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HOW OLDER PERSONS ARE PORTRAYED IN TELEVISION ADVERTISING: IMPLICATIONS
FOR EDUCATORS
Roger Hiemstra
Maureen Goodman
Mary Ann Middlemiss
Richard Vosko
Nancy Ziegler
This article describes an examination of recent
television ads, primarily in respect to the treatment of older persons. The
purpose was to analyze the ads to determine if older people and images of aging
are portrayed in negative or stereotypical ways.
A total of 136 commercials were selected for content
analyses. The sample of older persons and people of other age groups were
viewed and coded by a minimum of two judges. The most significant finding was
the absence of the elderly in
television commercials. Only 11 of
358 human characters were
judged to be 60 or older, only 41
were 50 or older. Of the 130 human characters judged to be central figures,
only 6 were thought to be 60
or older.
This article provides several implications for educators.
They center around the notion that the educator must
become assertive in helping both the older person and the Madison Avenue
executive take steps to portray the older person more positively and
realistically.
Educational Gerontology, 9: 111-122, 1983
Copyright © by Hemisphere Publishing Corporation, A Taylor and Francis Journal.
Reprinted by Permission of the Journal’s editor
Stylistically, the article has been converted to APA, 5th Edition.
THE INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION
Introduction
Most people agree that television is a powerful medium in
promoting communication, providing information, and influencing attitudes
(Wass, Fillmer, & Ward, 1981). The importance of
the medium is dramatically illustrated at election times when candidates spend
millions to reach the 96% of American households with television sets.
This power, the money spent on advertising--5.5 billion
dollars by the 100 largest advertisers in 1979 (
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other people, for example, the
elderly. Several authors and researchers have shown that the elderly generally
are portrayed negatively in television commercials. In addition, while there
has been considerable research on the impact of television on younger viewers,
the effect of the medium on adult and elderly viewers has not received much
study (Kubey, 1977).
The elderly, in fact, also watch a considerable amount of
television (Bodec,. 1980; Kubey,
1977). Most programs shown on the three major networks, however, are aimed at
youth or young adults. Yet, older viewers also use a huge number of products
and spend a considerable amount of money each year: "The survey [of 45 to 34
year olds] found that more than 50 percent of all discretionary spending--any
income left over after fixed expenses are paid--is in the hands of this age
group." (Bell, 1982, p. 12) Thus, a tempting target for advertisers
appears to exist.
However, many companies and advertising agencies still do
not believe in marketing for older people (Allan, 1981; Davis, 1980; Waters,
1982). In fact, in television ads one seldom sees people over age 30 (
There also appear to be differences in opinion about the
possibility of negatively affecting society with advertising. For example, the
Gray Panthers' media watch group believes that there is considerable derogatory
advertising regarding older people and aging stereotypes on television.
However, in 1976 the National Advertising Review Board looked at a variety of
television ads and concluded they were not derogatory (
Networks, too, appear to ignore older people in casting
actors for many programs.
People
over 65... are grossly underrepresented on television.
Correspondingly, heavy-viewing Annenberg respondents believe that the elderly
are a vanishing breed, that they make up a smaller
proportion of the population today than they were two decades ago. In fact,
they form the nation's most rapidly expanding age group. (Waters, 1982, p. 137)
For a specific research example, Aronoff (1974) studied 2,741 characters in prime time over a two-year period and found that less than 5% were older people. When older characters were shown, they often were portrayed as either victims or villains. A later study by Harris and Feinberg (1977) showed that out of 312 characters
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observed and rated, only 8.3% were
60 or older; 25% of these were shown to be in poor health. A more recent study
(Cassata, Anderson, & Skill, 1980) suggested improvements in terms of
representation. In 365 characters observed in daytime serial dramas, 15.9% were
believed to be 55 or older, with most of them presented as healthy. Thus, it is
uncertain whether the portrayal of older persons on television is beginning to
move toward a closer representation of societal reality.
Attitudes toward
the Elderly
Societal attitudes toward the elderly have been studied in a
variety of settings in addition to television. For example, Smith (1976)
completed a content analysis of the elderly as portrayed in prescription drug
ads. The elderly were negatively portrayed in a majority of the ads. Such
negative portrayals were suggested as reinforcing existing stereotypes of the
elderly.
