With International Day of Older People on 1 October, we take the opportunity to celebrate older people, but ask “is UK advertising doing the same?”.
In 2025, the ASA published research into The Depiction of Older People in Ads. It found that many people aged 55 and over felt advertising too often relied on outdated stereotypes, such as frailty, poverty, forgetfulness, or a lack of technology skills. The research encouraged advertisers to move beyond “over the hill” clichés and reflect the active, varied lives and outlooks of older people today.
Industry awards have celebrated a more modern approach in recent years. Better representation of this diverse group is welcome. However, positive imagery does not remove the need for clear qualifications. A 2025 TV ad for Staysure Travel, (by Howserv Ltd), showed older couples enjoying activities including surfing and trekking. The ad promoted travel insurance for over-50s, and claimed: “There’s no age limit.” Small on-screen text stated: “Terms and exclusions apply”. The problem was that, while there was no upper age limit for buying a policy, the extent of cover did change with age: older customers faced tighter limits on trip duration. The ASA considered that the overall impression of the ad was that cover was available regardless of age on materially similar terms. A general reference to terms and exclusions was not enough: qualifications must clarify the headline claim, not contradict it.
Similar lessons arose in a group of ads reviewed by the ASA on sales promotions for retirement properties. A newspaper ad for Churchill Retirement Living offered cashback and moving packages when buying retirement apartments, with small text stating that terms and conditions applied and directing readers to a website. Although the ad made clear that the offer was time limited, the ASA considered that key conditions, including the necessary completion date and how cashback was calculated, should have appeared in the ad itself. Sending consumers elsewhere for significant conditions was not sufficient.
The ASA’s 2025 research noted that some participants felt “bombarded” by ads for funeral services, care homes, mobility aids and similar products. As targeting becomes more sophisticated, this may be difficult to avoid, but as ever, the ASA will guard against misleadingness and lack of clarity.
2026 TV ads for Simplicity Cremations (by Dignity Funerals Ltd), promoted low-cost “funeral plans made simple”, including a quoted price and claims that consumers could save money compared with a traditional funeral. However, the advertised “funeral plan” covered a non-attended cremation only. The advertiser said its wording aligned with FCA terminology and that the Simplicity brand signalled a more basic arrangement. The ASA considered that many viewers would understand “funeral plan” to mean more than a non-attended cremation. Even where wording has a technical basis, advertising must still make the nature of the product clear in the ad itself for the average consumer.
We look forward to even more colourful and fair representations of the older demographic. In the meantime, the ASA and CAP will continue to police the grey areas, so everyone, regardless of age, is given the information they need to make informed choices. If you’re not sure your ad includes the detail it should, get in touch with our Copy Advice team for bespoke advice on non-broadcast ads.
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