havas worldwide prosumer report: aging--moving beyond youth culture

Summer 2012

Extensive online survey created by Havas Worlwide and fielded by Market Probe International

Aging 2012

The global obsession with youth is undergoing a transformation, as youth and youthfulness become increasingly

less tied to chronological age. Rather than shy away from growing old, more people are embracing their later years and the

unique satisfactions they’ll bring.

Consumption gaps are shrinking as people in older age segments continue to

enjoy and employ new technologies, products, and entertainment options. The

traditional notion of older people withdrawing from consumer markets no

longer applies.

Concerns related to aging center less on physical beauty these days than on loss of autonomy. The potential for physical and cognitive decline is of widespread concern, as are worries over long-term financial security. For these reasons,

people are now wary of pushing the limits of longevity.

How one ages—and even the manner in which one dies—is increasingly perceived as controllable rather than predetermined.

This means people are feeling more pressure and responsibility for a

satisfactory outcome.

“There have been three great ages of death: the age of disaster, the age of disease, and the age of decay.”

—Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics, University College London

What we’ll cover:

A Tempering of Our Youth Obsession

No Shame in Growing Old

Staying Youthful Longer

Have You Hit Your Peak?

What Worries Us About Aging

Rejecting a Century at Any Price

Heading Toward a New World Order?

Things to Think About

“Why is the society obsessed with youth? Is it a media-created thing? My grandma says in her times only older people were taken seriously and highly respected. So what happened? Why is everyone so ageist nowadays? I find it stupid big time.”

—Giselle, posting on Yahoo! India

A Tempering of Our Youth Obsession

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

“Society has grown much too youth obsessed”

Oprah, 58Jennifer Lopez, 42Jennifer

Connelly, 41Halle Berry, 45 Nicole

Kidman, 45

Eva Longoria, 37

Jessica Alba, 31

Michelle Pfeiffer, 54 Sarah Jessica Parker, 47

Julia Roberts, 44

Victoria Beckham, 38

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

“I have had or would consider having cosmetic surgery to look younger”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

Attitudes toward cosmetic surgery now more a generational than a gender divide

26 18 10

1834 3554 55+

66 68

Male Female

“I have had or would consider having cosmetic surgery to look younger”

“Cosmetic surgery has gotten out of hand; people should be more accepting of how they look at every age”

63 68 76

1834 3554 55+

22 19

MaleFemale

No Shame in Growing Old

“The big ideal is no longer aggressive anti-aging but smart aging based on the intention to embrace aging and all that comes with it. People want to tune their bodies with sports, fitness, and food and their minds with sleep, love, books, socializing, etc. in order to age well.” —Havas Worldwide Germany

Which comes closer to your point of view? I intend to age gracefully:

there is no shame in growing old

I intend to fight aging every step of the way; I’ll do anything and everything I can to stay youthful longer

Staying Youthful Longer

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

“I look younger than most people my age”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

“I feel younger than most people my age”

Will shared technologies and digital

entertainment options further diminish the

cultural gap between young and old?

Have You Hit Your Peak?

Average global life expectancy is now 67, ranging from a low of just more than 39 years in Mozambique to nearly 83 years in Japan

That’s up from just 40 years in 1800

As the lifetime scale has been elongated, virtually everything about how we perceive youth and aging has shifted dramatically

Showing global survey averages

Start of middle age: 48

Start of old age: 71

Showing global survey averages

At what age do men/women hit their _______ peak?

What Worries Us About Aging

Showing % that are moderately/very/extremely worried

Which aspects of aging worry

you?

Most worried about loss of autonomy and function

Showing % that are moderately/very/extremely worried

More than 6 in 10 worry they’ll run

out of money before they die

59% fear they won’t be able

to afford adequate medical care as they grow older

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

“Government needs to do more to protect and provide for the elderly”

64 75 84

1834 3554 55+

“In our new world, people are obsessed with the idea of lifelong autonomy and mobility—and it is changing their relationship with aging. It’s no longer enough to age beautifully and gracefully; now we must age in such a way that we retain our ability to do things, to contribute and be productive, and to remain a vital part of what’s happening around us.”

—Marianne Hurstel, Vice President, Havas Worldwide's BETCand Global Chief Strategy Officer, Havas Worldwide

Rejecting a Century at any Price

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

1834 3554 55+

“I worry about death and dying”

Dying scares us less than living too long—and it’s a fear that ebbs with age

Would you take a pill that would guarantee

you’d live to 100?

“I don’t want to live into my late 90s or early 100s; I’d rather die younger, when I’m less frail and have more independence”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

“I worry that new technologies and medical advances will extend people’s lives to the detriment of society and the planet”

47 42 37

1834 3554 55+

Image credit: mom-and-dad-care.com

49% believe

physician-assisted suicide should be legal

4 in 10 would consider

physician-assisted suicide if their health deteriorated sufficiently

“I believe there is a life after death”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

Are We Heading Toward a New World Order?

As populations in much of the developed world continue to grow older, what will be the consequences?

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

Things to Think About

# of men and women aged 60+ has doubled since 1980—forecast to reach 2BN by 2050

Nearly 400MM will be aged 80+ by that year

For marketers, aging consumer populations will provide plenty of opportunities for products and services intended to slow the aging process, minimize physical and cognitive declines, maximize self-sufficiency and mobility, and make the retirement years safer and more satisfying.

What matters to people today as they grow older is retaining capabilities…People want to be able to think, to work, to move, to travel, to stay connected, to keep learning and discovering for the entirety of their lifetimes—and they will welcome assistance from all quarters.

“

”

GET NEW WORDING FROM PDFWhat newly invented

product and service categories will be required to meet the needs of the aged?

With governments perceived as falling short in terms of protecting and providing for the elderly, what is the optimal role for corporations and brands?

Is there an obligation to help people prepare for their later years?

What role can and should brands play in promoting the care, life satisfaction, and dignity of the aged and infirm?

What are the implications of aging populations on communications? To what extent will digital technologies provide a pathway to the oldest consumer cohorts?

Where will the greatest cultural influences come from in future decades? Where will we find new epicenters of innovation?

How will attitudes toward aging evolve as people in their 80s, 90s, and beyond become a larger presence?

How can financial services companies do a better job of persuading consumers about the need to save more—and from an earlier age?

How must workplaces evolve to accommodate the growing number of people who must earn money past traditional retirement age?

What needs to be done to make physical spaces—from homes and stores to public parks and museums—more age-friendly? 

For more insights from Havas Worldwide research, including the Aging white paper, visit www.havasworldwide.com/prosumer-report or contact Ann O’Reilly (ann.oreilly@havasww.com) or Emily Rosen (emily.rosen@havasww.com)

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