Where are de gray hair?

“The young know all the rules, but the mature know the exceptions.” This quote from American writer Oliver Wendell Holmes, unfortunately, seems to be absent from the manual of entertainment and advertising.

If we look at the world of spectacle and its relentless pursuit of physical beauty and the fever for novelty, we find few relevant works that depict the reality of older age and the gains that maturity can bring, both professionally and personally.

In Hollywood, the cases of films that do not portray the elderly as grumpy, bitter, outdated beings—if not, as sick individuals needing care from others—can be counted on one hand. This stereotype does not reflect this enormous population, which does contribute significantly to the economy and society.

Two recent exceptions come to mind. The first is a silly movie titled “The Intern,” starring Robert De Niro. In it, a mature man nearing 70 years old changes the atmosphere of a fashion and e-commerce startup. There, the value of the character’s maturity nullifies the anxieties of the team and diffuses the crises of corporate gameplay. The second exception, a truly brilliant film, is “The Post,” featuring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. In it, we have the story of a crisis moment between a major newspaper and the American government. The newspaper’s owner, Kay Graham, at 64 years old, faces the crisis with moral integrity and firmness, dismissing all the alarmist opinions of the time regarding the future of the Washington Post. Pessimistic forecasts emerged precisely because Kay was a woman over 60.

However, if we search for how many works depict mature professionals in a non-caricatured way, we will struggle to find them.

In advertising, this situation might be even worse. In the 80s and 90s, elderly people barely appeared in commercials on Brazilian television. In recent years, this has changed—but the stereotype of the funny old man or the old lady asking her grandchild for help with a cell phone still persists.

All of this is a significant contradiction. A missed opportunity to connect with reality.

In Brazil, data shows that currently, 25% of the population is over 50 years old. We are talking about 54 million people who consume and have income. They represent a group that moves about R$ 1.8 trillion. And, more importantly, they are 54 million Brazilians who have desires, dreams, and fears. By 2050, this number will reach 98 million, or 43% of the population.

This distancing from the real lives of older individuals, which we see in entertainment and advertising, may stem from a lack of closer observation from those who know this target better than anyone: exactly the mature individuals themselves.

How many gray hairs do we see scattered across advertising agencies? In the Brazilian advertising market (and in many other segments of the country’s economy), the label of “old” is always placed in a derogatory way, disregarding a wealth of thought that should be valued.

Diversity, not just of gender but also generational, is more than necessary. It is a shortcut to efficiency. Scientific experiments from 2017 proved that decision-making groups composed only of young men have a 58% success rate in their decisions. In contrast, groups with gender and generational diversity see that rate rise to 80%.

A warning to companies: There is a waste of talent, knowledge, and emotional balance that could help many brands communicate more empathetically with this consumer audience.

To those reading this, I suggest watching two pieces. One is Jerry Seinfeld’s latest show (“23 Hours to Kill,” 2020, Netflix). At one point, he remarks that he is in the best phase of his life at 65 years old: “It’s when we are no longer ashamed of being who we are, of saying what we really think.”

Returning to advertising, I highly recommend watching the early 2000s web commercial titled “Father and Son” from Telecom New Zealand: https://youtu.be/Yw6Es89c4IM. A masterpiece that beautifully and delicately tells the truth about and the beauty of the aging process. It’s one of those moments that makes you proud to see that advertising can indeed portray life as it is—beautiful at 20, 40, or 60 years old.

Mário D’Andrea
Communication Specialist, Vice President of OpusMúltipla, and Ambassador of Liga Labora

Outros artigos

1ª plataforma de tecnologia para inclusão produtiva e trabalho flex do Brasil

RECONHECIMENTOS:

ORGANIZAÇÃO SUSTENTADORA DO:

© 2024 | Labora | Marca e direitos registrados