How is it that the largest, most financially powerful age group, which already accounts for over 57 per cent of food retail sales, has been hardly researched, receives little attention and is almost never seriously advertised to?

While there are new studies on Gen Z almost every week, many advertisers still dismiss the 50+ group. This leads to a completely undifferentiated image of these people. In the ‘target group stew’ of the over-50s, 50-year-olds are lumped together with their own parents! No one would think of grouping any other target group together in an age range of over 30 years; after all, at 50 you are just as far away from 20 as you are from 80.

Clichés and prejudices everywhere you look
You don't have to dig much deeper to find a whole host of other clichés: needy, digitally incompetent, comfortable and inflexible, uninterested in innovation – oh yes, and of course brand loyal simply because they don't know anything newer.

What is the truth behind these clichés? And is there actually ‘more’ to life, or does everything become ‘less’ after 50? We wanted to find out more and, as part of the 50plus initiative, conducted in-depth psychological interviews with over 70 people between the ages of 50 and 69. What we discovered was much more than just greater serenity, contentment and experience.

Feeling right in the middle: the best of both worlds
People over 50 feel that they can enjoy the best of both worlds. On the one hand, they can draw on a wealth of life experience and, on the other, they can look forward to freer, more self-determined lifestyles. They describe themselves as being right in the middle of life.

Unlike at 30 or 40, they see their superpower in ‘passing on’ their knowledge. They share their opinions and skills with friends, family, colleagues and strangers, whether asked or not. They enjoy the appreciation and being asked for advice without having to constantly chase after every success themselves. They are better at performing complex tasks than before and feel up to the task. They have become much more selective due to their experiences. This applies to partners and friends as well as brands. Anything that does not meet their greatly increased standards is discarded.

Drawing on their full potential, but with less risk At the same time, these people still want to experience a lot, do everything again, often a new job or a new relationship, travel, eat, enjoy and experiment. They have lived life to the fullest their whole lives, so why should they stop now? They want to live life to the fullest, but with a little less risk. This is only unpleasant for those under 50, who find it difficult to accept when people over 50 do not behave in a manner appropriate to their age, i.e. in accordance with the clichés.

For the 50+ group, feeling included means being recognised for their potential and being offered clear prospects. Advertising should no longer ignore this. Instead of incontinent, demented, digitally incompetent or good-natured grandparents, there should be more age-realistic portrayals of the group: curious, trend-conscious and innovative. If addressed correctly, the 50+ group can rejuvenate a brand by more than 30 years.

Transparency note: The 50+ initiative was launched by Ines Imdahl with the aim of dispelling common clichés and prejudices about people over 50 and contributing to a change in the narrative. At the heart of the initiative is the advertising impact study ‘50+ and done?’, commissioned by Screenforce Germany and expanded by Gerolsteiner Brunnen. Procter & Gamble has also joined the 50+ initiative as a PR partner.

You can find the absatzwirtschaft website here.