Australia’s new audience... Who’s watching you tonight? and how to capture it Australia’s new audience... and how to capture it! Acknowledgements Front cover colour photograph courtesy of participants at an Information Update seminar at the Over 50s Association Published by the Office of Senior Victorians, Rural and Regional Health and Aged Care Services Division Victorian Government Department of Human Services Melbourne, Victoria 2002 ISBN 0731159918 Also published on the Office of Senior Victorians Website at www.seniors.vic.gov.au Copyright State of Victoria Foreword Contents The images the media use to represent older people So much of what we see on our screens in Australia comes from the Introduction 4 in our community clearly affect the way we feel United States and this research shows that young and middle age peo- about growing older. They also critically affect the ple dominate. It seems that as characters age they simply disappear The Grey Dollar: perception younger people have of older people from our screens. A Consumer Profile 5 and their role in society. What we are finding is actually a fadeout of older people - of images of Hearing the Message: People, of all ages want to see themselves and their older people. And of those older characters we do see, most lack the What Older People Want 6 lives reflected on screen in ways which are realistic status, value and effectiveness of younger characters with whom they and meaningful. Older people are represented in all share the screen. The Grey Viewer Demographics 8 strata of society today - in the workforce, (both paid and unpaid), as family members, as educators and learners. So, not only are older people under-represented, they are often frozen in Advertising: a timewarp of misleading and obsolete images. The Possibilities 10 Older age has the same richness and joy, sadness and disappointments of any other age yet media images have a tendency to compartmentalise On American television, characters 60 years and older account for only New Opportunities for the Film and older age as if it’s a discrete part of life, separate and different from any 5.6 per cent of the TV population and half of these are younger than 65. Television Industry 12 other prior stage of life. If we look for characters older than 65 we find they make up only 2.8 per cent of prime time, about one fifth of their true proportion of the Creative Opportunities 14 Today there are very few roles for older people in film and television. American population. And, of the roles that we do see, there is often a great disparity between What Works 16 the image we see on our screens and the reality of older people’s lives However the purpose of this document is not to cast judgement on the as we know them. film and television industry but to open up discussion on the wealth of A Conversation with Morgan Freeman 18 opportunities which will flow from being more inclusive of older people All of us will age. in programming. Act Your Age: Age Futures in Broadcasting Speaker In developing "Who’s Watching You Tonight – Australia’s new audience The Victorian Government and the Office of Senior Victorians intends to Profiles 20 and how to capture It" the Victorian Government is not looking to the demonstrate that achieving age balance in broadcasting is not only the industry to develop and/or define programs as "older people’s programs". right thing to do, it makes good business sense as well. Further Reading and Research 23 We are simply looking to broaden the range of media images to Over the next few months I look forward to working with the Australian include people of all ages - to represent the reality of life and society in film and television industry and to providing information which the indus- Australia today. try can use as a basis for judgement and decisions about policies and programming which are both representative and democratic. The under-representation of older people in the media is not a problem which is confined to Australian made productions. In America, research by the Screen Actors Guild, which represents 96,000 performers nationwide, looked at characters on prime time and daytime television and discovered that characters (in defiance of the demographics of the viewing audience) were actually getting younger. Hon Christine Campbell, Minister for Senior Victorians Australia's new audience 3 Introduction Baby boomers were the first Like every other Western nation, Targeting an older audience does might change and influence the The key note speaker was Jean- generation to embrace television. Australia’s population is ageing. not mean dull and lifeless pro- way the industry responds to an Marc Segati, Managing Director, The Baby Boomers are beginning gramming. Older people want to older audience. Senioragency International to swell the ranks of the over 55 see themselves represented in film Senioragency is a leading interna- cohort. While many Baby Boomers and television as they are in life – The forum addressed cultural tional advertising agency which are starting to consider retirement, people who are active and living stereotypes and constructive ways targets its entire business to the others will choose to remain in the diverse and fulfilling lives. to attract the ageing Baby over 55 market. Senioragency’s workforce. Of those that do retire, Boomers as an emerging market. headquarters are in Paris with many will do so with substantial Older people are often represent- agencies in the United Kingdom, superannuation packages. ed in advertising and on the In one of the sessions What Works Germany, Belgium, France, screen as inconsequential and and Why a panel of creative Holland, Oslo and Luxembourg. This new wave of older people will secondary to the role of younger industry professionals (including Their progressive campaigns have challenge the way we have tradi- characters. Yet age-diverse pro- scriptwriters, actors, producers not only challenged traditional tionally thought about growing gramming can be original, cre- and casting agents) talked about notions of ageing, but have suc- older. Baby Boomers were the first ative and fresh as the success of successful projects involving older cessfully capitalised on the steady generation to embrace television programs such as Sea Change people and their experiences. growth of the seniors’ market. and are voracious consumers of and Blue Heelers has shown. What are the creative possibilities? new technology, travel, books and Where do the ideas come from? The ideas, advice and challenges homewares. If anyone is going to ensure that Who supports creative script raised at the forum, and pursued seniors are taken seriously in this ideas that are about older people? further through this publication, Australia’s commercial television society, it will be the Baby Boomers. will interest anyone in the industry networks currently see the 18 to Their entry into retirement might In another session, As the Baby who is keen to implement age 39 cohort as their prime target. mark the moment when Australian Boomers Boom, a panel of indus- diverse programming. Networks compete for the same society begins to venerate old age. try decision makers addressed the slice of the pie in the belief that question of Australia’s shifting Within this publication are this cohort attracts the maximum Hugh Mackay, Social Researcher demographic and the impact it will excerpts and quotes from some of advertising revenue. However we have on Australia’s film and televi- those presentations and discus- are starting to see a shift as adver- The Department of Human Services sion industry. How is this going to sions of participants at the Act tisers begin to grasp the potential began researching the issue of affect programming? How is Your Age: Age Futures in of targeting the growing audience age diverse programming with a advertising currently targeting the Broadcasting forum. The publica- of older people. The commercial forum held in Melbourne in 2000. over 55 cohort? Will advertisers tion also includes examples of potential of the ‘grey dollar’ is continue to choose television if recent films which showcase the becoming too powerful to be Called Act Your Age: Age Futures programming does not reach this talents of older people and an ignored but there will need to be in Broadcasting, the forum attract- market? Will they look elsewhere to interview with older actor, Morgan appropriate programming. ed many professional film makers capture the lucrative ‘grey dollar’? Freeman. and television industry profession- als who were keen to hear how Australia’s ageing population 4 Australia's new audience The Grey Dollar: A Consumer Profile Most of us are living longer Many will make the most of more turned 50 so start thinking about According to the Access Advertisers are certainly aware of time to undertake activities such your death – that’s the kind of Economics Report Population the changing demographics. and healthier lives. Future as recreation, cultural pursuits, vol- advertising they receive in general Ageing and The Economy the Certainly I think it is the beginning older generations of untary work and further education. and the kind of programs. nature of the product market in of a ground swell. It is advertis- Australia will change dramatically ing’s job to be ahead of the gener- Australians will be better For many people, older age is At Senioragency, we have been in the coming decade as our pop- al population. It is also the role of characterised by emotional, physi- trained little by little to improve our ulation ages. The spending power advertising to target people, not educated, will have a longer cal and mental well being. The communication, to understand of mature consumers, sometimes just on the basis of age, but on working life and idea of ageing being a time of what seniors need – what they called the "silver market" is already the basis of their interests, on what dependency does not reflect how expect, what they say and not huge but ten years from now the we call ‘bio-graphics’ and ‘doer- will continue to lead most older people feel about what we think they say.