Older Consumers and Celebrity Advertising

Older consumers have long been the 'invisible majority' in advertising despite the rapid increase in an ageing population. A significant proportion of this population have high levels of disposable income, even in times of recession, but advertisers are not encouraging them to part with it. This paper intends to find out why advertisers have been slow or struggle to target older consumers effectively. Using a case study approach this paper has two aims: to explore the portrayal and representation of older consumers, with specific reference to the use of celebrities and to understand the value of a more progressive, aspirational set of role models that older consumers can identify with.