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Summer 2012

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Extensive online survey created by Euro RSCG and

fielded by Market Probe International

Aging 2012

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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.

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“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

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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

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“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

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“Society has grown much too youth obsessed”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

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Oprah, 58

Jennifer Lopez, 42 Jennifer

Connelly, 41 Halle Berry, 45 Nicole

Kidman, 45

Eva

Longoria, 37 Jessica

Alba, 31 Michelle Pfeiffer, 54 Sarah Jessica

Parker, 47

Julia Roberts, 44

Victoria

Beckham, 38

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“I have had or would consider having cosmetic surgery

to look younger”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

10

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Attitudes toward cosmetic surgery now more a

generational than a gender divide

26 18 10

1834 3554 55+

Showing % agreeing

strongly/somewhat

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

Male Female

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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.” —Euro RSCG Germany

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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

Showing %

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“I intend to embrace aging and all that comes with it”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

15

Staying Youthful Longer

16

“I look younger than

most people my age”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

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“I feel younger than

most people my age”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

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Will shared technologies

and digital

entertainment options

further diminish the

cultural gap between

young and old?

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Have You Hit

Your Peak?

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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

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Start of middle age: 48

Start of old age: 71

Showing global survey averages

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At what age do men/women hit

their _______ peak?

Showing global survey averages

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What Worries Us

About Aging

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Which aspects

of aging worry

you?

Showing % that are

moderately/very/extremely

worried

Most worried about loss of

autonomy and function

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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 % that are

moderately/very/extremely

worried

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“Government needs to do

more to protect and provide

for the elderly”

64 75 84

1834 3554 55+

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

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“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, Euro RSCG’s BETC

and Global Chief Strategy Officer, Euro RSCG Worldwide

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Rejecting a Century

at any Price

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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

Showing % agreeing

strongly/somewhat

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Would you take a pill

that would guarantee

you’d live to 100?

31

“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

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“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 Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

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49% believe

physician-assisted suicide

should be legal

4 in 10 would consider

physician-assisted suicide if their

health deteriorated sufficiently

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“I believe there is a life

after death”

Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

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Are We Heading

Toward a New

World Order?

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Showing % agreeing strongly/somewhat

As populations in much of the developed world continue

to grow older, what will be the consequences?

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Things to Think About

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# 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

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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.

“

”

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GET NEW WORDING

FROM PDF

What newly invented

product and service

categories will be

required to meet the

needs of the aged?

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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?

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GET NEW WORDING

FROM PDF

What role can and should

brands play in promoting

the care, life satisfaction,

and dignity of the aged

and infirm?

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What are the

implications of

aging populations

on

communications?

To what extent will

digital

technologies

provide a pathway

to the oldest

consumer cohorts?

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Where will the

greatest cultural

influences come

from in future

decades? Where

will we find new

epicenters of

innovation?

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How will attitudes toward aging

evolve as people in their 80s, 90s,

and beyond become a larger

presence?

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How can financial

services companies do a

better job of persuading

consumers about the

need to save more—and

from an earlier age?

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How must workplaces evolve to

accommodate the growing number of

people who must earn money past

traditional retirement age?

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What needs

to be done

to make

physical

spaces—from

homes and

stores to

public parks

and

museums—

more age-

friendly?

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For more insights from Euro RSCG research—and to download the

“Aging: Beyond Youth Culture” white paper—visit www.prosumer-

report.com

And follow us on Twitter (@prosumer_report)

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_ 5: Roberto_Ventre

_ 6: dirkmvp41

_ 7: Stilettobootlover_83

_ 8: Gary Hayes

_ 9: eschipul

_ 10: Britta Bohlinger

_ 11: hitthatswitch

_ 12: vitavida

_ 15: istolethetv

_ 18: sean dreilinger; cdharrison; maximalideal

_ 19: garryknight

_ 20: Violentz (age 48); The Suss-Man (Mike) (age 71)

_ 25: Erik Starck

_ 26: McBeth

_ 27: woodleywonderworks

_ 28: empty007

_ 29: bengrey

_ 31: Dylan Parker

_ 34: irunandshoot

_ 35: Alex Schwab

_ 37: MamaT

_ 40: m’sieur rico

_ 41: Howard Lake

_ 42: Wanderlinse

_ 44: urban don

_ 45: The Bode

_ 46: Heart Industry

_ 47: kirinqueen

Select images courtesy of Creative Commons @flickr.com