Not enough older faces

Anchor Trust has accused the BBC of not having enough older people in its programmes, compared to rival ITV. The company commissioned an "older faces audit" that claims only 20% of presenters and actors on BBC One are aged over 50.This compares to 27% on ITV1, based on figures collated during one week.

Needless to say the BBC said it did not believe that the study provided an accurate reflection of its output.

Why can I not excited by this ‘research’. Perhaps because it is blatantly a PR ‘research project’ – nothing wrong with that – but don’t let’s confuse it as being something done for the good of mankind rather than generating a few column inches.

Secondly, if we want to start counting faces we might come up with some other interesting observations. Too many/too few non-whites. Too many/too few women rather than men. How about counting people over the age of 75 – the age group that Anchor is involved with.

Savour this moment. There are few times when I write to defend the BBC but this is one of them. Dick Stroud

What you think about age depends on how old you are

Buried away in this 164 page report, just published by the Department for Wages and Pensions about the attitudes of Brits to age are some fascinating and a somewhat disturbing findings.

The research in this report is based on secondary analysis of data from five national surveys (with a total of 6000 respondents).

Here are a few of the findings:

There were very large age differences in perceptions of 'old age', however on average respondents judged that youth ends at 45 years and old age starts at 63 years of age. The trend is for older people to judge the end of youth and start of old age to be much later in life than did younger people.

One in five (22%) of respondents perceived people over 70 as posing an economic threat (taking out more from the economy than they have or currently put in). Younger respondents (36%) perceived this economic threat more than did older respondents.

The majority of respondents viewed older people in a positive light. However 9% expressed indirect prejudice against those over 70 years of age and a further 9% did not feel it was important to control their prejudice against other age groups.

There was significant social separation between older and younger people with 69% of respondents regarded people under 30 and over 70 as having little or nothing in common. The findings also suggest that as people live longer they may become increasingly isolated from younger generations with less than a third of respondents aged over 70 having friends aged under 30.

Attitudes to old age were more positive in regions with a higher proportion of older people, suggesting the local context also makes a difference to attitudes to age. For example, London had the smallest proportion of people aged over 65 compared with younger people compared to other regions and was more likely to perceive people over 70 and under 30 as belonging to two separate age groups.

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Undoubtedly the tensions, related to age, will increase as the next wave of the recession bites when jobs get even harder to get and keep and public expenditure cuts accelerates. Not good. Dick Stroud

UK older people’s day

Not long to go and the UK has a day aimed at me. I have to be honest with you to say that I have only just found out, nobody invited me along or told me about it, but I should be ungrateful.

The web site says that: “Full of Life is a celebration of the opportunities, achievements, and aspirations of older people and their contribution to our society and economy.”

Thanks for thinking about me. Dick Stroud

"older consumers are less impressionable" - discuss

Many thanks to Kim Walker for telling me about this article in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper entitled: “Disney film (Up) sparks ageism debate.”

Disney's Pixar studio is launching a film called Up and apparently it is being given the thumbs down by investors and toy manufacturers because its main character, a grumpy 78-year-old man, is not considered commercially attractive.

It would seem to be a story of an old guy who ties balloons to his house in order to become airborne. He accidentally drags an eight-year-old scout along with him and the pair then go on adventures in South America. It sounds dreadful!

"The film doesn't sound like much of a goer," said one buyer for a leading British toy retailer. Why doesn’t that surprise me?

The really interesting part of the article is that it goes on to get a quote from Hamish Pringle, director general of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), who is quoted as saying: "Older people are rarely the centrepiece of campaigns despite the booming grey market and the obvious reality that we are an ageing population.”. Yep, no doubt about that.

Mr Pringle then goes on to say, as quoted in the paper "There have been one or two specialist ad agencies catering for the older market but they haven't been particularly successful, partly because older consumers are less impressionable."

I won’t comment about the success, or not, of specialist agencies but the bit about older consumers being “less impressionable” needs a response. I am not sure if he is using as a criticism or a compliment. It doesn’t really matter since whenever you try and categories 10s of millions of people as being like ‘this’ or ‘that’ it shows that you have lost the plot.

Commentators should distinguish between something being a bad idea, as it would seem Disney’s film might be, and not go on to derive more abstract and generalised conclusions. Dick Stroud

New BBC series about ageing in different parts of the world

The BBC World Service is broadcasting 4 programmes about how ageing varies around the planet.

