| A nation moved by a generation of golden oldies, this month news of the kind-hearted plumber who refused to charge the elderly went viral and it’s not just the public who are appreciating the elderly. |
| It’s 50 shades of grey in the marketing world as the grannies are back in business with companies teaming up with OAPs for a variety of campaigns. Perceptions of the elderly are evolving as a new wave of nana’s shock the world by showing that it’s never too late to live your best life. Take the 67-year-old JoAni Johnson, one of the faces of Rihanna’s recent Fenty campaign and a perfect advocate to show that true beauty is timeless. Or Colette Zacca (aka ‘Dancing Granny’) who has teamed up with underwear brand Sloggi for their recent ad. |
In PR, championing the elderly works on a number of levels. Consumers come in all ages and by pigeonholing your campaign to only appeal to the younger generation, it can cut off valuable audiences for a product. In addition, as an ageing generation, the lines are blurring between when we hit our peak with articles suggesting we are at our happiest in later life. While grey-haired powerhouses such as JoAni Johnson are becoming more ubiquitous, there are still many issues facing OAP’s. Using OAP’s in PR is an applaudable move as even now, more brands should respect their elders as beacons of wisdom in modern society. Companies set examples of standards and excluding the elderly from their campaigns and strategies only marginalise the age group further.
Osborne Macharia, KEVO ABBRA [Image link CC]