The Centre for Ageing Better is launching a widescale campaign to tackle England’s ageism problem, by encouraging people to challenge this form of discrimination.
Developed in partnership with marketing firm Four Agency, the campaign will be primarily focused on educating the wider public about the subject and in the process, will look to change discriminatory views.
New data released by the charity has revealed that half of people aged over 50 in England have experienced age discrimination in the past year, with 37% of respondents reporting that this discrimination was most commonly experienced in the workplace.
Close to a third (32%) reported that they felt most discriminated against in the media, whilst a further 32% said that they felt most discriminated against as a consumer.
“Ageism is the prejudice that’s hidden in plain sight. We see and hear casual ageism every day, it’s embedded in our society and even accepted as normal by many of us who are older,” Centre for Ageing Better CEO, Dr Carole Easton OBE said.
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for FREE
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
“Ageism scars lives. It is often dismissed as being harmless, but if you look at the research, or speak to people whose lives have been affected by ageism, you will soon realise ageist ideas or beliefs can be incredibly damaging for us as individuals and for wider society.”
The three-year campaign will leverage advertising, PR and social media to spark deep conversations about the topic and challenge the ageist views which the Centre for Ageing Better claims are held by a third of the public.
A new website will additionally be set up to offer users information, tools and resources and will include an ‘Are You Ageist’ quiz?
The initial campaign push will run across out-of-home, audiovisual, cinema, print and digital through to mid-April and will include an opportunity for employers to take part in the Age Without Limits Action Day in March.
Four Agency head of media, Andy Swan added: “From our experience of creating real behaviour change for our clients, we need to confront and challenge our audiences to consider the views they may subconsciously hold and give them guidance to overcome outdated stereotypes.
“This campaign uses the power of insight, strategic vision and media partners that our audience trust to start to make a real societal shift with regards to ageism”.
