Over-60s say healthcare ads are patronising, Bray Leino survey finds

Gideon Aroussi of Bray Leino argues that healthcare advertising is failing older people, citing an agency survey in which ‘patronizing’ was the word most often chosen by over-60s to describe how they are portrayed.

He points out that the UK is an ageing society that advertising does not reflect. Some 38% of UK adults are over 50, while the number of over-80s has tripled in four decades. Despite that, the Centre for Ageing Better has found that a quarter of TV ads include a character of 50 or older and just 5% include anyone aged 70 or older. Worldwide, only 4% of ads feature over-50s.

From a planning perspective, Aroussi says, the gap matters because who appears in ads tells audiences who counts and who does not. Healthcare ought to be an exception, since older people are more likely to have health problems.

The survey

Bray Leino surveyed a representative sample of UK adults over 60. One half answered questions on advertising generally, the other on ads for everyday medicines and treatments. More than 30% of respondents had arthritis, joint problems or hypertension.

Nearly a third said over-60s are poorly represented both in general advertising and in ads for over-the-counter medicines. Women and people in worse health were more likely to say so.

Explanations were blunt. One respondent said: “Because advertising for this age is aimed at life assurance and funeral options.” Another said: “Advertisers probably think older people in ads will put off younger people from buying their products and services.” A third said: “I think [with] people 60 onwards, society writes them off.”

Around 40% chose a negative word to describe how older adults appear in healthcare advertising, compared with about 20% who picked a positive one.

Avoiding stereotypes

Aroussi says this should make the industry stop and think, since healthcare communications exist to support people rather than belittle them. He accepts there is no single formula and that brands have commercial targets, but argues realism is essential: anyone shown with a health condition must be depicted accurately in terms of lifestyle, context and the condition itself, avoiding both inevitable decline and ageless perfection.

Louise Cohen, head of corporate brand at Haleon, said the company is taking the issue seriously. “At Haleon, a leading consumer company focused on better everyday health with trusted brands like Sensodyne, Advil, Centrum, and Voltarol, we want to engage with this important and growing demographic globally. We’re reframing the narrative around aging with our Life ON campaign, highlighting the detrimental impact negative stereotypes can have on self-care,” she said.

“During the development of the campaign, we found that individuals over 55 prefer to be portrayed in realistic yet also aspirational settings, rather than the typical negative and challenging depictions that don’t reflect their current lifestyles. This empowers them to reconsider activities they may have ceased prematurely due to outdated stereotypes.”

Psychological barriers

Aroussi also points to psychological factors. Availability bias makes it hard for people to imagine themselves older, while optimism bias makes them resist gloomy pictures of the future. Portrayals that are too bleak cause people to switch off; those that are too polished feel fake.

Jenny Sinclair-Brown, head of healthcare marketing at Church and Dwight, found the same tension when researching women of 45 and above for Replens, a vaginal moisturiser, going through perimenopause or menopause. A recurring theme was patchy medical support. “It’s a GP lottery. It’s very hit and miss with who you get and how knowledgeable and helpful they are,” one woman said.

The women were happy to receive information about menopause and vaginal dryness across channels if it was handled with care. They advised brands to communicate “empowerment not victimhood” and said: “don’t feel the need to dress it up – there is a fine line between empowering and patronizing.”

Who makes the work

Aroussi says that line is exactly where healthcare communications now sits. If close to four in ten over-60s see their portrayal as negative, and ‘patronizing’ is the most common description, the industry has work to do.

He argues it helps when the people making the work resemble the audience. At Bray Leino, 43% of staff are over 45, against an industry average of 35%. When the agency worked on a menopause campaign recently, colleagues across planning, creative and client service who were experiencing menopause were part of the team. A whole team drawn from the audience is not necessary, he says, but lived experience strengthens empathy and sharpens the message.

He concludes that healthcare communications must include older adults, avoid boxing them into narrow categories and reject lazy stereotypes, and respect them as a substantial and expanding part of the population, not a niche, with health needs, spending power and expectations that merit serious attention.