Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:00:04 Hi and welcome to does this make me look old, a podcast about aging as gracefully as possible when you're just not ready for two 40 something year old friends will find themselves kind of straddling that really odd period of time when aging and everything that is associated with is starting to become a much bigger part of our lives. We're definitely curious, but at the same time, rather terrified about aging. I'm Schiff. I'm a health science nerd and pop culture themes, and I'm sin and adult and waiting obsessed with finance and self-help books. We're going to be talking about the stereotypes of aging and how they affect us. And we'll also be doing some deeper dives into some interesting topics, such as what it's like to get old in the society dating when you're older and scientific advancements in anti-aging products and even evolution and scientific thinking around aging and throughout it all we chat rant laugh about or adulting mishaps of which there are so, so, so many. So join us as we navigate our second quarter life crisis.
Speaker 1 00:01:10 Welcome to this week's episode of does this make me look old? Shit. What are we talking about today? Okay. So today I wanted to talk about marketing to seniors in fashion. So before we actually go into this topic, I'm curious, you're not a senior yet. I know. Are you worrying about this? Okay. So part of it is just because like fashion and advertising is, is, is, is being more inclusive, right? Like I think that after, um, black lives matter, the movement happened. Like, I think that the advertising world started realizing that they really do start to include the diversity of people. Oh, absolutely. Yeah. As opposed to just, you know, like one type of face for their advertising and, you know, and I think that a lot of advertisers have done a fairly good job at being more inclusive. But the one thing that I have noticed is that they're not super inclusive of older people unless it's reverse mortgages. Yes, exactly. Or like medication use or something like it, which is upsetting.
Speaker 1 00:02:17 So, yeah. So then, so, and the other thing that I was thinking is that when you do see companies, including older people, it just like, it gives you, I don't know, it gives me a better feeling because then you realize that like, they really do care about marketing to all walks of life. Right. Like all like people of different cultures and to people of different ages. So, you know, like I, yeah. So that, that's kind of what I wanted to discuss. Okay. So take it away then. Well, thanks. Anyway. So one thing that I was, uh, that I had come across was that, um, was this company in Toronto called Knicks. Okay. So these are various, it's a very specific niche kind of brand. They sell, they sell underwear. That is leak-proof. And so it's useful for people who most useful, it's not useful. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:03:19 I mean, it's just period panties. It is the period panties. So it's useful for people who, um, you know, want to, you know, hide different things that might make the majority of it is period panties, which would mean that you would think that like, it would really only be marketed to a certain segment of the population, correct. Like people who were menstruating and so often that's younger women. So then when I went onto their site, because I was actually looking for this product, so when I went into their site, I was really pleasantly surprised to see that they had, they weren't only just like their models weren't were very diverse for one thing. And they weren't just marketing to young people. They were actually, they actually had older models, like women were post-menopausal in their ad campaigns. And it's because they are marketing to, you know, women who might get a little bit of like bladder leakage, which is, I mean, it's brilliant.
Speaker 1 00:04:19 It's brilliant. I mean, it, wasn't one of those things where, you know, they just write about the fact that it can be used for bladder leakage. Like they actually showed older models. And so, yeah, it just got me thinking about people, you know, about how like fashion and advertising, doesn't really market to older women kind love Canadian companies. So that actually makes me feel proud, but it's like, I know, I mean, I know mix is like, um, you know, uh, pretty up and coming. Um, no, actually I think it's pretty much made it. I feel, I feel like I see it every year and everyone's always talking about it. So I guess like that's very Toronto specific though. Cause we're in Toronto.