Peterson and Karnes (1976) completed a content analysis of
adolescent literature of the twentieth century. Older characters were
representative in relation to demographic percentages, but were found to be
underdeveloped and often peripheral to the main theme or story. In addition, no
differences were found between the ways older characters were portrayed in
books published early in the century and the most recently published books.
Peterson and Eden (1977) reported similar findings when exploring the effects
of adolescent literature on the attitudes of teenagers.
Davies (1977) examined attitudes toward the elderly as portrayed in jokebooks. A very negative attitude toward the aging of women was found. A similar study involved an examination of the texts of 127 poems (Sohngen & Smith, 1978). Strongly negative attitudes about physical, emotional, and social losses were observed. Such materials can be hypothesized to reinforce negative stereotypes that persist in the media.
Unfortunately, the elderly frequently are negatively
portrayed when television is the setting (Wass, Fillmer,
& Ward, 1981). For example, in television commercials, older people often
are depicted as old-fashioned, are instructed by younger characters to make
some changes, and seldom are seen in companionship or interpersonal roles (Francher, 1973). Aging persons often are shown as having
medical problems (Harris & Feinberg, 1977), as being less healthy today
than they were in earlier years (Waters, 1982), or as needing certain age
retarding products (Francher, 1973). As Gage (1980)
put it, "To watch and read advertising you would think older
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people have entirely different
needs than everyone else." (p. 4)
This product association stereotype goes beyond medical or
age-reducing products. Harris & Feinberg (1977) investigated 80 commercials
with 198 characters and found the following in assessing types of products: (1)
clothing--no characters over 40; (2) appliances--only one character over 60;
(3) personal care & cosmetics--only one person over 40; (4) automobiles--none
over 60; and (5) food--only 3 people over 60. Thus, it appears that advertisers
limit the use of older characters because they are generally believed to be
"poor copy."
This situation is even more striking when older women are
considered. Francher (1973) found them usually
portrayed in less than attractive roles. Harris and Feinberg (1977) suggest
that older women usually are shown to have declined considerably on various
characteristics. Serock (1979), in a study of
television commercials aired during children's programs, demonstrated that
elderly women usually are severely underrepresented and, when shown, usually
are associated with domestic roles.
Other viewpoints do exist, however, regarding values
assigned to television advertising. For example, Schreiber and Boyd (1980)
found in their study that the elderly generally had high regard for television
ads and felt that older characters were positively portrayed. Obviously,
additional research is required, not only to better understand the effects of
television advertising, but also to provide some guidance to advertisers and
networks.
The Future and Television Advertising
There is evidence that the very nature of advertising is
changing (Newsweek, 1977). Many companies are now beginning to gear some
of their products toward older customers (Allan, 1981). Fuller cut jeans,
clothing for mature figures, caffeine-free coffee, and shampoos for the older
person are some of the examples often cited. The elderly person also is being
seen as a new and potentially large audience (U.S. News & World Report, 1980). The facts
are: older adults spend more on medicines (Doolittle, 1977); older adults spend
more on home maintenance and home repair (Davis, 1980); and older adults spend
more on vacations, restaurant meals, home food purchases, new cars, insurance,
and home appliances (Allan, 1981).
Perhaps the biggest recognition by advertisers is that the
elderly cannot be treated as a homogeneous group. Older people also are less
gullible than younger people and less prone to social pressure
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from peers (Newsweek, 1977). Thus, the growing buying power of the
elderly and the declines in numbers of younger adults may result in
advertiser's thinking less of age and more of likes and dislikes of people
(Gage, 1980). This article reports on some research aimed at better
understanding the current view of the advertisers.
METHOD
Are advertisers and advertising agencies portraying older
persons in more positive ways? The jury is still out. Some researchers and the
television industry itself believe that the elderly are being portrayed more
positively. Indeed, some companies do cater to the older consumer. Thus, the
purpose of this research was to analyze current images of aging in television
advertising.
The sample of people of all age groups were viewed in
television commercials aired during the summer of 1981. Half-hour time slots
for all three major networks were randomly selected to include weekdays,
weekends, and evenings. A total of 136 commercials were selected within these
various categories. The television commercials covered a wide range of products
and advertisers.
