Are advertisers misjudging older consumers?

Published: 2-Feb-2016

97% of consumers would prefer to see older models advertising beauty products

A new survey from make-up brand Look Fabulous Forever has revealed that beauty brands are not targeting middle-aged and older consumers effectively. The brand has released a short video detailing the results on YouTube.

The survey was carried out by researchers at the London College of Fashion. It asked 509 females aged 40-89 from several different countries and of differing personal income, about their use of beauty products.

The study revealed that older consumers feel inaccurately represented by advertisers. Of those asked, 97% said they liked seeing older models and celebrities in advertising and 98% said that they wanted to see them used in adverts for beauty products aimed at their age group.

Models used in beauty products were a particular problem for the survey’s respondents, with 65% disliking current choices. Many said that those used to advertise products aimed at older women were usually too young and often digitally enhanced, with almost half of respondents saying that these tactics made them less likely to buy a product. However, 61% of participants liked the information shared in beauty adverts.

The survey also revealed that what older consumer are looking for in products. When asked why they choose to wear make-up, 53% of women asked said that they wear to look good. In contrast, just 2.8% said that they wear make-up in order to look younger.

Tricia Cusden, Founder at Look Fabulous Forever, commented: “When I set up the brand at the age of 65, I had a hunch there would be a lot of older women who felt similar to me – ignored and overlooked by the traditional beauty industry. This survey shows that there is a mismatch between how older women see themselves and how the advertising industry speaks to us.”

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