Silver Market- The Portrayal of Older People in Media Advertising

The ageing population worldwide is increasing by [3.9% to 5.5%] every year. Despite the growing number, older adults are constantly being overlooked as consumers in marketing campaigns. There is barely any information in popular media about the needs and wants of older adults. Due to the lack of information, there are uncertainties as to how the specific needs of the older consumer group can be catered for. The majority of the ageing market research has been performed in Western countries and, because of cultural differences, the same cannot be extended to the East. As Malaysia is undergoing a demographic transformation where the number of older people population is growing, it is important for advertisers and marketers to understand the unique market preferences of older adults. The portrayal of older people in advertising and their attitudes towards advertising is still a relatively under-researched area. Studies that analyze what older adults feel about the inclusion and portrayal of older advertising models are very rare. Nevertheless, due to the ageing global population, increasing attention has been paid to these issues in recent years.

Malaysian-based empirical research on older consumers' marketing and advertising is sparse, and there is evidence to suggest that many companies are not yet ready to serve this growing and increasingly important market despite the fact that many international researchers are already showing that this group responds to and relies on information advertising. As this segment is growing in size, more interest in this market is essential for businesses and advertisers. Gerontologists have long known that people age at varying rates socially, and mentally, and as well as physically. Evidence has clearly indicated that people become increasingly dissimilar as they age. This suggests that ageing people may not be able to identify with advertising messages that are traditionally targeted at their younger cohorts.

Malaysian-based empirical research on marketing and advertising for older consumers is scarce. While and there is evidence to indicate that despite many foreign researchers have shown that this particular audience reacts to and relies on advertising for knowledge, there is evidence to indicate that many companies are not yet adequately prepared to serve this growing and increasingly important market. As the size of this segment increases, more interest in this sector is important for businesses and advertisers. This is because older people are the majority with high purchasing power due to their savings and pension that they own. Older advertising models (e.g. celebrities such as Pierce Brosnan, Jackie Chan or Jalaluddin Hassan or any older people that are portrayed in advertisements) are a vital reference community (i.e. for other older people to refer too or believe the ads) and act as a crucial external catalyst to promote the purchasing power of older people. It will be helpful for advertisers to better understand the consequences of the way these older adults are represented in Malaysian media, considering the wide and potentially wealthy prospective market that is heading towards old age.

Older consumers in Malaysia "tend to be either overlooked or thought of as small and unimportant" in line with many other countries (Ong, 2010). Most research on ageing consumers has been done in Western countries, and because of cultural differences, it cannot always be extended to the East. Respect for the elderly is deeply embedded in the norms of collectivist Asian society. In comparison, social conduct in Western society is arguably driven by a sense of individualism, which emphasizes individual goals and interests. Many studies from the West show older people as warm and caring though some of them are weak. Young Asians are nurtured to respect the elderly, and to care for and be obedient towards them. Interestingly, some elements of Asian culture, particularly filial piety, may have reinforced the invisibility of older adults from the market. This is because they are treated as "highly esteemed rather than active participants" (Lin, 2001). In Asian nations, there are mixed feelings towards older adults. This conventional trend could be changing. Many older adults in Asia lack self-confidence in their abilities and are starting to feel like a burden to their families because of their declining health.

It is beneficial for society as a whole to have more older people represented in advertisements and the media in general. This is because having characters in media who are comparable to the age of the audience can deliver self-affirming messages about their age group's prevalence and social significance. This will contribute to a positive identity with age. In addition, because older adults in Asian countries are highly regarded, having more older adults in advertisements can teach the younger generation to be more respectful of older adults. To ensure that older adults are well treated in society, advertisements should reflect public attitudes towards older adults. The media plays an important role in the lives of older adults, especially advertising because mass media provides a major leisure activity for the ageing population. In short, relative to younger people, older adults are highly dependent on media and information advertising.

Associate Professor Dr. Izian Idris 
Sunway University Business School
Email: @email