By Louise Monaghan
On July 9, 2026 I attended the Silver Marketing Summit & Awards, organised by the Silver Marketing Association.
What a fantastic day it was!
Bringing together marketers, brands, agencies and researchers to discuss one of the fastest growing and most influential consumer groups – the over 50’s.
There was a huge amount to take in, from AI and social media to fashion, recruitment and retirement. But looking back over my notes afterwards, one message seemed to run through almost every session: stop thinking about age as a number and start thinking about people.
The Future of Marketing is Intergenerational
The fantastic opening keynote was delivered by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Jacynth Bassett, founder of Ageism Is Never in Style, and it immediately set the tone for the day.
They reminded us all that around 70% of global spending comes from people aged over 50, yet organisations still tend to think of this audience as one large group rather than recognising its diversity.
They challenged marketers to recognise the “ageism elephant in the room.” Ageism remains one of the few forms of discrimination that is still widely accepted, often appearing in marketing through tokenism, stereotypes and assumptions.
Avivah and Jacynth described how society is moving away from the traditional demographic pyramid towards a demographic square as people live longer and healthier lives. They argued that this demographic shift will influence governments, businesses and families just as significantly as climate change.
They also challenged several myths surrounding older consumers. Contrary to popular belief, 74% of adults aged over 50 actively use social media, 55% of Generation X trust social media over traditional advertising, and many actively follow influencers for recommendations and inspiration.
We know this demographic shift is coming. Climate change taught us what happens when we ignore the evidence and delay action. Their message was that we shouldn’t make the same mistake with our ageing population. We know people are living longer, so now is the time to prepare rather than waiting until we’re dealing with the consequences.
Their message was clear, that brands need to think much more intentionally about intergenerational marketing. Rather than simply including an older person in an advert, campaigns should reflect how people actually live today – in families, friendships and communities where different generations naturally mix.
Avivah shared a simple way of thinking about our longer lives. Borrowing a familiar business concept, she suggested we think in 4 quarters rather than years. If we’re increasingly likely to live to 100, our lives can be thought of in four stages: Grow, Achieve, Become and Harvest. How often are we asked our age on a form and simply put into the “55+” category? A 55 year old and a 75 year old can have completely different interests, lifestyles, ambitions and spending habits, yet they’re often grouped together as though they’re the same audience.
Research from Kantar and Amazon Ads reinforced the point. Campaigns built around shared behaviours, life stages and values consistently outperform those based on age alone. It was a strong start to the day and one that many of the speakers came back to in different ways.
Connecting with the Silver Audience
The first panel discussion, chaired by Tim Greatrex, brought together David Lloyd from Boom Radio, Louise Robinson from Saga Magazine and Rachel Hall from Be Addressable. Although they represented very different channels, the conversation kept returning to the same idea: understand your audience first, then decide how best to reach them.
Rachel spoke about Connected TV and the importance of looking beyond demographics. Louise shared the success of Saga Magazine’s ‘Experience Everything’ podcast which has achieved around 70,000 audio downloads, over 849,000 episode views and more than 11 million social media views. She explained how securing Jennie Murray as the first guest gave the series real credibility from day one.
David Lloyd talked about Boom Radio’s philosophy of speaking to listeners as people rather than defining them by age. His comment, “We’re here because you’re there,” summed up the station perfectly, while his reminder that around 92% of over 50s still listen to radio demonstrated just how powerful the medium remains.
Challenging Assumptions
Quentin Boyes from The Humbug Partnership picked up where the keynote left off by challenging another common assumption, that everyone over 55 belongs in one neat marketing category.
His examples made the point brilliantly. We’re not one generation with one set of tastes. Some of us grew up loving The Rolling Stones, others Jimi Hendrix, the Sex Pistols or Spandau Ballet. Different music, different influences, different life experiences. So why are we still all being put into the same box? His OZZY planning framework encouraged marketers to think beyond demographics and instead consider trust, timing, emotions, values and life events when building customer profiles. Again, the message was simple: understand the person before deciding how to market to them.
