In the corporate world, boards of directors are primarily over the age of 50 but anyone over 40 is considered too old for marketing positions.  

How is it that years of experience are valuable for the board members, but not for a potential CMO? 

Age diversity in the workplace 

Ageism is a significant issue in the marketing profession. A Career and Salary Survey reveals that 70.2% of marketers are aged between 26 and 45 years old. A 2023 Research Report  discovered that “on average, marketers consider employees over 48 years of age to be “older workers.” Nearly half of respondents (47%) selected a number below 50, while 53% considered employees aged 50 and above to be older. Most Boomers (81%) report they feel disadvantaged because the marketing industry is so image-conscious. In comparison, 49% of Millennials feel the same.”

Diversity in the marketing space proves to have the best results. Further in the 2023 Research Report, almost all marketers (94%) from organizations with diverse leadership say that they feel a sense of belonging and inclusion and believe they are valued.

What’s changed in the last couple of decades?

I’ve been involved in the marketing and brand industry for over 30 years now. In a moment of recent contemplation, I asked myself a very simple question: What’s actually changed in this time frame that keeps us seasoned folks relative?

Like most industries, technically everything has changed. Macs, amazingly clever software, and the internet altered the landscape beyond anything we could have ever envisaged in the 1980s when the order of the day was a Filofax. A huge brick of a mobile phone was something only rich people had in their cars—compare that to today’s ubiquitous smartphone. 

If you are in your late thirties or forties, you grew up with computers in your house and probably in your high school. So, you are very familiar with that technology—it’s intuitive to you. 

But if you are in your twenties, you grew up with all that tech. You’re a digital native and fluent in technology. You didn’t have to learn it later in life; you learned it from childhood. 

If you are a company considering repositioning marketing spending from traditional broadcast and print media, and you’ve heard about this thing called responsive design and are trying to decide whether to use Pinterest, Instagram, or Snapchat, who are you going to lean on? The  45-year-old? Or the 27-year-old? Probably the latter.

Marketing then and now: brand awareness

But does that person over 45 still have something to offer? Thirty years ago, print such as brochures and leaflets were key; press and radio advertising played a part, and if you had the budget you ran a regional TV ad campaign. All were completely unmeasurable but the goal was Brand Awareness, which is still the goal today. The fundamentals and principles are the same—the key reason many of these veterans are still making the most of what makes them different, better, and unique.

The evolution of marketing

Strategies and techniques for communicating a brand have remained constant and must always act as the foundation of everything in marketing a business. Then and today, it still boils down to only two outcomes: 

1. Brand Awareness: The process of getting your target market to know who you are and to like you. 
2. Sales Activation: The process of getting your target customers to contact you to do business with you. It is often also called lead generation.

This is the stuff that does not change. Pieces and parts of advertising have changed. Whether it’s the back cover of a comic book or a zany TikTok dance is irrelevant. It’s all just advertising.

Where is the rule that says 20-year-olds are better at it than 60-year-olds? 

In this multimedia age when technology can so fundamentally impact messaging, a technology-steeped youth can be seen to have an advantage. However, the flexibility of approach rather than chronological age is important. In fact, older workers can bring skills, insights, and branding experience that younger workers may lack.

Experienced marketers embrace change, recognizing that the digital landscape is in a constant state of evolution. They are curious and open to trying new tactics and tools that can enhance the agency’s marketing efforts. They can easily shift and adjust comprehensive strategies as they have witnessed the competitive landscape evolve over eras which makes their thinking proactive and adaptable.  

The test of time: storytelling in marketing

One of the most powerful tools in a marketer’s arsenal is the ability to tell a compelling story. Seasoned marketers have mastered the art of storytelling, witnessing many campaigns over the years, noticing trend cycles, and having the ability to create narratives that captivate and resonate with any target audience. Classic campaigns that stand the test of time are Mac vs PC ads, humanizing technology, Iogo Yogurt with the 2 black circles, the teaser or easter eggs, and Where’s the Beef—catchy phrases that people remember. These campaigns all had fundamental aspects of marketing, they connected with their audience and the impression they left had the audience react. 

When planning and structuring your agency, remember that every age brings its own one-of-a-kind range of abilities and assets, old and young, Gen X to Gen Z—all contribute to great marketing efforts.