Ad campaigns need a burial
May 16—There were just two letters in my mailbox yesterday.
One had "NCS Survey" on the return label. The other said "American Senior Benefits."
I opened the second letter first. Senior benefits — it's about time, I thought. Having just turned 61, I'd been waiting for someone to start sending me some benefits.
Maybe it was filled with half-off coupons for fishing and camping gear, or a discount on a new trail bike I've been thinking about getting.
I read the letter: "The federal government provides funeral expense benefits ... However, these benefits are thousands of dollars below the expense of today's funerals."
The letter told me I'd be a terrible financial burden on my family if I kick the bucket without buying their funeral insurance benefits.
Not the benefits I was hoping for. I opened the other letter. Maybe it would at least be an interesting survey.
"We need your help to improve our services," it read. The first question on the survey asked: "How much would you expect to pay to make final arrangements?"
The next question was: "In the event of your death, who would be responsible for making your arrangements?"
Turns out the "NCS" on the return label was the National Cremation Society.
I can avoid being forced to ponder my impending death and the financial burden I'll leave behind by not opening any junk mail from now on.
But it's harder to avoid TV advertising, which isn't any better.
We keep hearing about how longer life spans mean "60 is the new 40." But you'd never know if from advertising aimed at people over 50. Despite being a massive market, only about 5% of advertising is even aimed at people over 50, according to Havas Group.
The ads that do appear are more often than not off the mark for what what older people want. Or they're just demeaning.
Watching TV ads, you wouldn't think older people drive sporty cars, go out to dine and drink, buy nice perfume or clothes, hike up a hill or may be looking for romance.
Instead you see the Tide ad showing adults folding clothes for their grown kids, grandkids and grandparents who all moved in with them. For good measure they belittle Grandpa by having him appear in his underwear and babbling.
The reason for the disconnect is that advertising and marketing firms are loaded with young people, fresh out of school, heavily armed with social media knowledge. Agencies are obsessed with youth, even though they have less wealth and brand loyalty than older Americans.
Those ad agencies could benefit from having a couple of 60- or 70-year-olds on their teams.
Until they do, more than a third of the population will be left to wonder if their life will be one of caregiving for adult kids, pondering which package of Depends they may want to buy some day, and deciding whether they should buy an insurance policy to cover cremation or traditional burial.
Tim Krohn can be contacted at tkrohn@mankatofreepress.com or 507-344-6383.