This is the programme blurb.

Our world is ageing rapidly. By 2050 more than 1 in 5 of us will be over 60. For the first time in human history there will be more over 60s than children under 15.

Most of the world's older people live in developing countries. Yet definitions, expectations, and the problems of old age are changing rapidly. So what is it like to be old in today's world?

In this four part series we meet Third Agers from four continents to find out.

Download the podcast and have a listen. Dick Stroud

Ageism is never far below the surface

For all of the soothing words about how ageism was not going to feature in the US Presidential Elections it hasn’t taken long to thrust itself to surface. This is the current cover of Vanity Fair, a magazine that describes itself as:

From entertainment to world affairs, business to style, design to society, Vanity Fair is a cultural catalyst—a magazine that provokes and drives the popular dialogue.

With its unique mix of stunning photography, in-depth reportage, and social commentary, Vanity Fair accelerates ideas and images to centre stage.

Each month, Vanity Fair is an unrivalled media event that reaches millions of modern, sophisticated consumers who create demand for your brand.

This is the photo that the magazine thinks is appropriate for its media page – may as well throw in a dose of sexism for good measure. Dick Stroud

China picks up bad habits from Western companies

A fact – in the next decade China will have one of the world’s the fastest ageing populations. An observation – the average age of China’s Communist Party’s top honchos is at least 75 years old.

With these two points in mind, I had to laugh when I read this snippet from the China Daily in an article about the recruitment of senior managers for its elite State enterprises.

Applicants must have at least a bachelor's degree and candidates applying for general manager roles must be under 50, the SASAC said. Only the "exceptionally competent" over-50s will be considered for these positions but even they must be under 53.

Well at least the Chinese are upfront about "employment death" at 50-plus unlike their Western counterparts. Dick Stroud

Sexism, racism, class and ageism (maybe)

Danah Boyd is one smart lady who combines real insight with a superb writing style. If you want to really understand what is going on in the social networking space then she is the person to follow. Have a look at Futurelab where you can see a lot of her postings and a few of mine.

Her latest posting on her own blog is brilliant. It really sums up what I am sure a lot of people think about the US Presidential campaign. It has descended into a rather tacky amateur dramatic performance of the battle between the evils of sexism, racism with a smidgen of class.

The one ism that is talked about is ageism. I have already written on this subject, in the context of John McCain. Danah exactly captures my opinion when she says: “I don't have a lot of patience when people suggest that one intolerance is better or worse than the other”.

Let us hope that the Democrats take her words to heart when they are creating their creative for the fight-off with the Republicans. Dick Stroud

Ageism is the only 'ism' you can get away with these days.

What is the connection between John McCain (US Republican candidate for the presidency) and Ming Campbell (sacked leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrats). They are both oldish (70+) and look it.

Both guys have been the target of jibes about their age that would never be tolerated if the subject was their gender, sexuality or race.

This is a good article in The Times on the subject.

It puts liberal minded Democrats in an interesting position. Do you take the view that anything is worth riding the US of the Republicans or do you draw a line at the campaigns focused on McCain’s age? Dick Stroud

It is not all rosy getting old

Age Concern (the UK charity for older people) has published yet another report telling us what we already know and will continue to ignore. I quote:

Over a million older people – including one in five people over 80 – are shut out from society and ignored by government policy, according to a new report by Age Concern. The charity is warning that severe exclusion among older people is a significant and pressing problem that will not disappear without urgent government action.

It might have been a good idea if Age Concern had updated its Web site with access to the report (but that is another subject) -it seems that the report contains loads of facts and figures confirming the serious plight of a large trance of the older society. Diagnosing the problem is really easy – the solutions are not. Age Concern comes up with a set of 'process solutions'.

Joined up high profile leadership: there must be a cross-departmental government commitment to help the most disadvantaged older people.

'Age-proof’ inclusion and renewal programmes: central and local government strategies for tackling social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal must include older people.

Re-model local services around the needs of the most excluded: local authorities should ensure their services are joined-up, user-friendly, rooted in the community and flexible enough to reach out to vulnerable older people.

I feel sorry for organisations like Age Concern. They know, or at least the people working there that I know, realise that these sorts of suggestions are about as useful as a chocolate teacup. Well, at least you can eat a chocolate teacup.

