left behind, both financially and in market opinion.

Martin Beverley, planning partner, adam&eveDDB

I don’t think so. As an industry we should be doing more. We have a moral responsibility to positively reflect every group in society. We also have a business responsibility to unlock sales with a lucrative, yet often untapped target audience. In our youth-obsessed industry, too often we gloss over the truth of who is actually buying our brands.

We need to close the gap between the average age inside our agencies and the average age of our audience. We should endeavour to move past assumptions about older people, and truly empathize with their lives. Other creative industries are beginning to lead the way in challenging perceptions of old age - check out Grace & Frankie on Netflix.

So, the opportunity is there for brands: Wouldn’t it be great if a brand could create the equivalent of 'This Girl Can’ for the older generation? What if a brand presented the ‘midlife' as the time of your life rather than a time of crisis? What if a brand managed to make younger people want to be older, rather than trying to make older people want to be younger?

Ultimately, this debate is part of a wider issue – it was recently reported that 2/3 people don’t feel that the ad industry represents them – that’s something that we all need to help address.

Annabelle Dewing, managing partner, ODD London

L'Oreal is just the most recent example of a long list of brands from across the fashion and beauty world, from high end to high street, seemingly now embracing women ‘of a certain age’.

This is a positive thing on the 'face of it' and the economic benefits of reaching out to the growing number of previously overlooked 'golden oldies' are obvious. The bigger question is whether this trend, which is being perpetuated by brands that have for decades traded on youth oriented ideals of beauty, will wane once the novelty has worn off.

Although casting women twice the age of the average catwalk model is in line with the slight cultural shift in how ageing is perceived at a superficial level, (and by that I mean in terms of style and looks), there are still wider societal issues that are at play, including the ongoing gap in gender equality both in and outside of the workplace.

Brands ultimately reflect cultural and societal norms. Yes, they can promote positive values and images, but it takes a really brave brand to challenge the status quo.

Could L’Oreal’s campaign headline “We’re still worth it”, be deemed a little naive? Perhaps. But that notwithstanding, L’Oreal’s ongoing efforts in challenging perceptions of old age should still be applauded.

David Frymann, planning partner, McCann London

Brands are doing very little to change perceptions of old age because they tend not to acknowledge that older people exist, except on the moon. It’s an industry wide issue because people tend to disappear after a certain age, like in Logan’s Run.

It would be fantastic if the industry shared a vision where everyone actually looked forward to getting older. By all accounts you’ve got money, confidence, freedom and an increasing amount of time – why not celebrate those living in this golden age, as Helen Mirren does for L’Oreal, as fabulous, not fading and as bold, not old.