Anti-Aging Can Be Seen As Ageism
Marketing to any age group can be a touchy subject, especially when we think about the Aging Beautifully Market.
The truth is that most of the marketing we use today can be affected by just one word that may be off-putting to the public. Society is changing, age is no longer something to eliminate but instead accentuate. Aging today is no longer something to be frowned upon, but is actually something to celebrate!
Contribution by Caitlin Durning, Meraki Media Management
I am Caitlin Durning, owner of Meraki Media Management, a company I founded after running an Instagram campaign that grew from 18k to 500k followers in under a month. This viral campaign stirred me to realize the help I could provide small businesses in developing their online presence through social media. My experience spans managing viral social media campaigns to everyday social media management. I work with clients in the aesthetics industry every day, and DermaMed Solutions was one of my very first clients.
When we look back on our history of marketing we don’t have the best track record, calling women old hags, like Madonna for instance. Those days are over and I couldn’t be more happy about it.
With age comes maturity, beauty, evolution, development, and grace! We have waited so long for this shift in society and culture to finally break through!
Now you will frequently come across Instagram accounts that focus on accepting gray hair, looking at crows feet as a blessing, and standing up against the brands that have not reshaped their image around women.
Lyn Slater a popular Instagram influencer has worked with some of the most popular beauty brands (Dior, Hermès), however, one contingency- the brand cannot promote anti-aging.
With an audience of 784k followers, her goal is to spread love on this platform, lift women up, and give realistic expectations of beauty to all ages.
Here are a few words I wanted to break down to explain the impact this can have on consumers because words matter. Our goal is to make the client happy, not live up to the expectations society has told her for so long she has to meet.
“Anti” – any type of rhetoric that starts with a negative breeds a negative energy. Stay away from words that are extenuating negative habits or pushing them towards a one size fits all product.
The Ageless Women –this newer trend of women that don’t want to focus on the number of times around the sun, but instead of the beauty they withhold inside and out! How can you help this woman with falling back in love with her skin? That’s the approach for this type of market!
“Grey is the new Green” – As many of you know more and more women in this space have continued to move towards these ideologies over the years, and as the trends expand, this rings true for anyone promoting the ageless woman!