The commercials were content analyzed to provide information
on a variety of characteristics. A minimum of two judges viewed each commercial
until unanimous agreement was reached regarding the codes to be assigned to
each category. For example, age was determined by two or more judges viewing
each character and independently assessing what each believed the age of that
character to be. Ten-year decades (twenties, thirties, etc.) were used. If the
judges disagreed on the assigned age category, a third judge was used with all
three viewing the ad again until a unanimous decision was reached on the
category code to be assigned. The data collected from this sample included
demographic information on all characters shown, their perceived portrayal in
terms of appearance and behaviors, and the types of roles portrayed by
characters. The age group of 50 and older was used for designating a character
as an older person. Specific remarks regarding people 60 and older also are
included in this article because much of the literature cited above refers to
people in the sixties or beyond.
The data were analyzed to address six areas of interest identified in the review of related research: (1) the extent to which older persons (50 years of age or older) are represented in television commercials, (2) the extent of the portrayal of older women, (3) the realism of the portrayal of older people, (4) how families are
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portrayed in relationship to older
people being present, (5) the nature of the product when older persons are
present, and (6) the overall tone of commercials relative to any glorification
of youth.
RESULTS
Of the 136 commercials analyzed, only 32 had one or more
characters 50 years of age or older. Only 11 commercials included one or more
people believed to be in their sixties or older. Overall, as shown in Table 1,
there were 41 characters thought to be
TABLE 1
Demographic and Portrayal Characteristics
|
|
All characters (N = 358a) |
Central figures (N = 130) |
Older characters (N = 41) |
|
Characteristic |
No. % |
No. % |
No. % |
|
Gender |
|
|
|
|
Female |
176 49.2 |
066 50.8 |
014 34.1 |
|
Male |
182 50.8 |
064 49.2 |
027 65.9 |
|
Age |
|
|
|
|
Youth |
123 34.4 |
029 22.3 |
000 00.0 |
|
Twenties |
059 16.5 |
016 12.3 |
000 00.0 |
|
Thirties |
086 24.0 |
041 31.5 |
000 00.0 |
|
Forties |
049 13.7 |
021 16.2 |
000 00.0 |
|
Fifties |
030 08.4 |
017 13.1 |
030 73.2 |
|
Sixties |
010 02.8 |
005 03.8 |
010 24.4 |
|
Seventies |
001 00.3 |
001 00.8 |
001 02.4 |
|
Primary portrayal |
|
|
|
|
Mother-wife |
033 09.2 |
019 14.6 |
002 04.9 |
|
Husband-father |
016 04.5 |
008 06.2 |
000 00.0 |
|
Child |
019 05.3 |
003 02.3 |
000 00.0 |
|
Consumer |
082 22.9 |
058 44.6 |
014 34.1 |
|
Seller |
022 06.1 |
021 16.2 |
005 12.2 |
|
Sexy-macho |
014 03.9 |
005 03.8 |
000 00.0 |
|
Silly-funny |
002 00.1 |
002 01.5 |
002 04.9 |
|
Background person |
154 43.0 |
000 00.0 |
010 24.4 |
|
Other |
016 04.5 |
014 10.8 |
008 19.5 |
Note. Totals do not equal 100% because of rounding. Age 50 and older was used for display and comparative purposes.
aTen cartoon characters were excluded from
analysis.
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at least age 50, comprising less
than 12% of the total. Those 60 and older made up only 3.1% of the total. Thus,
in relationship to our first area of interest, the elderly are noticeably underrepresented
when compared to the 15.7% of the
The second area of interest pertained to the portrayal of
women in commercials, especially older women. As also can be seen in Table 1,
some 66% of the characters 50 years of age and older were males. A further
examination of the data revealed that less than 1% of all characters shown were
females over the age of 59. This represents a very unrealistic portrayal, as
the Bureau of Census (1982) reports that more than 9% of the
A third area of interest in this research called for an
examination of how realistically older people are portrayed in commercials. As
can be seen in Table 2, advertisers and advertising agencies have some problems
in portraying older persons as old. Few bald or balding people and fewer still
with wrinkled skin were observed. It was believed by the research team that the
majority of older people are portrayed as "young-old," with a
noticeable absence of very old looking people. In addition, an unrealistic
portrayal according to race was noted, with only one black person 50 or older
observed. No people over 60 were black, whereas the 1982 census information
reveals that 7% of all individuals in the
The fourth area of interest pertained to how older people
are depicted in terms of family relationships. Older people were portrayed
primarily as nondescript adults with no observable family ties (see Table 2).
