Advertisers are underrepresenting the over-55 age group by casting them in just 23% of adverts despite the “massive commercial opportunity” they offer, according to the latest data from ITV.
Research revealed the older demographic appears in less than a quarter of UK ads despite making up nearly one-third of the UK population and accounting for 65% of TV impressions and 60% of the UK’s wealth.
The findings were revealed in Wise Up!, the most comprehensive study to date on the state of age representation in UK advertising, jointly created by ITV and System1.
The study analysed 2021’s top 1,000 UK ads by media spend, coding work from 422 brands based on age and gender. In addition to the lack of visibility for the older demographic, there was also evidence of gender disparity: it was far rarer for older women to star in ads than older men.
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The study also tested a number of ads for emotional response among the general public and found that older people are much harder to please than to younger audiences.
Only five out of the 56 ads tested performed better with older audiences, with some performing considerably worse with the older demographic. Older viewers were more likely to complain about ad length, generic content and lack of interest.
ITV director of client strategy and planning Kate Waters said: “With our latest report, we sought to first uncover how deep the age representation imbalance is in advertising and then highlight ways in which advertisers can bridge this gap.
“Putting the insights into practice will bring forward wonderful stories featuring older characters who are authentic, valued and part of a greater whole.”
System1 chief customer officer Jon Evans said: “The older demographic is a massive commercial opportunity for brands, but too often they’re ignored or portrayed inaccurately.
“Wise Up! is an actionable playbook that brands and agencies can follow to develop creative that entertains audiences and contributes to long-term growth.”
