Stop Stereotyping: It’s Time to Rethink Your Media Strategy for the Over-50s

James Robinson - Managing Director, Hello Starling

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The UK’s over-50s market is a commercial powerhouse that advertisers can no longer afford to misunderstand.

With 23.1 million people aged 50 and over in the UK, this demographic accounts for over a third of the total population.

Crucially, they also wield immense financial clout, boasting an estimated disposable income of £319 billion.

This is a market that demands attention, yet many advertisers continue to rely on outdated (and often offensive) stereotypes.

So what does a typical media campaign targeting an older consumer look like? All too often, it is predicated on simplistic and inaccurate assumptions.

Advertisers frequently fall back on the notion that older people are technophobic, set in their ways, and exclusively consume traditional media like terrestrial TV and print.

The data, however, tells a different story, and consumer sentiment reflects this frustration.

These stereotypical campaigns are actively alienating the very audience they seek to reach, with 42% of older people finding such advertising annoying and patronising.

When your advertising irritates a large segment of your high-value audience, you have a problem.

The reality is that the over-50s are not a single, monolithic group. This segment is incredibly diverse, with a vast range of interests, lifestyles, and media habits.

Some prefer the traditional routes, yes, but many others are avid, digitally savvy consumers who engage fully with online platforms and new technologies.

Age alone is a remarkably poor indicator of behaviour, attitude, or purchasing decisions.

To effectively tap into the significant purchasing power of this valuable audience, advertisers and agencies must stop using these lazy stereotypes and adopt a far more nuanced approach to media planning and buying.

This involves two critical steps:

Embrace data — Data analytics allows brands to move beyond simple demographics.

By using good-quality data, advertisers can precisely identify which media channels, from streaming video to social platforms to podcasts, are most popular with specific segments of the older audience.

This allows for tailored messages that speak directly to their individual needs and preferences.

Please! Involve the audience! — Authenticity is key. When developing campaigns, brands should involve older people in the creative process itself.

This collaboration ensures that the final messaging is genuine, relevant, and accurately reflects the target audience’s lived experience.

Companies like Dove have successfully pioneered this approach by featuring real women of diverse ages and body types in their campaigns, resulting in campaign messaging that talks to their audiences and allows the target audience to relate to the brand.

We all need to banish stereotypes. The over-50s market in the UK is a dynamic, financially powerful force.

By adopting a more sophisticated, data-informed, and inclusive strategy, advertisers can develop campaigns that do not just reach this audience but start to build a long-lasting relationship with them and help to grow trust.

It’s time to focus on the human being and not simply an age.