As the majority of older people are tied to a family in some direct way, it was
surprising that more grandparent or parent roles were not written into the
commercial scripts. It would appear very difficult for many viewers to obtain
notions about extended families through television ads.
The fifth interest area concerned the nature of advertised products
involving older people. Older people are most likely to be observed in
commercials dealing with health products, food products, consumer services, and
household products. They are
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Table 2 Portrayal
Characteristics of Older Persons
|
Characteristic |
Number (N = 41a) |
Percentage |
|
Race |
|
|
|
Caucasian |
38 |
92.7 |
|
Black |
01 |
02.4 |
|
Unknown |
02 |
04.9 |
|
Hair color |
|
|
|
Gray or white |
19 |
46.3 |
|
Graying |
10 |
24.4 |
|
Bald or balding |
03 |
07.3 |
|
Other |
09 |
22.0 |
|
Skin condition |
|
|
|
Clear or good |
17 |
41.5 |
|
Wrinkling |
10 |
24.4 |
|
Wrinkled |
02 |
04.9 |
|
Other |
12 |
29.3 |
|
Dress |
|
|
|
Sloppy-tacky-funny |
11 |
26.8 |
|
Informal-casual-work |
22 |
53.7 |
|
Formal-business attire |
07 |
17.1 |
|
Other |
01 |
02.4 |
|
Family relationships |
|
|
|
Parent |
01 |
02.4 |
|
Grandparent |
03 |
07.3 |
|
Spouse |
02 |
04.9 |
|
Other relative |
01 |
02.4 |
|
Friend-Neighbor |
24 |
58.5 |
|
Other |
06 |
14.6 |
aFor
two individuals it was impossible to determine the racial designation.
least likely to be shown in ads related to toys, games, or
recreation (surprising when the leisure time available to many older people is
considered), appliances, automobiles or automobile parts, personal products,
and liquid foods. It also was noted that the age of central characters
increases when health-related products are advertised.
The sixth area of interest pertained to the overall tone of
commercials in relation to youth and being young. It was believed by the
research team that another way of examining advertising attitudes toward the
elderly was to determine if a glorification of youth exists. In this study, the
most frequently portrayed central character was a healthy, often sexy or
macho-looking person in his or her early thirties or in the teen years. As a
matter of fact, some 66%
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of all central characters were
assessed to be under 40. Although the vast majority of commercials (77.2%) were
evaluated as neutral in terms of the overall message, 14.7% were believed to
glorify youth in some manner. Less than 7% were actually believed to denigrate
older people or aging in some fashion, but only a small fraction (.7%) actually
provided an overt positive view of being old.
In addition to the type of information described above, a
variety of other observations can be made. One feeling that persisted for
research team members was that television commercials do not really acknowledge
the existence of the older person. This commission rather than omission does
not account for the millions of older individuals in the
This increasing number of healthy and active people in the
50 and older age range also indicates the considerable purchasing power toward
which advertisers could turn their attention. The few suggestions in the
literature that manufacturers and companies are beginning to cater to older
consumers were not observable in the commercials selected for analysis in this
study. Recent qualitative observations by the team suggest that perhaps more older people, especially older women, and more
minorities are being used in commercials. Future research will have to verify
that notion. Obviously, products that are designed, for example, to cover or
remove age spots or to remove the gray from hair may be difficult to sell while
simultaneously providing a positive view of being older. At the same time,
products that are only for arthritis sufferers may have a limited set of
parameters within which the tone for an ad can be set. Therefore, there are
numerous implications for educational professionals and others that may help
make a difference in the approach to creating future television commercials.
IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
Education professionals have the ability, perhaps even the
responsibility, to increase the consciousness of individuals and hence their self-esteem
and power. Such an ability has been used in the past and
can be used in the future with older people. The increasing older population
has the potential for a powerful role in society. Thus, there is considerable
merit in (1) altering the emphasis on youth and staying young, two values which
are constantly reinforced by television commercials, and (2) providing older
people
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with a source of social validation. Younger people, too, will benefit by viewing more accurate pictures of growing and being older.
