Advertising doesn't know mature women

Women over 50 don't really exist. Of course, they exist in real life. But as women in market research studies, as part of advertising or media planning, they are rarely mentioned. And the program planning of some broadcasters is only aimed at people up to 49 years old anyway - which of course also excludes men. But how can you advertise to female people that research, and ultimately advertisers, don't even know?

The neutralization of age

A central reason for the 'ignorance' of femininity is the neutralization of age. Because: Specific women's or men's studies almost always refer to the previous decades of life. From the age of 50, however, people apparently become sexless beings: they are best agers or silver liners, but they hardly ever appear as men or women.
But from the age of 50, not only do men and women become neutral beings, but 50-year-olds are often lumped together with highly elderly 80-year-olds. The difference between 50 and 80 year olds is at least as great as the difference between 20 and 50 year olds - nobody would think of putting these two groups together!

The 'whitewashing' of Generation 50 +

At the same time, a great deal of research and writing is being done about these now neutral beings. No one tires of emphasizing how interesting this supposed target group of older people is. Not only will it continue to grow in the future, but it is already wealthy. Psychologically, however, this overemphasis on attractiveness is striking: If this target group were really of such great interest to advertisers and marketers, would it have to be highlighted in ever new studies? Studies on young people, for example, don't even have the need to justify themselves - they describe the character, the problems and needs of girls and boys in today's culture. Interest and attractiveness are not questioned here, but taken for granted. The discussion about the 'attractive' 50+ target group, on the other hand, is more reminiscent of the cliché of good character, which is constantly emphasized, especially among rather ugly people.
So far, with very few exceptions, it actually seems to be a purely rational decision to address the supposedly attractive older target group. Emotionality or genuine passion are rarely found in connection with the elderly. Nor are these people dealt with seriously or psychologically. Instead, facts and boring data are collected, which are then found in neutral and emotionless reports. A kind of secret logic is being pursued in our society to deny people over 50 pleasure, fun and joy of life.
But something only becomes attractive, exciting and inspiring if it is alive and kept alive. It is not enough to put together more and more accurate facts. Rather, it is necessary to dedicate oneself to the attitudes, beliefs, problems, fears, desires and needs, the biographies and memories and, above all, the concrete everyday lives of people. Almost every 20-year-old now gets the opportunity to do this. For Generation 50 +, the opposite is the case - it does not become more vivid and lively through the available studies, but 'more factual, more neutral': a huge, undifferentiated, shimmering mass!

The concealment of the unpleasant

From a psychological point of view, the supposed merging, neutralizing and 'whitewashing' of people 50 + serves to conceal something. Declaring the 50 + to be a nice, financially strong but ultimately toothless target group distracts from what we actually associate with aging. We all carry around an 'image' of old age that we don't like to face. This image is unpleasant and embarrassing to us. Closely linked to old age and aging is the inexorable decay: old, smelly, wrinkled and unappetizing. If you ask people in in-depth interviews, one of the most common fears - besides the decay of outward appearances and concern for health - is that you might start to smell unpleasant in old age!

Advertising and brands as 'friendly Samaritans'

In most cases, brands and advertising participate in the secret image of age: by praising the attractiveness of the group, they avoid a real confrontation. At the same time, they help to gloss over the unpleasant aspects of old age: They focus their offers and related advertising primarily on the increasing need for help, which needs to be alleviated. They position themselves as those who become good Samaritans through their offerings. Accordingly, there is special advertising for the elderly, e.g. for incontinence and impotence products. However, such a one-sided view does not take people aged 50 + seriously or perceive them in a differentiated way. What is misunderstood with such an outwardly 'positive' attitude is above all one thing: The time from 50 is not the beginning of pure physical and mental emergency, but above all normal lifetime with the associated joys and sorrows as they characterize all phases of life. People are not demented overnight and need to be 'fussed over'. They are still looking for a serious debate - also with advertising. And, as our in-depth interviews clearly show, they expect an equally serious debate with them, beyond clichés and generalizations.

Different at the touch of a button?

If one relies on current considerations, then women over 50 would also be different all of a sudden: They would dress and consume differently, their attitudes would change, they would perceive advertising differently and from now on no longer change brands - because they now belong to the large group of older people. Accordingly, they would have to be advertised differently!
Of course, this idea is absurd. It is immediately obvious that the transitions here are more fluid and that we must finally bring ourselves to consider the phases of life from 50 onwards in smaller time steps. It is quite possible that the decades are not enough here, but that, similar to all other ages, we even have to research in 5-year steps. Currently, however, you can twist and turn it as you like, from 50 you belong to it today - to the elderly and thus actually also to the really old. Or, to put it the other way around: You don't really belong anymore - to the men and women or those who are looked at more closely. Society seems to want a cut from 50 and actively brings this about.

Most people feel this and attach great importance to pushing the magical boundary at least externally: They are proud to look younger, to appear younger and to be received in the same way. This is not only because youth will become a rarity within German demographics. It also has to do with the fact that people in their 50s feel much more alive and younger than many would like to see them. Understandably, they feel more similar to 40-year-olds than to 70 or 80-year-olds. From a psychological point of view, they are.

