Love. Pain. Loss. Gender. Sexuality. Disability. Age. All are integral parts of everyday life, yet the corporate communication of many brands struggles to approach these phenomena in a respectful and emphatic way.
While much ink has been spilled discussing ageism in visual communication, discriminatory language is harder to detect and, therefore, harder to get rid of.
Yet if your brand values inclusivity, making sure you don’t use words or phrases that sound offensive to certain groups is of the utmost importance.
In this blog, I will be dealing perhaps with the most poignant case in point. Regardless of our gender, race, or political and spiritual views, we are all woven into the fabric of time.
We never know for sure how the years are going to treat us, and we are all scared of it to some extent.
Perhaps this is why discussing age can be so awkward — ageism means discriminating against your future self! Paradoxically, ageing is the most natural thing in the world, and yet such a sensitive topic.
I am here to help you deal with it from a copywriter’s point of view.
In this blog, I share my thoughts on ageism in marketing communication, in addition, we have also comprised a manual with words and phrases for more inclusive and age-respectful communication.
If you would like to add something to our guide, feel free to save it in your notes for later editing.
Writitude is trained to spot inappropriate phrases and clichés, and you can add your own examples depending on your needs and preferences to make our manual fit your company and brand like a glove.
So how do we at Writitude prevent ageism in our communications? Here are some tips...
- Do Mind the Nuances
- Do Mind the Context
- Do Use Your Common Sense
- Don’t Act Surprised
- Don’t Be Overly Enthusiastic
- Do Check Your Humour
- Don’t Assign Roles
Do mind the nuances
Minding the nuances is key to successful communication. There are some terms that many over-60s either prefer or dislike being called, yet they can sound pretty much the same to the unemphatic ear.
“Elderly” is considered patronizing while “elder” is perceived as respectful.
“Senior citizens” sound bureaucratic while “seniors” are deemed neutral. “Old people” is offensive, while “older adults” is not.
We at Writitude personally prefer the phrase “over-60s”, and we’ll later explain why. But, of course, context is always to be taken into consideration.
Do mind the context
Calling your over-60s “elders” will sound tragically out of tune when you’re promoting a night cream or hair dye.
However, when you’re writing about a product or service aimed at caregivers and care receivers, such as age-specific medical procedures, “elder” (NOT elderly) will sound respectful and neutral.
It is also more accurate than “relative” or “close one”, as someone may act as a caregiver for a family friend, former mentor or a neighbour whose family is not around.
In some contexts, even when the product is clearly aimed at an over-60s audience, it is altogether better not to mention ageing, using specific age numbers instead.
This is not only less controversial, but also clearer and more inviting to act.
The same “be specific” rule applies to other aspects of communication.
Is it really important to say that the revitalizing serum will “fight skin ageing” when it is better to inform the consumer that it will target fine lines and dehydration?
After all, the specific issues are what your customers care about, not abstract “ageing”.
Do use your common sense
Empathy is key to successful communication. It’s always better to write from experience – if not yours personally, then that of a family member.
Don’t be tempted by the cliché image of a silver-haired couple walking along the beach, their smiles more radiant than the sun.
Think of the older people you’ve met over the course of your life.
What really made them happy? What made them sad? How were they different from those Hallmark pictures?
What did they have in common with those images? And, most importantly, what did they have in common with you?
Don’t act surprised
Regardless of our age, we all resent being patronized, especially in an insipid and overly-enthusiastic tone.
This’s why we highly recommend avoiding click-baity phrases like, “Look what this grandma is doing at 75!”, “85 and still looking as handsome as ever!”
The fact is that people do different things at different ages. Some of these things may indeed seem admirable, and practically everyone enjoys hearing praise, but most of us still prefer to be admired for what we do, not the age we do it at.
What would you prefer to hear about yourself? “28, and they’re already writing great copy!” / “They’re still writing pretty damn good copy at 54!” Or, “They write great copy!”?
Same goes with those older than you. “Betty is such a good dancer!” or “Betty, 85, is a great dancer” will sound more respectful and sincere than, “At 85, Betty is still a great dancer and she’s not planning to stop anytime soon!”
Don’t be overly enthusiastic
Another typical mistake brands tend to make is denying the realities of ageing.
Just as there’s nothing mind-blowing about “still” being a good dancer at 85, sadly, there’s also no way around the fact that for many people, ageing comes with health issues that make dancing impossible.
Implying that “age cannot stop you from doing the things you love” may sound inspiring in one context and hurtful in another. Imagine living with constant joint pain and hearing that “age is just a number”.
Puzzled about finding your way between these extremes? Focus on the concrete benefits of your product.
“This product relieves pain so that you can keep doing the things you love” may not sound as enthusiastic as, “With this product, there’ll be nothing to stop you!”, but it is honest and thus speaks to the audience more directly.
Do check your humour
Since old age is such a universal topic, joking about it never gets old (pun intended). We love and welcome humour.
But we’re convinced that when profits and a company’s image are at stake, discretion is best used when writing humorous copy.
Your family and friends may admire your grandmother for her sarcastic remarks on ageing and memory loss, but before you draw inspiration from her, we’d like to remind you that you are not your grandmother!
Her joking about her “senior moments” may sound genuine and funny, but you replicating her wit will probably just sound mean.
Or think of someone who acts as a caretaker for an elderly relative. A person who feeds and bathes their loved one because they’re no longer able to do it themselves.
How do you think this person feels when they hear a millennial joking about how a certain former child star of their generation makes them feel old?
Remember that copywriting is not just about amusement.
Your main goal is to establish a positive connection with your customers — not to challenge, hurt and alienate them.
Don’t assign roles
Some may argue that the term “over-60” sounds generic and bland. We at Writitude say it’s neutral and applicable when the age of a target group really does matter.
While words like “retirees”, “elders” or “grandparents” assign roles to your audience, the term “over-60” refers to everyone in the same age group without judgement or bias.
Your over-60s may be retired but they may also be working or studying for a new career.
Some of them may have children and grandchildren, some may be happily or unhappily childless.
Some of those who have children may not be in close contact with them. Every person has their own life story, and no one likes to be viewed as a cliché.
This is why our general advice to you on avoiding ageism in your communication is to simply be human and see the human in others.
Your target audience, whether they’re over 60 or under 20, are people just like you. They want to be seen and treated with respect.
They don’t want you to look over their heads because you’re fixated on a stereotypical image. They probably have more in common with you than you think.
Going off the beaten path and avoiding stereotypes can seem hard. But actually, when you look past the hackneyed ideas and into your own knowledge and experience, being genuine is the easy way.
And certainly more rewarding.
For more tips on anti-ageism, see our manual.
