Ageism in advertising is a significant and persistent issue, often rooted in the industry’s focus on youth culture and its, and arguably that of its clients, perception of what appeals to consumers.
Age discrimination in advertising and media agencies themselves is equally significant and negatively affects the industry, its workforce, and the creative output. While many conversations in the industry centre around diversity and inclusion, age often receives less attention, despite the widespread presence of age-related prejudice, an issue that was brought into sharp focus by a recent survey published by The Experience Advocacy Taskforce (EAT) Advertising Industry Careers (AIC).
In The Silent Exit, EAT and AIC showed that age discrimination begins mid-career, with a steep impact as soon as people turn 50. That corresponds with other surveys, including AgeInc’s Voice of Experience survey, in which 53% of people working across all industries felt they had been discriminated against based on their age, with the majority experiencing ageism for the first time in their early 50s.
Where the advertising and media industry differs in the extreme, is the impact of that discrimination. According to the Media Federation census of 2023, only 5.1% of people employed in the media industry are aged over 50 years. In the wider population, 36% of Australians are aged over 50 and if this ratio is restricted to just Australian’s aged 50 – 65 years, that still equates to 17.1% of the population or 4.6 million people.
Redundancies often unfairly impact midcareer workers, and this can be attributed to several factors that reflect both explicit and implicit bias in the workplace. Straight prejudice and persistent stereotypes, not least that ‘older’ staff are more expensive, contribute to a disproportionate impact on midcareer employees during involuntary redundancies. EAT’s research indicated that 35.4% of all respondents aged over 50 left the advertising and media industries involuntarily and over half of all exits occurred between the ages of 45 and 55 years.
Incredibly, despite this data, 1 in 4 respondents are still looking for new roles within the industry, with more than 50% being open to more flexible contracts, for example, job share, part-time or contract roles. Despite 70% confirming that they would take a role at a lower hierarchical level than their former position, it is notoriously hard to achieve even if they are willing to accept a pay cut, with employers often citing over-qualification, salary expectations, workplace dynamics or cultural fit as reasons to overlook experienced applicants.
One respondent aged 50-54 shared;
‘If we could do one thing to make a change, it would be to warn those in the industry between the ages of 25-40 to have a Plan B. Know what they want to be doing past the age of 40-45. I wish I had been warned.’
Overwhelmingly, respondents to the EAT/AIC survey believed that ageism was the main reason that the media and advertising industry is a young one. Over 68% of respondents agreed and more than 60% also cited the youth-oriented agency culture as contributory. Many respondents felt that they had to ‘move up or move out’ with most, seemingly, having to take the second option.
To help address these issues, EAT recommends that agencies:
Footnote: The Experience Advocacy Taskforce and AgeInc have collaborated to encourage more advertising and media agencies to become Age Inclusive Endorsed Employers. You can find out more and apply at www.ageinc.au