Paper, Bricks & Mortar. Trust Still Matters
James Cobb chaired the next panel, which brought together Claire Atkins of Our Media, Penny Worthy of Silver Travel Advisor, Susie Idle from Whistl door drop media and Rob Newton from PSE Agency. Different sectors, but once again there was a common thread……Trust.
They spoke of the continuing value of quality print alongside digital, how something like travel is an emotional purchase where trust is built over time, the huge effectiveness of door drops, explaining that around 72% of door drops are read and also explained why campaigns work best when traditional and digital channels support each other.
My favourite line from the session was: “Door drop opens the door. Digital lets them in.”
Rob Newton also reminded us that physical experiences still matter, asking the audience: “Imagine if the King sent you a text message instead of a telegram for your 100th birthday.”
Click not Bricks – Social Media Isn’t Just for the Young
This session challenged plenty of assumptions focused on TikTok and Reddit.
Debbie Benjamin shared figures showing that the 55-64 age group is one of TikTok’s fastest-growing audiences, while increasing numbers of people over 75 are also engaging with the platform. It was another reminder that our perceptions often lag behind reality. TikTok has become a collection of communities built around shared interests rather than simply a platform for younger people.
Merson Lewis described Reddit as a “community of communities”, where people go to ask questions, share experiences and seek reassurance from others before making decisions. He described today’s world as a validation economy, where authentic recommendations often carry more weight than polished advertising.
AI – Discrimination, Danger or Opportunity?
Artificial intelligence featured in several sessions throughout the day.
Frank Leyhausen of Reifegrad4, explored how age bias can become embedded within AI systems because they learn from existing data. His comparison of AI to a parrot repeating what it has already been taught raised a smile, but his message was serious. If the information AI learns from contains bias, the technology will simply reproduce it.
He described ageism as “the last accepted ism” and demonstrated how searching online for images of retirement still produces remarkably stereotypical results – older people sitting on benches, walking on beaches or simply watching the world go by.
His analogy made the point brilliantly: “It’s easy to get the egg out of the carton before you make the dough. It’s much harder to get the egg out once it’s been mixed in. Once bias is mixed into the data, removing it becomes much more difficult.”
Amanda Forsyth of LivOn continued the AI discussion from a much more positive perspective by asking: What if AI could help?
She challenged the assumption that older adults don’t want technology. Instead, they want technology that feels personal, useful and trustworthy.
One statistic from Age UK was particularly striking. Around 500,000 older people regularly go five days or more without seeing or speaking to anyone, with television often becoming their main source of company.
She also highlighted that people aged 55–75 are among the fastest-growing smartphone users, creating huge opportunities for digital services that genuinely improve people’s lives.
Her strongest message was: Trust is the product. Everything else is a feature.
Rather than designing for the “average older adult”, organisations should create personalised experiences that adapt to individual needs.
Marketing Clothing & Accessories – Representation Matters
Fashion and retail came under the spotlight during the clothing and accessories panel. Sue Benson, Shona Jameson and Tristan Haddow discussed the importance of representing customers as they really are, using models who genuinely reflect the diversity of the people buying their products, rather than relying on outdated stereotypes.
We also saw some of the wonderful Models of Diversity models on stage wearing Seaspray swimwear, designed by Matthew Bebbington. It brought the discussion to life and was a great example of authentic representation in action.
Shona also shared the hilarious Cotton Traders’ Full of Surprises campaign, which challenged long-held assumptions about the brand and presented it in a much fresher, more contemporary way. IYKYK!
Dragon’s Den
The afternoon also included a Dragon’s Den-style pitching competition featuring 4 businesses with products and services aimed at the silver market.