Speaker 1 00:05:01 Yeah, you're right. Okay. But, but still, I think it actually makes me feel really good. Yeah, exactly. It's on a company. So I would suggest that, you know, any of our listeners out there, like, even if you're not interested in the product that just go onto their site, it's like, it's kind of a breath of fresh air because you're just like, wow, you're really like marketing to all of these different types of women, you know? So, and then I had come across this article. Okay. So this was also Toronto specific, but it's this model, um, who had started, I can't remember her name. Like I think it was like Judith, I can't remember her last name, but anyway, so she's this like really fabulous model who started when she was in her seventies, which I think is just like, I know SIM is giving me this like really shocked look <inaudible> so yeah. So she started her like when she was 70. And so I think that that's like, I mean, it's really, it's
Speaker 2 00:06:03 Where she been modeling.
Speaker 1 00:06:05 That's been mainly magazine ads and things like that, but like yeah. Any products I know of that, I don't know. Um, yeah. Cause like, well, I mean, I think I only found out about her through like this like wealth simple articles. So it's not really, they weren't, they were mainly talking about like her, her relationship to like, like her life savings, money decisions and financial management and stuff like that. But like, I was just impressed. I love that product.
Speaker 2 00:06:36 I think I read something along those lines. Uh it's like one of those block features, they do have different celebrities and people, right?
Speaker 1 00:06:42 Yes. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And so they featured her as like one of the celebrities and she's got a very distinct look she's fabulous. And um, yeah. And I was just really impressed that she just decided to, you know, like just kind of start this whole new career, like, you know, at the age of 70, I dunno, cause like a lot of people, like, I'm sure that there's like this myth that you know, that your career kind of ends at retirement and you don't do anything afterwards. But like
Speaker 2 00:07:11 I do feel though that, um, maybe it, you know, it's slow to change, but I do think that maybe we are slightly changing. Um, like you said, like, you know, there are very few, but still, you know, um, there are examples of, of, uh, companies starting to sort of take a little bit of a shift in who they're marketing to. But, um, I do think that, um, you know, obviously the opportunity is huge to sort of expand, um, but not just including people, um, of different ages, but also, um, the tone they take. Right? Like it's kind of, um, I don't know, like I feel like most of the ads, um, that were geared for older people at one time or the other were like probably more condescending than not. That's true that there was this element of, I don't know. Um, do you know what I mean? Like, like as an it's like not the cool stuff, it's not the cool products. It's not the cool lifestyle. Yeah,
Speaker 1 00:08:14 Exactly. Always revolved around like health and infirmity and like, you know, you've kind of like past your prime and you need help now. So which is like, I don't know. I mean, like, yes, I'm sure that as you get older, like a segment of us will need those products, but at the same time, it's not like life is over. Right. You know, it's funny because
Speaker 2 00:08:37 You're right. Like, I think like more and more like you're hearing people who are starting their dream careers later in life or doing something or jumping off, you know, um, onto a new project. I mean, look at us, we're starting something. Oh
Speaker 1 00:08:56 Whatever. No, it's not, it's not okay. I'm a product of my society. All right. All right. Well, I'm working on accepting this someday. I will, by the end of this podcast soon, we'll finally be accepted anyway.
Speaker 2 00:09:22 Okay. Let's just get back to the topic at hand.
Speaker 3 00:09:25 Well, forget the fact that you're just having issues with your age. Okay. Um, anyway, yeah. So what I wanted to talk well, I mean, I just wanted to like, just discuss a little bit around, um, like why like, yeah. Like why hasn't the advertising community kind of, you know, change their outlook on what to market to older people just because I don't know. I just feel like they it's all around. Like it's yeah. It's just all around topics that are about the, you know, sort of infirmities that happen around aging rather than, you know, like living your best life. Like, I feel like, I don't know. I just feel like none of the stuff that's being marketed to you is about living your best life,
Speaker 2 00:10:12 Which is kind of ironic because I think the older generation actually has what the biggest spending power. Yeah. Right. Um, and also given how, you know, people are now living longer exactly. That has to play into how people live their lives. Right. Like back in, like, I don't know, a hundred years ago when people died at like 60.
