Life, as advertised, ends at 50

This is the title of an article in yesterday’s Sunday Times, News Review section. Hopefully this link does not require a subscription.

Yet another “write a 50+ article in ten easy steps”.

Let me remind you of the rules again.

1. Photograph of a 50+ attractive lady (Helen Mirren). This takes up 60% of the page.

2. Start with the “80% of private wealth, £260 billion disposable income argument” (cut and paste this section from the other hundreds of article that have been written)

3. Give the article some academic credibility. Quote from Professor Richard Scase, a government adviser and futurologist. “This is a hedonistic category of people who say, ‘Spend, spend, spend. We’ve had 20 years of hard slog and now we’re going to enjoy ourselves’.”

4. Bring up the “brand choice” argument and hear how “new research” (details never provided) show this to be wrong “research shows that age is no longer a predictor of people’s consumer behaviour or their attitudes. Ten years ago the young were more inclined to experiment with new ideas and products. Now the over-fifties have taken the lead”

5. Now move onto the crass way the advertising industry behaves “The first of these, aged 16-24, retains the old assumption that women have their first child at 22 or 23, which is at odds with today’s reality…..”.

6. Get a quote from the advertising industry “Basically, all young people want to get on old climb over the bodies of old people. The sooner you can call someone old, the quicker you can climb over them. And the age of ‘an old bastard’ is coming down and down. The ageist dynamic is also driven by the lure of advertising awards — one of the main things people come into this business for."

7. There is normally one new idea to be found somewhere in the article. Here it is “Young people are cheap. When they engage an agency, they don’t know that the creative team working on their whisky brand are probably barely old enough to drink” Ironically, most quality whisky is drunk by the over-55s.

8. Hopefully the article will have one decent quote – this one had Rufus Olins, managing director of Haymarket Managing Publications which publishes Campaign. “For as long as I can remember, people have worshipped youth. But a lot of older people are so influential, creatively and culturally, it’s just dawning that there is life beyond 50. However, there are few brands that position themselves as something for rich, older people.”

9. Articles often contain details of a new company being launched to cater for the 50+. The journalist was able to find one of these”. Burgess, chairman of Secondlifestyle, which is being launched this weekend, claims: Second- lifestylers are at a point when they say, I want change, I want to do something new and if I don’t do it now I never will.”

10 Finally, conclude the article on a topical note. Marks and Spencers have been in the news again for their inability to create fashionable clothes. “Most older women know what would restore the firm’s fortunes — well-cut classic clothes in plain, matchable colours, notably straight-leg trousers and jackets that cover the behind. They should focus on more mature fashion rather than try to bring in new younger customers.” Last week M&S hired a new ladies’ fashion guru. Maybe she will learn the lesson and follow the (old) money.

Next time you read a story about the 50+ remember this post!!Dick Stroud: www.20plus30.com