I’m as mad as Hell – and I’m not going to take it any more!

In the 1976 movie “Network”, Peter Finch’s character decided he had had enough of what was happening to the world, and encouraged everyone who shared his opinion to go to the nearest open window and yell  “I’m as mad as Hell – and I’m not going to take it any more!”

When it comes to the quality of marketing, particularly media advertising, targeting an age demographic of 55+, I have reached the tipping point Peter Finch found himself at.

For some time now I have wanted to present a balanced critique of media advertising intended exclusively, or largely, for mature-age consumers.  By “balanced” I mean some good, some bad.

This planned critique lacks only one component – examples of praise-worthy advertising to mature-age consumers.

Why is it that all the rules for successful advertising seem to be abandoned as soon as the target cohort is the age of the parents of the 20 and 30 year old creatives who populate most agencies?

What happens to the Number One rule – “ Make it aspirational ” – make the intended user of the product aspire to the “sexy, cool, fun” feelings that come with the brand and using the product.

My tipping point has been the latest TV ads for Funeral Plans – “Don’t burden your family with the cost of your funeral”.  Wow, that’s aspirational!  About as aspirational as the advertising the 55+ market is consistently subjected to which highlights every conceivable problem they may one day suffer from.

Who believes incontinence, hearing loss, lower back pain, arthritis or any other health, mobility or financial problems are aspirational?

Someone must, because that’s what dominates mature-age advertising.

And the situation is even worse when the target is mature-age women.

A recent Financial Times survey found 8 of the top 10 most powerful women in world business are in their 50’s. Of the other two, one declined to give her age, and the other is 76.

How is product typically presented to this savvy, cashed-up market of mature-age women?  On the body of an anorexic 16 to 18 year old!

Despite statistics that repeatedly prove the 50 to 64 age group has the highest average weekly household expenditure, and the highest average “excess income”, 90% of marketing spend is still directed at the under 50’s.

But please, when a marketer does allocate some expenditure to one of the age groups over 55, please keep the communication positive, uplifting and aspirational.

Despite what mature-age advertising would suggest, today’s Boomers and Seniors are not all sitting in God’s Waiting Room expecting some insurmountable problem to finally overpower them.

They certainly have the capacity, and the justification, to get to a window and start yelling. Dismiss this as just more “noise” about old people at your peril!