Context
With International Day of Older People on happening on 1st October, the ASA has taken the opportunity to celebrate older people, but asks “is UK advertising doing the same?”. In its 2025 research into The Depiction of Older People in Ads, the ASA found that many people aged 55 and over felt advertising too often relied on outdated stereotypes, such as frailty, poverty, forgetfulness, or a lack of technology skills. The research encouraged advertisers to move beyond “over the hill” clichés and reflect the active, varied lives and outlooks of older people today.
Key points to note and next actions
Better representation of this diverse group is welcome, but positive imagery does not remove the need for clear qualifications and explanations.
- A 2025 TV ad for Staysure Travel showed older couples enjoying activities including surfing and trekking. The ad promoted travel insurance for over-50s, and claimed: “There’s no age limit.” Small on-screen text stated: “Terms and exclusions apply”. The problem was that, while there was no upper age limit for buying a policy, the extent of cover did change with age: older customers faced tighter limits on trip duration. The ASA considered that the overall impression of the ad was that cover was available regardless of age on materially similar terms. A general reference to terms and exclusions was not enough: qualifications must clarify the headline claim, not contradict it.
- Similar lessons arose in a group of ads reviewed by the ASA on sales promotions for retirement properties.
- The ASA’s 2025 research noted that some participants felt “bombarded” by ads for funeral services, care homes, mobility aids and similar products. As targeting becomes more sophisticated, this may be difficult to avoid, but as ever, the ASA will guard against misleadingness and lack of clarity.
- In relation to clarity in advertisements, the ASA has examples of TV ads for low-cost “funeral plans made simple”, including a quoted price and claims that consumers could save money compared with a traditional funeral. However, the advertised “funeral plan” covered a non-attended cremation only. The ASA considered that many viewers would understand “funeral plan” to mean more than a non-attended cremation. Even where wording has a technical basis, advertising must still make the nature of the product clear in the ad itself for the average consumer.
The ASA and CAP will continue to police the grey areas, so everyone, regardless of age, is given the information they need to make informed choices. If firms are not sure their ads include the detail it should, they can get in touch with the ASA’s Copy Advice team for bespoke advice on non-broadcast ads.