What do you do when the evidence is clear — and yet minds remain unconvinced? Mike Mansfield, CEO of ProAge, takes up the challenge.
In our work on age inclusion, we’ve learned that facts alone rarely shift behaviour. To connect with decision-makers, you often need something more human and memorable: a story.
The opportunity is undeniable. The UK’s “silver economy” — the spending power and economic impact of older consumers — is estimated at £300–£320 billion annually, roughly equivalent to the GDP of Portugal. Older consumers today are active, engaged, and loyal to brands that understand who they are and what they value.
And yet many businesses still fail to reflect this market in their workforce or in their strategy.
One reason may be the disconnect between the audiences’ companies want to reach and the teams marketing to them. The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising reported that in 2024 the average age of UK agency employees was just 35. Age diversity remains limited across many sectors, even as customer demographics shift rapidly.
At ProAge, a charity focused on workplace age inclusion and multigenerational working, we believe age-inclusive teams help organisations perform better commercially, strengthen workforce resilience, and connect more effectively with customers. But too often, age inclusion is still viewed as a diversity “nice to have”, rather than a clear business opportunity.
That is why we decided to focus more deliberately on storytelling through case studies: to show, through real examples, what success looks like in practice.
Our first breakthrough came thanks to an introduction from Debbie Marshall, which led me to David Lloyd, co-founder of Boom Radio. David explained how Boom’s commercial success is built on recognising an audience too often overlooked. The station has developed an extraordinarily loyal listener base, with audiences tuning in for more than 15 hours a week — a marketer’s dream.
It was a powerful illustration of inclusion driving results. Once published, the Boom case study became one of the most downloaded resources on our website. It helped raise ProAge’s profile well beyond our existing network, drove additional traffic, and was even featured internationally, including by the AARP’s Living, Learning and Earning Longer newsletter.
Read the Boom Radio case study here: Boom Radio | ProAge
Encouraged by that success, we then worked with Unilever on a second case study, focused on their innovative U-Work programme. Now celebrating its fifth anniversary, U-Work provides flexible working opportunities while paying participants a fixed monthly retainer.
For Unilever, the programme helps retain experienced talent and offers workforce agility. For employees, it creates flexibility and autonomy later in their careers. For ProAge, collaborating with a globally recognised employer strengthened our credibility and demonstrated that age-inclusive working can succeed at scale.
Read the Unilever U-Work case study here: U-Work | ProAge
By Mike Mansfield, CEO, ProAge
