Elderly people are too often stereotyped as grumpy, wealthy or forgetful in offensive and harmful adverts, a watchdog has warned.
In new research carried out by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), a third of respondents thought older people tended to be negatively portrayed in adverts.
The survey of 4,000 people also found older people were being “bombarded” by campaigns for funeral services, care homes and mobility aids.
Depictions of the elderly as lacking purpose, frail, isolated and showing ageing as something to be fought were viewed as the most likely to cause harm, the survey found – given their potential to reinforce fears about growing older and social isolation.
Adverts making jokes at the expense of older people, and those depicting them as forgetful or unable to understand technology, were seen to be among the most likely to cause offence, or else to be irritating to viewers.
The ASA’s report said older people were not only living longer but also continuing to lead full, active lives, contributing to workplaces, families, communities and the economy for longer.
However, many of those surveyed said that advertising too often painted a “very different and outdated picture”, while the watchdog said its finding suggested the advertising industry may be “out of touch” with the reality of ageing.
Instead, the public wanted advertising to focus on individuals rather than their age, and portray a diverse range of later-life experiences.
One advert highlighted by the watchdog as “a good example of the subjectivity of humour and its link to offence” was a TV ad for Strathmore Foods, in which an elderly man is proudly cleaning his car only for it to be hit by a muddy football.
The man is seen to lose his temper with a child who shouts: “Oi grandad, give us my ball back”, before the screen cuts to him contentedly tucking into a McIntosh of Strathmore ready meal, with the punctured football placed next to him on the table with a knife sticking out of it.
Describing the award-winning advert as “polarising”, the watchdog said: “Several [focus group] participants enjoyed the humorous tone taken in the ad. Not only did it go some way to show older people still have a sense of humour, but also that older people still have ‘spirit’ or ‘feistiness’ that is not usually shown in ads.
“However, others felt the humorous tone and portrayal could cause offence as it reinforced stereotypes of older people as grumpy and intolerant of younger generations. The focus on the older man living alone and eating a ready meal, was also felt to imply that all older people are lonely and isolated.
“There were other, underlying concerns about the themes in the ad including intergenerational conflict, knife crime and vindictiveness.”
Another advert viewed as potentially harmful by focus groups was a LinkedIn ad in which a woman is interviewed about what her son does for work, saying: “He says he sells clouds, he works in a cloud company and sells clouds to other companies that want clouds ... He says they’re invisible. Maybe I shouldn’t have let him play so many video games.”
A voiceover then says: “Parents don’t get B2B. LinkedIn does.”
The watchdog said the focus on the woman in the advert was “entirely on her age” and felt “demeaning with potential to impact an older person’s confidence and societal viewstoward older peoples’ ability to use tech”.
A LinkedIn spokesperson said in a statement: “This ad didn't meet our goal to create experiences where all professionals feel welcomed and valued. We are grateful for the feedback shared with us by the community, and have replaced the campaign.”
While the ASA focus group participants acknowledged that extremes seen in adverts could be representative of the lives of some older people, these portrayals were not considered accurate reflections of the lives of most older people, the watchdog said.
Other extreme depictions highlighted by focus groups were adverts showing older people as: either physically inactive or taking part in extreme sports; either universally poor or universally wealthy; or, for women, either “frumpy and unfashionable” or “airbrushed and ‘youthful’ looking”.
The ASA said: “When ads show older people as vibrant, capable and real, they help rewrite the story of ageing and how we perceive older generations.
“Not only this, but older people represent a significant market with substantial spending power, making them a vital audience for brands that want to stay relevant.
“While we're not currently proposing any new rules, we’re hoping that by sharing this research, advertisers will understand how some portrayals of older people are landing with the public today – and where there may be unintended consequences.”
Additional reporting by PA
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