Nearly 45% of middle-aged women aged 45-54 feel misrepresented in advertising, according to a new study from The Kite Factory and creative agency Southpaw.

The figure was higher for women of this age range who don’t have children, or have adult children not living at home (44%), while for those with children the figure was slightly less (42%).

Accentuating the need to move away from the stereotype of the “busy mum”, the research identified that this was most connected to feeling detached from brand communications.

Only 29% of women aged 45-54 without children feel that advertising helps them choose what to buy. This was 9% less than women with children.

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How can brands better tap into this demographic?

Firstly, the study found that it was crucial to identify women based on mindset.

For example, women aged 45-54 without children were more likely to focus on expressing themselves creatively in their careers and hobbies. They were also more likely to have an interest in areas lie driving, cars, computers and personal finance areas which traditionally prioritise male and younger audiences in their marketing.

Meanwhile, those who are in early motherhood are less averse to change and have a larger appetite for risk and are more happy to sacrifice their time for career advancement (20%) than those without children (17%) .

It also found that channels such as TV, radio, online channels, magazines and podcasts were the most trusted spaces for this age range. Audio in particular stood out as an opportunity space, with 60% of women aged 45 to 54 saying that they listen to radio in the background.

Moreover, it was crucial for women in this group to see figures of a similar life-stage – for instance Davina McCall, Sophie Ellis-Baxter and Kat Farmer were all referenced as powerful but “real” or authentic influences in their lives.