Essay Sample on Advertising for the Elderly

Introduction

The increase in business activities across the globe requires the formulation of advertisement systems that showcase the products that a company offers. The advertisement procedures are often directed towards different groups of people; as a result, there is always the need to create strategies and policies that suit the target audience. Amongst the above audience, there is the group of older adults that different organizations always target for some goods and services. As a result, there are negative and positive impacts of advertisement directed towards the elderly consumers (Daugherty & Hoffman, 2014). The ad directed towards the elders should not be offensive; in other words, they should not be degrading to the elderly persons. Organizations that want to showcase their products especially to the elderly individuals should carry out advertisement campaigns in a way that shows potential buyers that their products and services can be used by all groups of people and not only the elderly. There are good and bad advertisement techniques that are often directed towards the old people (Meng & Fraedrich, 2010). Advertisements directed toward older adults should be conducted in a dignified manner. In some cases, publications project the older adults negatively or offensively even though this can be the main focus for specific products. The main reason for segmenting the older adults in the advertisement campaigns is to indicate how different products can be used for all ages.

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Bad Examples of Advertisement Directed Towards Elderly Consumers

Bad advertisement to the elderly is generally a whole endeavour. As a result, the bad advertisers do not care who the customers are so long as they can obtain money and increase sales for their products. The elderly often make up a vulnerable group. In other words, scammers perceive older consumers with access the retirement as easy targets. Some of the examples of bad advertisement are discussed below.

Advertising Anti-Aging Products

While advertising the anti-aging products, the manufacturers or the sellers usually target the old people who want to look young and beautiful. Aging comes with wrinkles, and as a result, the ads promising to smooth away those wrinkles are what the older consumers get attracted to. Some of the products often advertised in this category include wrinkle creams and stem-cell facelifts. During the advertisement campaigns, the products placed on the advertisement platforms usually promise to bring impressive results, a situation that attracts more seniors who wish to use these products (Rossiter, 2012). However, most of these products do not have the qualities as stipulated in the advertisement. Some of the ads are just exaggerations to attract the vulnerable older population. For instance, in the year 2012, consumer report found that wrinkle cream does not have a great impact as elaborated in the advertisements. In other words, the wrinkle cream tested had a small effect and not on every individual that applies them. In most cases, advertisers want to attract customers and what they do in their advertisement campaigns tend to entice seniors who often become vulnerable. The advertisement of the above products usually become worse if the products being advertised do not fulfil the purpose to which they were meant to do.

Advertisement of Sex Pills

In most cases, older people are still getting active in bed; in other words, they still want to enjoy the pleasure that comes with sexual intercourse. Therefore, the advertisements that showcase the availability and efficiency of sex pills often attracts most of the adults. For instance, the advertisement of the erectile dysfunction drugs, the active ingredients of the Viagra usually suit different older people. As a result, the devious sex pills producers usually make sales by delivering knock-off sexual enhancement pills that are either dangerous or do not work because their chemical contents are not suited in rectifying erectile dysfunction. Additionally, these drugs do not always perform the functions as stipulated in the advertisement campaign. The drugs can thus have hidden ingredients that can put seniors at risks. The tadalafil and sildenafil, the chemicals found in these drugs, often interfere with the nitrates, a situation which can lead to dangerous drops in the blood pressure. The elderly consumers should, therefore, seek advice from them before taking the above drugs as illustrated in the advertisement campaigns.

Good Examples of Advertisement Directed Towards Elderly Consumers

Advertising Hobbies and Gaming Equipment to the Elderly

Most of the seniors often have time to enjoy their favourite activities as well as hobbies when they retire. The advertisement directed towards this equipment is effective. Companies and suppliers should, therefore, focus on the marketing of this equipment and services for they are mainly used to keep fit and improve the health of the seniors. Unlike the sex pills that prove to be health hazards to the older population, advertisement for hobby and gaming equipment prove to be effective as they make the elderly to adopt physical fitness which is good for their lives (Lin, 2011). Golf manufacturers and equipment stores usually target their advertisement towards semi-retired or retired people in business as a way to remain social and active. The ad of gaming equipment and gaming services is healthy as they encourage the elderly to adopt the physical exercise and remain active to ensure a healthy life. With the advertisement of the gaming equipment and services, the elderly are attracted to take part and benefit from the physical activities. Physical activities are good not only for the elderly but to any other person that wants to keep fit. Viewing or reading the advertisements involving the gaming equipment makes people take part or engage in the physical exercise, this, therefore, explains their usefulness.

Advertising For the Leisure Tours and Recreation Services

The elderly have free time that they can use to do various things that are of benefit to their well-being. Advertisement involving leisure tours and recreational services, therefore, can prove to be beneficial to the older generation. Through the advertisement for leisure tours and recreational services, the elderly tend to become active as these activities make them become active and also engage in social activities. The advertisements directed towards the elderly consumers should be carried out with dignity and respect. The ads involving leisure tours and recreational services are not offensive to the old people, they tend to showcase activities that are healthy and may help the elderly to live longer. The advertisement procedures are often directed towards different groups of people; as a result, there is always the need to create strategies and policies that suit the target audience. Amongst the above audience, there is the group of older adults that different organizations always target for some goods and services.

References

Daugherty, T., & Hoffman, E. (2014). eWOM and the importance of capturing consumer attention within social media. Journal of Marketing Communications, 20(1-2), 82-102.

Meng, J., & Fraedrich, J. P. (2010). 21st-century social class theory as it applies to market. Marketing Management Journal, 20(1), 194-203.

Rossiter, J. R. (2012). A new measure of social classes. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 11(2), 89-93.

Lin, C. H. (2011). Personality, value, lifestyle and postmodernism consumer behaviour: a comparison among three generations. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 3(3), 203-230.