The Taboo of Eroticism

This 'synchronization' and neutralization of the elderly ultimately not only makes them uninteresting and lifeless. As sexless beings, love and eroticism in particular are a taboo subject in this age group. True to the motto: Parents or even grandparents are not supposed to have sex. In a time when we hardly know any taboos with regard to sexuality, a new taboo has secretly crept in: We are embarrassed by 'old sex' and find it quite unappetizing. This is because sexuality is currently associated with youth and flawlessness to an unprecedented extent. It is almost freed from sensuality - that is, it no longer smells of sweat and is no longer really dirty. Sexuality should rather be primarily aesthetic - perfect bodies, as we know them from magazines and television, unite in rehearsed poses. This goes so far that even young people are often ashamed of their sexuality because they don't feel beautiful or perfect enough for it.
Herein lies another secret meaning of the neutralization of age: We would prefer to de-eroticize age. We want to distance ourselves from the elderly and, by no means, want the elderly to be similar to us in terms of eroticism, for example. The elderly should please behave as we imagine them: without a sex life, thrifty, strict moral values, solidified in their attitudes. And at the same time, we don't want to know more about what it's like with men and women in old age. While today even 7-year-olds in schools are fully enlightened - we ourselves would prefer to remain with the bees and flowers in terms of eroticism from the age of 50 onwards.
Why should the 'Love Generation' change?
In everyday life, something quite different is obvious. The old behave much more lively than they describe it in studies and that complain especially the young. While earlier the old people were upset about the young, the older ones today have understanding for everything with the young. But the young are intolerant towards the old. According to the children, the parents simply do not want to get old, they are too cheerful, courageous, consumer-friendly - and that goes against the grain, because it interferes with their own development. They want to distance themselves from their parents and that works better if the parents finally get old.
But what did we actually expect? Why should a generation that has always rebelled, stood up for emancipation and written 'Make love not war' on its banners in its youth, now behave as morally as its own grandparents? It doesn't, it continues to rebel, enjoys its life and love - just as it always has.

This is exactly the phenomenon that advertising has to take into account: It has to look at and judge each successive generation 50 + anew. Just as it does with every new generation of young people. It cannot and must not say that from the age of 50 people are like this and thus squeeze them into a cliché. It must not simply address the elderly as old.

Advertising for women over 50: Pro-Age instead of Anti-Age

We are all the more astonished at how much supposedly attractive nude photos of older women - as seen in the Dove Pro Age campaign - touch us. We are torn between the fascination of the images and the unusual breaking of taboos: age and eroticism. We would like to take a close look, but we don't quite dare to do so in public - magazines with the pro-age ads are viewed more secretly so that you can look at every detail closely.
The Pro-Age campaign by Dove is an exception - it advertises for mature women - but not only that, it is also aimed at younger women and women in general, despite its specificity. In addition, there are even men who find this advertising particularly noteworthy.
The Pro-Age campaign initially shows one thing above all:
Good and 'valuable' advertising for people is good advertising - regardless of the age group it is aimed at. Conversely, bad advertising does not get better by trying to appeal to a certain age group. First of all, advertising has to do its 'homework' - it has to meet generally applicable criteria.
What characterizes valuable advertising? Advertising that wants to work must work on two levels from a depth psychological point of view:
A re-tellable, open 'story' - cover story and at the same time a secret, hidden 'story' or supporting constitution - impact story. People feel these different levels of effect very clearly - even if they cannot always articulate them so directly, they already show up in the first reactions to an advertisement. "I don't know exactly what I have to complain about, but something bothers me." Or vice versa. "These are all just clichés, but I still like it
The function of the cover story is to provide concrete information about the product and brand, packaged in a comprehensible 'story'. The cover story ideally stands in the foreground of the event and has a certain psychological stringency - but it does not necessarily have to be 'sympathetic', 'loud' or 'active'. As a rule, it can also be represented in quantitative procedures.
In the case of the Dove Pro-Age campaign, the cover story could be summarized as follows: Now there is a new care series from Dove that is particularly suitable for mature skin and emphasizes the beauty of age.
The Impact Story is the heart of good advertising: it is what touches and moves people - and ultimately makes an advertisement 'unforgettable'. The Impact Story has several tasks:1. It addresses - mostly indirectly - the deeper product- and brand-specific usage motives. 2. It transports the secret logic of a brand - beyond awareness and popularity, these are the characteristics that you don't recognize at first glance. Like a human being, you have to look very closely to know what this is for the brand. 3. It hits the zeitgeist, i.e. the currently socially relevant topics and values are addressed. These values are currently in Germany above all life itself and - one hardly dares to say it - love.
In particular, this third level of the Impact Story is well picked up by the Pro-Age campaign. The ads touch us above all because they give age a new dimension: Above all, the joie de vivre of women is conveyed - despite their 'age'. Aging, according to the message of the advertising, is not just a struggle. Age is beautiful - in the double sense of the word. It is beautiful and above all it is worth living - and that although or precisely because a woman in old age is not 'completely perfect'. But perhaps a woman at this age is more confident and knows how to enjoy life in a completely different way.
In addition, the campaign avoids three typical mistakes of advertising that has set itself the goal of reaching mature women: 1. Consideration - older women are not particularly 'vulnerable' or even needy beings. Rather, they are more confident and secure in what they do and don't do than many young women. 2. Defeminization: - older women are not neutral beings. They are also women with typically female needs at 50 and above, and they are aware of their femininity. 3. Enterotization - older women have not finished with eroticism. Rather, they want to live and enjoy their sexuality. Of course, they don't want to be reduced to their eroticism - but they don't want to be excluded from it either!

Published in "Planung & Analyse", issue 4 / 2008.