Where is our society now? Why multigenerational representation matters in advertising

Ayesha Walawalkar

Research by Mullen Lowe highlights the negative stereotypes that are often used in advertising to characterise people aged over 55, and why brands are missing a huge opportunity by alienating this large, financially powerful cohort.

Advertising’s obsession with youth and the desire to attract younger audiences is not a new phenomenon; it has been with us for many decades it has become a default strategy. And there are some obvious reasons why.

First, we’ve become accustomed to thinking that new trends and ideas originate amongst and are driven by young people and hence, in order to be seen as relevant and modern, brands and agencies feel they must focus on keeping up with the kids.

It’s easy to forget that along with their dominant scale and purchasing power, the 50+ generation (who hold 69.7% of...

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