Age Concern Launches One-Off Business Magazine

Age Concern is launching a one-off magazine, called Agenda, to increase the awareness of age discrimination in the market-place.

The magazine, which is published by Blue Rubicon, is aimed at chief executives and policy makers across the UK. Its 28-pages include interviews with well-known marketers and businesses such as Tesco and Nationwide.

The initiative hopes to challenge ageism in the workplace and urges businesses and advertisers to look at how they perceive the over-50s. Opponents of discrimination on the grounds of age have often criticised the obsession with youth in the world of advertising and marketing.

Planning director of Saatch & Saatchi, Craig Mawdsley, argues in the magazine that marketers and advertisers need to get over their obsession with youth and invest in the over 50s. He urges marketers to look at older people, saying: “Until we understand the needs, likes and dislikes, hobbies and aspirations companies and advertising agencies will not succeed with this most affluent of age groups- at great cost to market share and stock price.”

Advertisers are increasingly addressing the older market, but according to Mawdsley: “Advertising conforming to stereotypes, focuses on ill health or sends up older people to make youngsters laugh is doing nothing to endear its products to this market.”

Television advertising is widely perceived as one of the most effective ways to target older consumers and in the average week the over-65s spend almost twice as long watching television as 16-24s (see Feature: Old Money In The Grey Consumer Market).

Age Concern: 0208 765 7511 www.ageconcern.org.uk

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