As many readers will know, the UK Advertising Codes set out rules that require advertisers to act responsibly and ensure their ads don’t cause serious or widespread offense. These rules don’t just protect our wallets from dodgy deals, but they also protect people from harmful stereotypes, which also include age-related ones. So, advertisers, it's time to stop brushing off age like it's just a number!
While the ASA doesn’t get swamped with complaints about how older people are portrayed in ads, that doesn’t mean the issue is over the hill. The CAP Code recognises that age-based offence can happen, and it’s something to be taken seriously. That said, advertisers aren’t expected to cast every age group in every ad, but they’re expected to steer clear of content that could cause serious or widespread offence. The importance of the issue is also why the ASA recently published research into the matter (see below!).
Rule 4.1 of the CAP Code is pretty clear: ads must not include content that’s likely to cause serious or widespread offence. And yes, age is specifically called out as a characteristic needing a little extra TLC.
Tone, content and context matter
When a complaint lands on the ASA’s desk, they look at the tone, the content, and the context. Was the ad meant to be light-hearted, or was it more of a low blow? For example, one electronic cigarette ad raised eyebrows, and tempers, when it implied that a relationship between an older woman and a younger man was a "taboo". Not only did it come off as ageist, but it also carried racial undertones. The ASA wasn’t impressed, and the ad was puffed out of circulation.
However, some ads toe the line but stay on the right side of it. An example of this is an ad involving a vintage clothing shop that showed an older woman about to cross the road with the line, “Silk Dress Coming Soon”? The ASA concluded that readers would consider the ad humorous, albeit morbid, and because the ad didn’t make fun of infirmity, lack of mobility or illness of older people, it was unlikely to cause serious or widespread offence (Shock & Soul, 10 March 2010).
From these two rulings, we can see that humour especially can be difficult to get right in ads - just because something is meant to be funny does not mean it won’t offend, especially when it leans into age-based clichés. Generally, if given care and consideration, humour involving an older person doesn’t need to be offensive - but if the joke focuses solely on Zimmer frames, memory jokes, or bingo stereotypes… maybe take a second look.
The ASA’s research
The ASA are always determined to proactively gain a better understanding of whether they need to do more to protect consumers. In the ASA’s new five-year strategy, AI-Assisted collective ad regulation, they are committed to prioritising the protection of vulnerable groups, and to identify and develop their understanding of these groups. Because let’s face it, no one wants to be the butt of the joke just for having a few more candles on their birthday cake.
To that end, the ASA launched a project to dig deeper into what extent and how, certain depictions of older people in advertising could give rise to serious or widespread offence, or harm, and whether their current approach in this area offered adequate protection to prevent any such harm.
The result was a research report, which found, among other findings, that older people were relatively positive about their age. The research, which included 4,000 respondents, also found that current portrayals of older people in ads, such as those showing older people as frail, inactive and isolated, did not reflect the more positive realities of ‘modern day’ ageing. The targeting of ads for ‘end-of-life’ products and the omission of older people in advertising more generally were also raised as issues. Overall, participants wanted to see real older people in ads for products they are not often associated with, placing a focus on the individual rather than on their age.
The full report can be read here, and is invaluable resource for advertisers looking to increase diversity in their ads or target an older demographic without reverting to stereotypes or humour at the expense of certain age groups. And of course, comply with the Code.
So, when creating your advertisements, do remember to be clever, be kind, and most of all, be responsible. Age itself isn’t a joke, but your ads can still get laughs for the right reasons.
If you need more advice in relation to the depiction of older people in your ads, please do not hesitate to contact the Copy Advice team.
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