The finalists were:
• Martin Lock – SellBuy
• Federica Grazi – Mitos Relocation
• Ken Valledy – The Great Escape
• Amanda O’Brien – The Boutique Adventurer
All four pitches were excellent, but the winner was Federica Grazi with Mitos Relocation.
Marketing to Midlife Men
A really important discussion looked at marketing to midlife men.
Rik Moore of The Kite Factory chaired a panel featuring Louise Agran, senior marketing leader in media, Annie Coleman of Realise Longevity, Diane Kenwood of These Are The Heydays and entrepreneur Suzanne Noble.
The discussion was based on research carried out by The Kite Factory, The Humbug Partnership and the Silver Marketing Association.
The report explored how men in their 50s and 60s are often portrayed very differently from how they see themselves. One quote captured it perfectly: “I’m invisible unless I’m shopping for funeral plans or a reclining sofa.”
The panel argued that these aren’t the decline years. They’re the define years.
It was another reminder that assumptions about age rarely tell the whole story. Many men feel invisible despite being active, engaged and still making significant purchasing decisions.
Louise Agran talked about trust, authenticity and quality. This audience is discerning and quickly spots anything that feels false or patronising.
The discussion also explored identity. For many men, work has provided purpose for decades, so retirement can leave people wondering who they are once that role disappears.
Apple was highlighted as a brand that gets it right. Rather than designing products specifically for older people, it creates products everyone wants, while quietly incorporating features that become increasingly useful with age.Humour also emerged as an important way of helping people feel recognised rather than stereotyped.
Closing Keynote – A Thought-Provoking Finish
Steve Huxham closed the day in conversation with Lyndsey Simpson, founder and CEO of 55/Redefined and author of The Age Rebellion.
It wasn’t really a conversation about retirement. It was a conversation about purpose.
Lyndsey shared the story of how 55/Redefined began. When she was asked to help a bank recruit experienced professionals, she contacted retired bankers and within just 8 weeks, had recruited 400 people back into work.
The experience showed that many people don’t necessarily want retirement. They want purpose.
For many, retirement brings invisibility and a loss of identity rather than freedom.
One of her strongest messages was simple: Retire the word retirement. Instead, she encouraged people to build lives and careers they never want to retire from.
She also challenged organisations to ensure their workforce reflects the customers they serve. If your customers span every generation, shouldn’t your employees?
I also liked her idea of replacing age with level. Rather than describing someone as 58 years old, why not say they’re Level 58? It’s a small change, but it shifts the conversation from age to experience.
Lyndsey encouraged everyone to ask themselves one simple question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
It was a fitting way to end a day that consistently challenged assumptions about ageing and encouraged us all to rethink how we view later life.
Awards
The day finished with the Silver Marketing Awards, brilliantly hosted by the Association’s patron, Anthea Turner, who looked as though she hadn’t aged a day since Blue Peter.
The ceremony was punctuated by live musical interludes from David Mitchell (not that one!) and Cole Tory. They explained that, despite performing together for years, this was the first time they’d ever sung covers, putting their own wonderfully quirky spin on some well-known songs!
Congratulations to all the winners and those who were highly commended.
Final Thoughts
There was so much to take in that I’m sure I’ll be dipping back into my notes for weeks to come. Looking back, I kept coming back to the same three themes.
Challenge assumptions.
Represent people honestly.
Build trust.
We’re living longer than any generation before us, yet too much marketing is still based on outdated ideas about ageing. It’s not about marketing to older people. It’s just about understanding people better. Something every industry could do with remembering.
Coming from hospitality, where it’s always been about making people feel seen and valued, this felt like such an important, and achievable, shift. Because whatever age we are, it’s how we make people feel that really matters.
Huge thanks to Debbie Marshall and the whole Silver Marketing Association team for organising such an amazingly uplifting and informative summit.
I came away with pages of notes, a few more books to read, new contacts, new friends and plenty of ideas to think about.
More than anything, I came away feeling excited about what lies ahead, and excited to see who I become when I decide who I want to be when I grow up.
