Advertising to the over 50s - what's the best way to do it? £150 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

Well, I have filled it in, and while I would never be daft enough to say I am immune to the effect of advertising. It does draw my attention to products available that I would not otherwise know of., their general effect is to put me off buying products because I so loathe the advert. Enjoying an advert doesn't lead me to wanting to buy a product.

As far as adverts to the over 50s go. I think that older people should never appear in adverts aimed at them. Older people are so diverse in looks, behaviour, outlook and lifestyle that I have yet to see an advert portraying older people that I could identify with.

I am not a little plump old lady with curly white hair endlessly baking cakes, nor am I one of those terrifyingly thin ladies with immaculate coiffures, perfect makeup and manicures pouring tea into bone china cups, nor am I one of those hearty couples with white hair, even whiter teeth forever inanely grinning as they skipper ocean yachts, cycle off into the wide blue yonder or run round the parks of stately homes with their grandchildren. These are the three stereotypes usually used by advertisers.

I would like to see adverts that show a cross section of people of all ages and origins advertising all products. Why does advertising for children only include parents, why not grandparents, who do so much childcare?

We buy food, cars, clothes, petrol, houses (not retirement flat) and all the thing everyone else buys, so why are we rarely seen in mainstream adverts?

Done ?

Filled in the questionnaire but I like to think I'm not typical of my age group - maybe we all do though. Even so, my spending goes mainly on gig tickets and band merch so I'm not really likely to be clicking through on adverts other than targeted merchandise from ticket companies

Filled in the questionnaire, but not sure if it "went through" or not. What was daft, was the assumption that we all use FB or similar. There was no facility for N/A. ( that I could see) May be wrong, have been unwell and feeling all at sea.

Not a particularly good questionnaire, and I doubt it will provide much useful data. It was too focused on process rather than content and assumed we would be happy with age defined advertising, if properly presented. Not an assumption that bears any examination.

I watch very little television and have Ad Blocker on my computer, so most of the advertising I see is in print. Usually at the back of a paper are pages and pages of ads and advertorial aimed at older people. I turn them over as a wadge without even looking at them.

I am in France at the moment and in the telephone shop. I picked up some of their advertising literature for the local equivalent of Sky. The editorial pictures included pictures of people of all ages, including the old, either individually or in mixed groups. All the older people were shown as competent and confident with new technology. None of this smirking 'daughter' leaning patronisingly over little old ladies shoulder explaining how it works in words of one syllabub style so common in the UK.

M0nica - My thoughts exactly. The survey bore no concern regarding the products they want to push on us. Advertisers seem determined to sell us stairlifts whether we need them or not.

Advertisers need to stop all the fast-talking, annoying voice-over ads that are nothing but annoying. For years I have turned the volume down on TV & radio so that I do not have to listen to the tripe any more. I am also fed-up with the way my age group are portrayed as perfect: big homes, huge well-tended gardens, perfect bodies, hair, make-up, teeth etc to go with perfect lifestyles, yachting around the world, cruising etc. I wish ads aimed at any age group were more realistic, showed normal flaws and all people and stopped being so patronising. Current advertising is a headache, jarring and sometimes bears no resemblance to the truth! I have little that's positive to say about the dreadful state of the advertising that seems to take up far too much air time and most of which is irrelevant to me. Oh, and also hate the way the volume seems to increase for ads - deafen you with drivel.

Most of the older people on TV and in magazines are white couples with large houses, sun lounges, paved driveways leading up to a big garage, massive kitchens (even the ones who are ordering ready meals to be delivered). One well known holiday firm does have two black ladies in it's adverts
but most companies stick to the same old stereotypes.

But that applies to families and couples of all ages in most ads. I have yet to see anyone in an advert selling a product who does not have the perfect life and home, needing only the product in the advert to complete it.

Done. In my opinion stereotypes don't work anymore. People over 50 are so diverse these days that doesn't make sense to put them all in one category anymore. Some will continue to work for much longer, some are active some not so much. Some people are traditional and prefer the printed paper, some moved their lives online, so advertisers will need to find a way to reach out to this type of customer through different and more innovative ways.

Love advert. They look and seem so real. Is it all true?

Completed the survey, although there wasn't always a suitable answer to choose from. When asked about advertising products aimed at my age group I opted for print for the simple reason I rarely read any newspapers and at least I could ignore the ads there. I hate the fact that all the ads on tv during the day are aimed at gullible old people, ie life insurance that is mostly a con, funeral plan insurance and my biggest bugbear, the constant ads asking for money for "charities" for anything and everything.

I get fed up with adverts for low cost life insurance,you would get hardly any cover for prices as low as they lead you to believe they are.I don't like older people all being shown as grey haired.We asked for some posters advertising our local National Trust supporters group,of course they came back with photos of grey haired people,our members haven't all got grey hair.I also don't like the type of advertising where they advertise expensive holidays and cruises for older people,I certainly can't afford them.Just treat us as normal people,that's all we are.

Like Noreen I get fed up with life insurance, funeral plan ads and the like.
Hubby and I were housebound for a few weeks recently and watched a lot of daytime TV. We are now fully aware that Parky STILL can't say which his most interesting interview was, June from next door is STILL delivering post that has been delivered next door by mistake and as for the vacuum that shackles you to the wall when you can buy theirs for a hundred and ninety-nine 'parnds' - words fail us!!!
Don't get me going on the adjustable chairs etc. either

All done - the problem is that there is such a large difference between older people. Some 80 year olds are fit, mentally alert, full of life and vigour and still independent and others age less favourably so it is hard to market to everyone over a certain age as if they are all the same. Ageing is part of life and there seems to be a fear of the different stages of life so there is a tendency to view ageing as other, rather than something we all have to accept as just another part of life.

With life expectancy growing being over 50 could account for nearly half of your life

When are we going to see surveys about advertising and marketing to the under 50s,which group will include new-borns.

I'm in my late 50s and tired of being lumped in with people my mother's age. And, yes, I'm more inclined to buy books and records than a funeral plan.

To be honest I rarely see ads - edit them out of recorded TV programmes, use an adblocker online and don't buy newspapers. I do resent being regarded as a group as incompetent with technology though - I don't need a simplified phone, I want one with all the features!

I usually switch myself off from watching TV during ad breaks, but if the audio grabs my attention I'm much more likely to be influenced in some way, the mute button often comes in handy !

Never mind the draw, give the £150 to MOnica, she's said it all!

I'm annoyed by adverts for face creams featuring women of about 30. I want to see what miracle these creams do with an older skin...

I depends on what is being marketed. My husband will be 50 next year and we have a young son. Advertisers need to remember that people are having families later in life and 50 is still young! Also, much of the population now are living on their own, will never have grandchildren and have no intention of sitting on the couch growing old.

Whatever 'Garnier' are doing must be right, can't believe how many of their products I have in my bathroom!
It's only me that chooses which shampoo, body lotion etc, so I guess they have the key.

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