Without a real commitment, and I mean a real commitment by government, nothing will happen. OK, a couple of token schemes a bit of spin, a few speeches, photos taken outside old people's homes, but nothing that will have any real impact. Sad. Dick Stroud

Media agencies are getting younger

The IPA’s 2007 Agency Census has just been published. I rushed to see what was happening to the age of agency staff. Wow, the percentage of under 30s are increasing.

In 2007, the percentage of media agency staff who are under 30 was 61.6% and the average age of all staff was 31.0 years.

This compares with last year (2006 figures) where the numbers were 60.6% and 31.2 years old respectively.

Well nothing new there then. Dick Stroud

Patronising piffle

This posting is partly a gripe and partly an insight into the UK media’s attitude to older people.

On Sunday morning there is a radio programme on the BBC that is a look-back at the week on what is supposedly the thinking man/women’s channel (Radio 4).

There is a short slot when a group of worthies/celebrities, or people selected for some other ‘talent’, review the Sunday newspapers.

During the previous week the UK’s press has been full of stories about how the media, in particular the BBC, has been misleading the public. Amongst many stories there was an item that revealed that a programme that purports to show a survival expert ‘surviving’ is actually shot a short walk from a 5 star hotel where the star of the show spends his time in the bar and jacuzzi when not giving the impression that he is in the depths of darkest Africa.

Have a listen (This is file in .wmv format).

As the sound clip starts the person selecting and describing the story is a long since forgotten children’s TV presenter (Janet Ellis). After she has mumbled on for a minute or two you next hear somebody who sounds as if she is both mentally defective and suffering from a speech impediment. Unfortunately, she is a senior Member of Parliament (Gwyneth Dunwoody) - a women with an ego only matched by her naïve stupidity.

Finally you hear the words of wisdom from Peter Bazalgette. This guy has made a fortune from flooding UK TV with programming that makes the Jerry Springer show look like a discussion between a bunch of Nobel Prize winners.

Just listen to the arrogance of it all. Just listen to contempt these people have for the poor souls who are forced to pay for the BBC.

Most importantly just listen to Peter Bazalgette’s attitude to older people who he thinks are too dim to understand the “Grammar of Television”. Unfortunately, the views of this guy are all too common throughout the UK media. Dick Stroud

Too old at 33

Today it was announced that Burberry will replace Kate Moss with a younger model(s).

This doesn’t seem to be anything to do with her ‘habits’ since Burberry originally dumped Moss following allegations of her use of drugs and then was one of the first brands to rehire her last year. Old Father Time has caught up with Kate and she will be replaced with a couple of 20 year-olds. This follows lingerie brand Agent Provocateur axing the Ms Moss earlier this week.

Moss is now exactly the same age as the average employee of a UK media agency so maybe that’s the explanation. I somehow don’t think that she will be the first in line to join Nicole Kidman in the Nintendo advertising campaign. Dick Stroud

Bigoted Boomer Bashing

The editorial in the Financial Times read: “Young, gifted, poor” with the tag line “There has never been such a great time to be 60 years old” followed by this ‘letter’

Dear Mum and Dad,

If you've been reading the papers this week you might have noticed a thought-provoking finding. Apparently, nearly half of all young Brits are now relying on their families for help with scraping together the money for a deposit on a house, up from 10 per cent in 1995. That sounds about right.

To my generation, the property listings are a bit like a celebrity gossip magazine; exciting but utterly unattainable.
When I talk to my friends abroad, they're trying to borrow cash from their parents too. Property prices in Dublin or New York are sky high, and in the US my contemporaries are struggling to pay for health insurance on top of it all. Yet I'm told that US government spending on healthcare is higher, per person, than in the UK. I guess it's expensive to subsidise drugs for seniors.

You'd think that the wealthy baby boomers would be paying high taxes to provide all that healthcare, but a lot of it seems to be funded by issuing debt instead. I wonder who will deal with the repayments.

Anyway, I'm writing to congratulate you on Dad's generous early retirement package. I know he'll be wondering what to do with himself all day, but I'm sure the final salary pension will stretch to a few luxury cruises. The final salary scheme at my employer closed before I was hired, but once I've put together the deposit for a bedsit, I'll try to save for my own pension - if the mortgage repayments allow that.

