Gerotranscendence: an explanatory variable for the boomer generation’s perception of senior models in advertising

Abstract

The effectiveness of brand advertising targeted at seniors relies on their perception of representations of old age. For the boomer generation, being old is characterized by identity tensions in a society where negative stereotypes of old age and ambient youthism still prevail, but also gerotranscendence which leads to a better acceptance of one’s own aging image. Gerotranscendence is tested here as a potential explanatory variable for the perception of senior mannequins and attitude towards the ads. Findings from a large data collection involving varying model representations (age, gender, and the service advertised) and respondents’ profiles (age, gender) reveal that gerotranscendence positively impacts the model’s attractiveness and relevancy and the attitude towards the ad (Aad). Results also show gender differences in the gerotranscendence effects on Aad. This paper opens avenues for research integrating new identity ingredients such as spirituality to improve the knowledge of the persuasive process among the boomer’s generation. It also offers varied practical managerial and societal recommendations.

Keywords:

• Gerotranscendence
• senior model
• model attractiveness
• model relevancy
• boomer generation
• elderly identity

Acknowledgment

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the editor and the reviewers for their insightful comments and valuable feedback, which greatly improved the quality of our manuscript. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Notes

1 We focus on anonymous models, the assessment and acceptance of which are primarily based on physical cues, especially age. The case of celebrity endorsement is then identified as different, in that it conveys values and familiarity that enable greater acceptance (Berg and Liljedal 2023).

2 https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-key-figures/-/KS-EI-16-001 Last consultation july 2024

3 CREDOC (2016). https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2383364 CREDOC calculations. https://www.credoc.fr/publications/bien-vieillir-retraite-dependance-fragilite-des-seniors-representations-realites-et-attentes-de-la-population-francaise-vis-a-vis-des-institutions, last consultation February 2024.

4 Eventual missing values were handled thanks to the NIPALS option of the software.

5 ARCOM (Regulatory authority for audiovisual and digital communication).

6 ARPP (Advertising practitioners’ regulation authority).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Bénédicte Bourcier-Béquaert

Bénédicte Bourcier-Béquaert is Professor and marketing researcher at ESSCA School of Management (Aix-en-Provence, France). Her main research interests are advertising representation of seniors, age similarity effects in advertising among senior women, senior women identification issues in advertising. Her publications appear in Journal of Business Ethics, Recherche et Applications en Marketing, Décisions Marketing, Journal of Consumer Marketing among others.

Corinne Chevalier

Corinne Chevalier is Associate Professor of Marketing at University of Paris Saclay (France). Her principal research interests include the consumer behavior of older adults, the persuasive communication and the advertising. Her publications appear in Recherche et Applications en Marketing, Décisions Marketing, Journal of Consumer Marketing, and Journal of Services Marketing, among others.

Gaëlle Moal

Gaëlle Moal is Associate Professor of Marketing at ISEN Yncrea Ouest. Her principal research interests include the psychology of tourism, the consumer behavior of older adults, spirituality and the potential of consumption to generate well-being. She has published articles related to these topics in international journals including Annals of Tourism Research, Decisions Marketing, Journal of Consumer Marketing and Journal of Consumer Behavior.

Pierre Valette-Florence

Pierre Valette-Florence is Distinguished Research Affiliate Professor of Marketing and Quantitative Methods at International University of Monaco (OMNES Education). He has published numerous articles within the field of Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Branding Management and Multivariate Data Analysis. His work has appeared in highly recognized scientific journals, such as the Journal of Research in Personality, Applied Stochastic Models and Data Analysis, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Ethics, International Marketing Review, European Journal of Marketing, Psychology and Marketing, International Journal of Research in Marketing and Journal of Advertising Research, among others.