Speaker 3 00:10:38 Oh for sure. Well, not even that long ago. Cause like, I mean, like even the eighties and nineties people were like, um, like people were dying mainly because of like heart disease, but then, you know, there's been like smoking cessation campaigns and you know, there's been a lot of money pushed into, um, you know, healthier lifestyle, healthier lifestyles and also like heart healthy lifestyles. And so, um, a lot of those people who would have died, like let's say in their fifties and sixties of heart attacks are now living longer. So,
Speaker 2 00:11:10 So advances in science and medical care and end all of those, you know, the technology, I feel like it's all contributed to our longevity.
Speaker 3 00:11:20 Yeah. For sure. Which, which were, you you'd think would mean that there is a, like a fairly large market that people could kind of, you know, sell to and yet, you know, it's all about,
Speaker 2 00:11:29 Well, you know, the 40 is the new 30, so sell that kind of product.
Speaker 3 00:11:33 <inaudible> just saying, putting it out there. Exactly. Well, no. Yeah. Like I, like, I just feel, and I find that like there, there are more and more examples of people who are living well into their seventies and eighties and are fairly helpful
Speaker 2 00:11:49 Nineties. Oh, you just lost Christopher. Which makes me really, really sad.
Speaker 3 00:11:55 No, I was really hoping that he was going to live forever.
Speaker 2 00:11:59 I feel like we need to watch sound of music by the way.
Speaker 3 00:12:03 No, no. What you should actually watch his, um, you should actually watch that his Oscar winning movie beginners. It's so good. It's just so, so good. Like, is that from, um, I think it's from like the, um, like the two thousands. He actually, it was from 10 years ago because he won an Oscar at 82 that man won his first Oscar at the age of 82, which is unbelievable. Like it's just, yeah. I mean you can, it just goes to show that age isn't really, or age doesn't have to be a barrier in order to succeed in life. Like it's. Yeah. Anyway.
Speaker 2 00:12:38 Yeah. Again, back to the topic, sorry, digressive in this duo today, I feel like I keep doing really good conversation. It's all good.
Speaker 3 00:12:48 I'm totally fine. Talking about Christopher Palmer. He's awesome.
Speaker 2 00:12:52 Okay. So back to the fact that, you know, um, the, the industry isn't the advertising industry isn't quite tailoring or keeping up with the advancements that we've made towards aging. Right. Cause I feel like the fashion industry is weirdly enough.
Speaker 3 00:13:09 Yeah. I mean guessing. Right. Like I think they're kind of there they're getting there. Like I, I feel like fashion is only like just recently starting to get, kind of get into the inclusivity thing, which is, you know, uh, which, which can include age, but like yeah. It's, it's, it's slowly getting there. I just, I just wanted to get there faster. Yeah. I, I mean, I was reading this article, um, in fast company by, um, by Jeff beer. I think he wrote it in 20, like 2019. And the title is why marketing to seniors is so terrible. And it's like, it's a really, it's a really interesting article. Um, mainly because, you know, he, he talks about things like, um, uh, things like the us census for example, has pegged 20, 35 as the year older adults will outnumber children for the first time in us history, which is kind of crazy. Like that's 90, 35. Yeah. That's not, that's not very far at all. So, um, you know, like I think that, um, yeah, like I think it just behooves the advertising industry to like, you know, start looking into marketing towards seniors,
Speaker 2 00:14:20 So. Okay. So then let's talk about what do we want to see as we're getting older? Um, what do we want to see in our ads?
Speaker 3 00:14:27 Yeah. I mean, I've been thinking of while, I mean, you know, like I watched a lot of TV, so you wouldn't have seen some ads and yeah. I mean, I have been thinking about that. Like I think for one thing I definitely want to see, um, yeah. I want to see like different products being marketed to old, older people. Like the one thing that annoys me and car ads bother me about like, but like when I'm watching car ads, this bothers me for like Zippy little like small cars. It's always really young people, you know, it's always like 20 year olds and whatnot. Like I, as a 40 year old want Zippy car and like, but that's because both of us have Zippy little car I do, but it's so hard to find cars like that. That's like, I mean, that's a whole other story. That's like, you know, marketing and whatnot, but
Speaker 2 00:15:20 You realize that in that case, we actually gave into the gender stereotypes. Um, because both of us liked those cars and into our urban lifestyles. That's true. That's true because it so easy to find parking.
