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Consumer Cellular targets the over-55s in new campaign

Consumer Cellular, US

US – Mobile network operator company Consumer Cellular has launched a new campaign that spotlights an age group that is mostly forgotten by other brands – those over the age of 55. The ads were created by Consumer Cellular’s new lead creative agency, New York-based Alto, which questioned why a group that makes up more than a third of the US population only appear in 15% of media images (source: AARP).

The campaign, Freedom Calls, stars 75-year-old actor Ted Danson narrating stories of people aged over 55 indulging in leisure activities in their new-found free time. In one advert, a couple departs a cold, wintry city to play pickleball in the sun after choosing the freedom phone plan. The brand believes this is the phase of life that adults should look forward to. Those over 55 should rejoice having the time and freedom to pursue their passions and hobbies without constraint.

Consumer Cellular already has a sizeable base of consumers older than 75, and the campaign was created with the ambition to build a brand for the over-55s. In Longevity Lifestyles we look at how businesses across sectors are waking up to the reality of their consumers living longer and healthier lives, thereby adapting their products, services and strategy to suit new lifestyles.

Strategic opportunity

Older generations have been left out of advertising discourse, but they are a sizeable share of the market with a large disposable income. Giving them thoughtful and genuine representation will make them feel visible and valued

Global Fashion Summit Copenhagen: transforming ambition into action

Global Fashion Summit, Denmark

Denmark – The Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2023 brought together over 1,000 representatives from the fashion industry at the Copenhagen Concert Hall in June 2023 and urged participants to translate their ambitions into tangible steps for a more socially and environmentally responsible industry.

Among the 137 speakers were HRH The Crown Princess of Denmark, LVMH’s Antoine Arnault and fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, founder of JW Anderson and current creative director of Loewe. Key highlights from the event include the launch of the Global Textiles Policy Forum, a platform for governments and textile industry associations to align on sustainability pathways and amplify supply chain voices. In addition, the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) Designer Challenge 2023 showcased collaborations between industry leaders such as Puma and Collina Strada and designer Nicole McLaughlin and Circulose, a new material made by recycling cotton from worn-out clothes and production waste.

As well as panels, the event facilitated fruitful collaborations through the Innovation Forum, allowing fashion companies to connect with 26 sustainable solution providers and fostering meaningful actions.

The Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook, a guide for fashion marketers, image-makers, media and influencers on how to take action through countering misinformation, and reducing messages perpetuating overconsumption was also unveiled during the summit by the UN Environment Programme and UN Climate Change. As analysed in The Overconsumption Mindset, sustainable fashion’s ultimate aim should be to move humanity away from compulsive shopping habits rather than become a green alternative to fast fashion mania.

Strategic opportunity

Transforming ambition into action is key for brands aiming to be more sustainable. Don’t shy away from showing the tangible steps you are taking and answer your clients’ questions on manufacturing and ethics with honesty

An AI DJ gets a regular radio slot

US – Billing itself as a world first, Portland, Oregon-based radio station Live 99.5 has given an AI-generated DJ a regular slot in its line-up. The station is part of Alpha Media, which owns and operates over 200 radio stations across the US.

Described as a ‘cloned human voice’, AI Ashley is a synthesised version of the station’s human DJ, Ashley Elzinga, and is powered by FuturiMedia’s RadioGPT. It has been created by using a script based on current news gathered from digital outlets and social media platforms for AI Ashley to read.

‘It’s a hybrid situation where we’ll have traditional Ashley on during some segments, and we’ll have AI Ashley on during other segments,’ Phil Becker, executive vice-president of content at Alpha Media told TechCrunch.

Opinions on the development have been mixed, with those seeing it as a signal that AI will be taking over more jobs, while the station itself is taking a more positive and optimistic view in that the AI Ashley will actually help ‘multiply’ Elzinga’s broadcasting potential. ‘In an instance where AI Ashley would be broadcasting, the traditional Ashley might be doing something in the community, managing social posts or working on digital assets or the other elements that come with the job,’ said Becker.

Our AI series continues to track and analyse the significant shifts that AI is instigating across the consumer and lifestyle industries.

Spotify AI DJ, US

Strategic opportunity

The entertainment sector is already changing in response to AI, with implications across the board. We believe one of the most interesting aspects is how this will shift celebrity and endorsement culture and the potential for widespread acceptance of digital idols

Stat: Gen Z disrupt the purchase funnel model by putting trust first

AMBUSH SS23 Pre-Collection, Japan

Global – According to the latest Edelman Trust Barometer, Gen Z aren't following any of the regular steps listed in the sales funnel theory that starts with brand awareness and ends with purchase. Young consumers would rather follow a loop that places trust at the core of their purchasing decision. Some 79% of Gen Z say it’s more important than ever to trust the brands they buy, more than any other generation surveyed.

To turn first-time clients into regulars, brands must invest in continuous engagement and respond to consumers’ needs and interrogations. ‘It now has to be a lateral relationship. So that’s changing how brands need to think about their spend, where they show up, how they show up – far beyond just awareness,’ said Jackie Cooper, global chief brand officer at Edelman.

After polling 13,802 respondents across 14 countries, including the US, Germany, Brazil and Japan in May 2023, the report reveals that a majority of respondents of all ages ‘uncover things that attract [them] and make [them] loyal to a brand after [their] first purchase’. Gen Z are also influencing everyone including their elders. Some 68% of people surveyed say teenagers and college-aged people influence where and how they shop – rising seven percentage points from last year.

In Money Market: Generation Z, we previously highlighted how young people have a conservative approach to spending and do not shy away from using technology to plan better and spend consciously. They no longer follow the same repetitive purchasing behaviours as their elders.

Strategic opportunity

Reputation and brand messaging will be key to attracting and retaining Gen Z consumers. Consider how to set high standards and invest in talents able to turn your company’s values into credible timely messaging that can resonate with Gen Z without alienating your older clientele