Japan's demographic revolution? A study of advertising practitioners' views on stereotypes

Abstract

This article presents results from a survey of advertising practitioners in Japan focusing on their opinions about the communication objectives and stereotypes, specifically the effectiveness of older spokespersons, their general views on older models in advertising and the effectiveness of older models by product category. We find that these opinions are rather positive. The intention to use a larger number of older models is affected by the perceived effectiveness of older spokespersons and the expected increase in older models and client interest. When targeting an older audience, older spokespersons are seen as particularly effective for the product category of health/ medical, but for a general audience it is financial services/insurance. Regardless of product category, they are perceived more effective when targeting an older versus a general audience and when targeting aged 50 -64 versus 65 plus.

The representation of older people in television advertisements and social change: the case of Japan

“…feeling denied by society) (Donlon, Ashman and Levy 2005; Gerbner et al 1980; Mares and Cantor 1992). Advertising agencies might see this as a purely social issue; however, the representation of older people also has an influence on the whether or not an audience likes an advertisement, the company image, and the consumer's intentions for purchasing products and services (Festervand and Lumpkin 1985; Kohlbacher, Prieler and Hagiwara 2011; Kolbe and Burnett 1992; Robinson, Gustafson and Popovich 2008).…”

“…In short, older people are increasingly important in Japan, not only from a demographic perspective but also from a business perspective (Kohlbacher 2011). It is, therefore, not surprising that consumers and advertising agency staff in Japan expect an increasing number of older people to appear in television advertisements in the coming years (Kohlbacher, Prieler and Hagiwara 2013) because using older people in television advertising is a way to target this age group. This research will analyse if these changes are reflected in the advertisements from 2007 compared to advertisements from 1997.…”