MESSAGE STRATEGY 207Kids and teens want to hear a basic story (a product is a solution to a problem or a reward for good behaviour),
but not a long dialogue or complex message. Children want to be entertained and surprised. They continually look
for new experiences and details, and like the use of music, humour, animation, colours, jingles, games, puzzles, etc.
Although they do like catchy slogans and are fond of slang and kids’ talk, it is better for an advertiser to avoid using
it since by the time he or she discovers their sayings they are already out of date. The aspirational age of children
is about four years older than they actually are; therefore it is better to cast older children to avoid reactions like
‘ This is not for me, this is for babies.’ Kids hate being patronised, so do not pretend to be one of them or to know
better than them. Although you want children to be fond of your brand, it is usually the parents who have to buy it.
Therefore, make sure that your appeal is also attractive to parents by mentioning arguments pertaining to health,
durability, lifetime value, values, etc. Finally, try to avoid ‘wrong executions’ such as showing children who are too
young or the wrong gender (remember that boys have difficulty identifying with girl characters while girls can identify
with both boys and girls) and not using enough visuals (children listen with their eyes!).^5
Senior citizens represent a group that accounts for 80% of personal wealth and about 40% of consumer spending.
Since 80% of consumers over the age of 50 perceive contemporary advertising as irrelevant to them, it is about
time to take their needs and motivations into account.^6 Senior citizens know they are getting older and that this will
bring inconveniences; they do not want advertising to remind them of this or to confront them with these negative
life aspects. Rather, focus on what the product can do for them, what the main benefits are. Another possibility is
to stress positive aspects of getting older, such as friendships, children and grandchildren, wisdom and experience.^7
An intergenerational approach may tap into these perfectly, such as featuring grandparents enjoying a certain
product or service with the rest of the family,^8 certainly much better than using a senior positioning. Seniors are not
looking for a product ‘ideal for seniors’ because they still want to belong to society and do not want to form an
isolated group or, as Ahmad put it: ‘Older consumers like to be respected as people and not because they are old
in terms of chronological age.’^9 Moreover, many seniors do not feel old (actually, at an age of 55 they feel about
eight years younger than they are) and do not want to be addressed as old or senior citizens, certainly not if they
have not yet reached the age of 65. Unfortunately, in practice the age of 50 or 55 is often chosen as the boundary.^10
European seniors have lived through war situations and recessions and know what poverty and scarcity mean. As
a consequence, many of them still feel guilty about spending money. Therefore, advertising should try to take away
the feeling of being thrifty by providing them with good reasons to buy. Many senior citizens are rather critical and
want objective, extended information and compelling reasons why they should buy the brand.^11 Nostalgic appeals
showing symbols, heroes, music groups, etc., from the seniors’ youth can be very powerful. Finally, although seniors
do not like to admit it, they do encounter problems when ageing, e.g. sight and hearing problems. Therefore, it is
better to use high contrast levels between text and background, a serif font not smaller than 10 points, and slower-
paced TV and radio commercials, in which background noise is avoided.^12Furthermore, it is important not to confuse consumers. Th erefore, most companies stick
to promoting one unique benefi t of their brand, which can be functional or non-functional.
A functional benefi t, also called a unique selling proposition (USP), usually refers to
functional superiority in the sense that the brand off ers the best quality, the best service, the
lowest price, the most advanced technology. For example, Gillette is ‘the best a man can get’;
there is ‘no better washing machine’ than Miele; Durex Avanti ‘gives the most natural feeling’;
no card is more accepted than MasterCard, etc. A non-functional benefi t usually refl ects a
unique psychological association to consumers and is referred to as an emotional selling
proposition (ESP).^13 CenterParcs is a state of happiness, you buy L’Oréal because ‘you are
worth it’ and you buy a PlayStation 3 because ‘this is living’. Other examples of brands that
are promoted on the basis of non-functional benefi ts include Porsche, Rodania, Rolls-Royce,
Louis Vuitton, and Van Cleef & Arpels.
In order to know which USP or ESP to go for, the advertiser needs to have a clear con-
sumer insight. Th ese are oft en revealed by qualitative research. For example, for Dove a
consumer insight was that tiny, perfect models in advertising lower women’s self-esteem.
Th erefore, Dove came up with its real beauty campaign showing normal women of all ages,
shapes and sizes in an attempt to inspire consumers to feel comfortable with themselves. Th eM07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 207M07_PELS3221_05_SE_C07.indd 207 6/5/13 3:01 PM6/5/13 3:01 PM