Speaker 3 00:15:33 No, it is one. The other thing is it really, all I do is I drive like to, and from work. And so that's all I needed for like, I just need a small car that can like, just take me from point a to point B and back. And so like, I don't really see why I'm like, I don't see why I'm like my age bracket needs to buy a large car to do that. But then like, but then when you're trying to find a car, I don't know, like you don't feel spoken to. Yeah, exactly. I'm not and yeah. And then, or if, and then what you see is on the older spectrum, it's always like Cadillacs or, you know, these like kind of, fusty old cars that I usually, if it's not, if it's not a, if it's not a mom car, like a fan, like a S whatever, like all those <inaudible> SUV's, I'm sorry. SUV's are the new minivan of the world. Like I know you try, I, I, I'm going to go onto, uh, I need a rent. My rent is like, they did a really great job marketing SUV's to people because really they're minivans. It's just like their minivans for people that like, want to think that they're being sporty. You're not being spoiled with SUV's
Speaker 2 00:16:51 Actually go up the mountain. Exactly.
Speaker 3 00:16:54 Exactly. Yeah, no, sorry. If you are going up
Speaker 2 00:16:58 The mountains and you're using it for that cool lifestyle. Yeah.
Speaker 3 00:17:01 Go for it. Good for you. Yeah. That's that's who it's for. But at the end of the day, everyone ends up with an SUV is like, clearly not going up the mountain. I think what else?
Speaker 2 00:17:12 One thing that I would like to see is more of, um, on that, you know, the diversity of products marketed, it's also in the ads sort of, um, seeing age inclusivity in different, um, stages of life, like different lifestyles, different types of life, uh, being marketed. Like I don't want to see every 40 year old, uh, man or woman be quote unquote, the parent all the time. Um, not that there's anything wrong with it.
Speaker 3 00:17:44 Yeah. And I went alone in a lot of football in our age, brackets, our parents, our parents. And I understand that that's the
Speaker 2 00:17:50 Norm, but sometimes I think it would be cool to sort of see that, you know, those parents have other interests, um, that don't include just preparing lunch and cleaning.
Speaker 3 00:18:01 Exactly. Yeah. Or like, I don't know, like, I mean, who knows, correct me if I'm wrong because there may be ads like this, but like, it'd be nice to see like seniors who are on Tinder or like, you know, doing things that like you would normally associate with young people, but they're not, you know, like, because there are seniors who are on Tinder to die. Now that's not our demographic. We don't want the olds. But I think that like, lots of people bring it on. I don't understand. Like, I don't understand, like, some people are on their like second or third relationships, you know? And so like, they need to use these apps too. Like, I don't understand why it's not being marketed to them anyway. That's my rent. I mean just on a rent today. No, that's totally
Speaker 2 00:18:52 Fair. Okay. What else would you like to see
Speaker 3 00:18:54 In terms of ads? Yeah, I don't know. Um, yeah, I mean, mainly like just mixing it up a bit, you know, like I, like, I don't think that there are products or lifestyles that are, you know, like that are necessarily like, that are necessarily just like pigeonholed to one age bracket. So I think that everything should kind of be a little bit more opened up a little more inclusive across the board. Yeah, exactly. Like it's, it's funny that you mentioned about like the cleaning, you know, cleaning the household and mopping up. Those are the ads
Speaker 2 00:19:32 Come to mind when I think of a woman my age, um, or, or a man actually. Yeah. Because I I'm, you know, nowadays it's kind of cool that, which is nice that the dads are helping out. Oh, that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 00:19:44 I know. I, I do appreciate that. Cause I remember as a kid that would always bug me. I remember I would watch it and I'd be like, why is the woman doing laundry? Why is the woman cleaning the cleaning the floor? I'm like, why isn't the dad helping out here? It's reading the newspaper. It's actually, no, my God with the daily news drove me insane. I was just like, this is so sexist.
