Apia is pushing the boundaries with a social experiment that reveals and challenges ageist stereotypes in Australia alongside DDB Group Melbourne.

Departing from traditional advertising, Apia has conducted a social experiment that supports their new “Your Experience Deserves More” campaign. The social experiment challenges the misconceptions of age and highlights the stereotypes that exist in society and the media.

The experiment and research findings will be used by Apia to challenge preconceptions of the over 50s market and was developed in conjunction with the team at DDB Group Melbourne, specifically RAPP, DDB and Mango for creative development, onscreen production, PR and seeding respectively.

The research uncovered that two thirds of respondents over 50 had faced age discrimination in their daily lives as well as feeling misrepresented in the media. The study echoed these sentiments, showing a younger demographic group casting people in ads and automatically associating younger age brackets with words like “fit”, “vivacious” and “adventurous” and stating that the older group “lacked vitality” and “the right look.”

Have a look at the experiment here:

Apia executive manager Geoff Keogh said, “The research we undertook revealed some startling insights into perceptions of age in Australia.

“It’s time to break through this stigma and start conversations around the topic. The social experiment highlighted an underlying prejudice that those involved may not have realised existed. Our campaigns aim to demonstrate that life experience should be recognised and respected.”

Recognising and rewarding life experience was reiterated by Apia’s spokesperson and iconic broadcaster, Glenn Ridge, who believes that age should never define what one is capable of, stating “I’ve found that over 50s continually endeavour to reinvent themselves and adapt to changing times and situations. Staying vibrant, relevant and open to new experiences is something that’s very important at any age, not just as the years add up.

Apia, and Ridge, hope the findings will shift perception and encourage society to think twice about dismissing those who are still shaping and challenging our future.

Credits

Apia

Marketing Manager, Apia Marketing – Mark Behr

Brand Manager, Apia Marketing – Travis Hughes

Marketing Advisor, Apia Marketing – Heidi Storey

Agency (Rapp)

Executive creative director – Steve Crawford

Creative director – Murray Bransgrove

Art director – Emily Somers

Copywriter – Ryan Najelski

Senior client lead – Angela Bishop

Senior account manager – Pia Christiansen

Account manager – Bobby Richardson

DDB, Head of onscreen – Simon Thomas

DDB, Producer – Jo Alach, Tuesday Picken

PR (Mango)

MD – Elly Hewitt

Head of PR – Rebecca Ahern

Account Director– Amanda Sheat

Account Manager – Lauren Hunt

Account Co-ordinator – Emma Paolucci

Production

Production company – Dougal Digital

Executive producer – Jo de Fina

Producer – Ariel Waymouth

Director – Henry Stafford

DOP – Paul Hughes

Offline Edit – Stu Willis

Grade/Online – Daniel Stonehouse, Crayon

Soundmix – Tristan Meredith, Now Hear This

Media