Worst Ads of 2014 for Boomers–Yes, Already!

Yes, we’re only a smidge into the new year, but in today’s Huffington Post, I identify two ageist ads that can’t be beat, plus some advice to marketers who would prefer to inspire rather than revile this key demographic.

Ad Number One: Tostitos chips’ Bring the Party Now

Frito-Lay Tostitos chips’ despicable Bring the Party Now campaign is so bad and mean-spirited it literally made me weep.

In the ad, the Tostitos repair crew comes to the aid of a young man throwing a “broken” and “foul” party. Of course, and it makes sense, they replace inferior snacks with their own upgraded chips. But they also provide “unwanted relative removal.” One of the crew members, dressed in blue uniform and yellow safety helmet, is shown pushing a hand truck on which an immobilized elderly woman is strapped and wrapped in moving blankets, like a piece of discarded furniture. A disclaimer subtly runs across the bottom of the screen: “Not responsible for damaged relatives.” To make it worse, it appears that the woman is smiling innocently, which could only be the case if she were cognitively impaired in some way.

Don’t get me wrong. I have a great sense of humor. And I believe young people have the right not to invite “unwanted relatives” to their party. However, if you replaced the image of the older woman with someone who is from a minority group, a gay person or somebody physically impaired, there would be a national outrage.

How about us? Do we let marketers ridicule us, exploit those amongst us with cognitive impairment, reinforce images of the elderly as things, no more valuable than unwanted furniture, not even worthy of our being responsible for collateral damage to them just to sell a chip?

Ad Number Two: Perricone MD’s Don’t let your neck reveal your age

Why is this ageist? Just listen to your neck! (I’m doing the translating…)

“You: Okay, Neck — You listen up good: do not under any circumstances reveal my age!

Neck: Heh Heh. Just try me, you old hag! You may look okay from the chin up, but I’ve got the real goods on you and I’m going to spill it if you don’t buy me this product.

You: That’s blackmail!

Neck: No, not blackmail — just telling the truth about you. You really want the whole world to know you’re (x) years old? You know what that means, don’t you?

You: Yes. I know. Nobody will love me anymore, or take me seriously. I will be a reviled, invisible, marginalized thing. Please, please, I’ll do anything. Just please don’t reveal my real age!

Neck: Look, this product has been formulated to address ALL the signs of aging. I know it costs a lot — but hey, I can help you pass as a younger person and maybe you’ll keep your job so that you can keep buying all those anti-aging products. Trust me, just hand over your credit card to these people, and you can count on me to keep mum.”

So, is it just me — a seasoned 60+ marketer who is feeling overly sensitive about not being welcome at parties any more, and embarrassed by my neck? Not by a long shot. The social media (yes, indeed, not all contributors to the web are “mommy bloggers”) is abuzz with disaffected Boomers whose wealth of age is equaled only by the heft of their pocketbooks.

For the rest of this blog, please visit Huffington Post.

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 Contact Carol Orsborn,Ph.D. at Carol@fiercewithage.com.

 


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About Carol Orsborn

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. has written over 30 books including her critically-acclaimed Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection and The Spirituality of Age: A Seeker’s Guide to Growing Older with Dr. Robert L. Weber, which was awarded Gold in the Nautilus Book Awards in the category of Aging Consciously. She is founder and curator of Fierce with Age: The Archives of Boomer Wisdom, Inspiration and Spirituality housed at CarolOrsborn.com. She is host of the 2 leading book clubs in the field of conscious aging: Sage-ing International's live, virtual The Sage-ing Book Club and the in-person Conscious Aging Book Club, sponsored by Parnassus Books, Nashville. She received her doctorate in the History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University with specialization in the areas of adult spiritual development and ritual studies.