Therefore, two important roles are suggested for
professional educators. The first is to serve as change agents in
providing opportunities for both youth and older people to adjust to life
changes. For example, it has been shown by this research and by several other researchers
that age is not portrayed accurately in television commercials relative to such
factors as the numbers of older persons used as characters. Thus, educators
need to take positive steps to help both young and older people understand such
inaccuracies. A better informed population is more able to respond to change and
changes that come naturally with age. Therefore, educational programs that
counter the values ,permeated through all forms of the
media would be a positive step.
Another role is that of social intervention. It may
be a very appropriate role for educators to assert themselves in facilitating
advertisers and advertising agencies to realistically examine the part they
play in forming cultural values and beliefs. Why does the advertising industry
believe that it is not producing offensive or inaccurate commercials as it
reports from its own study efforts? Perhaps it does not understand that the way
people are portrayed affects attitudes toward aging and older people. Another
answer may be that older people are not yet perceived to be good copy that will
sell products. Thus, it is suggested that educators have a responsibility in
helping both consumers and producers take positive steps to correct intentional
misleading and negative perceptions that may exist. The media watch efforts of
the Gray Panthers is a step in the direction of assertiveness that other educators
may follow.
Like most research, this study also raised more questions
than it answered. How do people view ads with particular cultural or subcultural biases? Does the presence of an older person in
a commercial produce a positive or a negative effect on the viewer in terms of
a desire to purchase the product? Do advertising agencies or networks display
differing attitudes about the portrayal of elderly in ads? Are there regional
differences in the impact on attitudes if older people are portrayed in certain
ways?
Helping people to live full lives and to develop positive
attitudes about their own aging is a large, continuous, and important task. It
is hoped that the research reported here and the future research that will
answer questions like those listed above will make some contributions to that
task. Educators, perhaps more than any other
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professional, have a responsibility
to counteract negative attitudes that exist about the aging process because
most such attitudes are learned. The struggle may not be easy but it must be
made.
REFERENCES
Allan, C. B.
(1981, March). Measuring mature markets. American
Demographics, 13-17.
Aronoff, C. (1974). Old age in prime time. Journal of Communication, 24, 86-87.
Bodec, B. (1980, December). Retirement-Market
with a future. Marketing & Media Decision, 7, 4-76+.
Bureau of the Census. (1982, March). 1980 Census of
Population and Housing (Supplemental report: Provisional estimates of
social, economic, and housing characteristics: PHC80-S1-1).
Cassata, M. B.,
Davies, L. J.
(1977). Attitudes toward old age and aging as shown by humor.
The Gerontologist, 17, 220-225.
Davis, R. H.
(1980). Television and the aging audience.
Doolittle, J. C.
(1977, November). Predictors of media use among retired
older adults. Paper presented at the conference of the
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Francher, J. S. (1973). It's the Pepsi generation--Accelerated
aging and the television commercial. International Journal of Aging and
Human Development, 4, 245-255.
Gage, T. J. (1980,
August 25). Ads targeted at mature in need of creative hoist. Advertising Age, 4-5.
Harris, A. J., & Feinberg, J. F. (1977). Television and
aging: Is what you see what you get? The Gerontologist, 17, 464-468.
Kubey, R. W. (1977, November). Television and the
elderly: A critical review. Paper presented at the conference of the
Gerontological Society,
Newsweek.
(1977, February 18). The graying of America.
Newsweek, 63-78.
Peterson, D. A.
& Eden, D. Z. (1977). Teenagers and aging: Adolescent literature as an
attitude source. Educational Gerontology, 2, 311-325.
Peterson, D. A. & Karnes, E. L. (1976). Older people in adolescent literature. The Gerontologist,
16, 225-231.
Schreiber, E. S. & Boyd, D. A. (1980). How the elderly
perceive television commercials. Journal of Communication, 30, 61-70.
Serock, K. E. (1979). An analysis of
the portrayal of the elderly in television commercials viewed by children.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation,
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Smith, M. C.
(1976). Portrayal of the elderly in prescription drug
advertising. The Gerontologist, 16, 329-334.
Sohngen, M.
& Smith, R. J. (1978). Images of old age in
poetry. The Gerontologist, 18, 181-186.
U.S. News & World Report. (1980, September 1). Life
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(1981). Education about aging: A rationale. Educational Gerontology, 7, 355-361.
Waters, H. F.
(1982, December 6). Life according to TV. Newsweek,
136-140.
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