I wouldn't be so cheeky as to ask you for help with that deposit. I know you're worried about your central heating bill. The special low rate of tax on domestic fuel must help you a bit. It also encourages carbon emissions, warms the planet, and so may lower my own fuel bills in the future. It's a weight off my mind, it really is.

Thanks!

I did want to ask something, though. The old saying is that rather than inheriting the planet from our ancestors, each generation borrows it from their children. If that's true, could I please see some collateral on the loan?

Yours affectionately, Junior

This is typical of ‘”let’s blame all on the Boomers” type of articles that are increasingly popping up in the UK and US. Brent Green recently wrote about it his blog (Boomer Bashing on Steroids).

If you are going to write such an editorial it might be an idea to at least get your facts right! In normal circumstances I would never write about generational norms but what’s good enough for one generation is OK for the others. What follows is Mum & Dad’s response. I appreciate it is written from a UK perspective. I am certain your own national examples could be easily substituted.

Dear Junior

Nice to know that you are back from your second gap year travels. The photos of Sydney and New York looked fantastic, although we are worried to see that you haven’t kicked your binge drinking habit. It would be nice to think that one day we might visit these places, rather than gazing at photos attached to the occasional e-mail asking for another few quid to keep you partying.

Your mum and I were reminiscing about the “gap week” we had between leaving school at sixteen and starting work. It seems strange to think that only 6% of us then went into higher education, unlike 43% of today’s school leavers.

Those were the days - 2 weeks holiday a year and no excuse for not having a job.

That brings me to your sister. Afraid she is still one of the 1.3 million Neets (not in employment, education or training) generation. I can’t understand how she finds it so hard to get a job when none of those lovely young Pole and Czech youngsters appear to have any problems. One bit of good news, she should be starting her drug rehabilitation classes in the next few weeks
I thought your degree in media and origami would have given you a smattering of basic economics. But no, from the mistakes in your letter it looks like you will need to attend one of these remedial classes that employers are forced to provide for their new graduates. Five minutes using Google would have avoided these silly mistakes.

Only 44% of health spending in the US is funded by the government compared to 72% in OECD countries. Where did you get that nonsense about them having to subsidize drugs for seniors?

Our dear Mr Blair has created an extra 900,000 jobs in the public sector, all with nice fat final salary pensions. I know you don’t necessarily want to be an ‘outreach worker’ or a ‘coordinator’s assistant’s assistant’ but there are still plenty of final salary pensionable jobs about if you want one. So not so much snipping about my ‘early retirement package’ – that is corporate speak for redundancy.

Your biggest gripe is about the cost of housing. There you have a point. The affordability of housing today is around the same level as it was back in 1989. You were only were only four so you will not remember what happened next – the property crash. Be patient. What goes up can come down, and normally does!

Don’t be so gloomy. I am sure if you lost some weight, stopped smoking and didn’t drink so much, the world will look a lot better. I am sure your mates’ stag nights in Prague and Barcelona will cheer you up.

I had better get back to writing the umpteenth job application. Not much fun trying to get re-employed when you are 50-plus.

Love
Mum and Dad

I will be returning to this subject. Dick Stroud

Ian Woodall – a brave guy

Last year I was contacted by Ian Woodall. He has been to the top of Everest a couple of times and intended to do it again this year. The reason for contacting me was that he is over-50 and thought it would make a good story.

Before he makes another attempt at the summit he is going to bury the body of Fran Arsentiev who died just 300 metres from the summit.

This story is being reported in the UK, US and Australia. The next time somebody gives you the garbage about the 50-plus being stuck in their ways and not willing to try new experiences – point them to the Ian Woodall story. Dick Stroud

Ageism in marketing

The CIM has published a paper about ageism in the marketing profession. I am afraid that this section from the report absolutely sums up the attitude of far too many marketers.

Prejudice about older employees is rife in the marketing profession, and it will be a long time before these deep routed opinions are challenged. It is widely believed that the young have a monopoly on dynamism and creativity, while the more seasoned employees have allowed cynicism and to snuff out any creative spark.

Similarly, with more and more marketing spend moving into the online environment, there is clearly a need to recruit people who are comfortable in this cyber-world, and it is often assumed that it is only the young, (who have grown up with technology), who will be sufficiently adept.

So what happens to older marketers? Where do they go after their 40th birthday? Nobody has ever really answered that question. Alien abduction? Dick Stroud