Speaker 2 00:20:05 Nice that, you know, today's men are different and it shows because if the advertising world is responding, if they're doing that where the men are doing it, it's because they know that yeah, there's a market and it would appeal to exactly men and women. So that's pretty true. That's true.
Speaker 3 00:20:23 Well, and the other thing is, is that like, but you see how, like, that may not necessarily be that not gender, um, that might not necessarily be age dependent either. Because like I know of like several of my friends who were raised by their grandparents, like, so like, so, you know, like why, why is it always like young people in their thirties and forties that are being like, you know, marketed to in that sense anyway, I'm just, just like riffing, but basically like, yeah, like there's no, I feel like there's nothing really that like necessarily says that you have to be a certain age to do something. And then, you know, I'm sure people will be like, Oh no, but like Shiv, like, you know, there are certain life things that are really only relegated to youth and, you know, like college or something, but the humbug and say like, I, I don't agree with that either. Cause like, yeah, you can, you can do things at a lot of that. You can do things at ages you didn't expect to, you know, like you can go back to school in your, in your sixties. Like actually,
Speaker 2 00:21:22 So the other day, um, I came across this article on Insta and uh, this woman and, and, Oh my gosh, I should try and find it and link her, um, on, on our website. Um, she started weight training at age 70. Wow. She's 74 now. Yeah. You should see her muscles and her forum. Like, it's incredible. So you're right. It's never too late to start.
Speaker 3 00:21:45 No, I know exactly. Like I just think that, I don't know. I just feel like people and advertisers should just like broaden their minds a little bit because you know, like there are certain yeah. Like there's like, don't be lazy. Don't be lazy. Yeah. Cause like, I don't think that products are necessarily like meant for, for people of certain ages. You know? Like I, I honestly, I honestly, I don't see what age has anything to do with it.
Speaker 2 00:22:11 That will be actually, uh, I think a good place to sort of reach out to, to our listeners. Um, because I'm really curious, like what do you think, like, do you think that certain products are meant, um, you know, um, for certain age groups, um, do you think advertisers should stay the course and uh, you know, keep marketing to the, the, what is it the baseline or
Speaker 3 00:22:33 Are they the major? The majority. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 2 00:22:36 Um, or, you know, um, should they start thinking outside the box and start shaping our mindsets? Um, more than reacting to it?
Speaker 3 00:22:45 Yeah. No, that's, I would love to hear from our listeners actually like yeah. Like it it'd be interesting to have your input. Yeah. I mean, I mean, I get it on one hand because advertisers want to reach like the maximum, maximum number of people who would be interested in that, you know, that item or that product. But at the same time, like I feel that ads are a type of media and the way that somebody is depicted in that media can really shape thinking. And so if you're constantly being like you're constantly being shown like a certain way of there's responsibility. Yeah. There's like, there is like, I'm not saying that like all your ads have to, you know, be marketed to like, I, I like, I dunno, like, but it has to be a balance. There has to be some sort of balance, but like at the same time, like, you know, you could throw in an ad or two where you're like, Oh, look, the 20 year olds buying a Cadillac, you know? Yeah. No, that's,
Speaker 2 00:23:46 That's very actually, you know, what send us links to, um, your favorite ads where you think that, you know, it speaks to you as a person and, um, you know, videos or print ads, like, you know, online ads, like send those to us. Um, our website is, does this make me look old.com? Um, and we're also on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. So, you know, reach out and let us know. And um, until then
Speaker 5 00:24:14 We meet you are due for today. All right. Sounds good.
