Underwear provider Playtex has just announced that it will be spending £1m on repositioning its underwear brand to women over the age of 50. They state that their research revealed that women over this age felt they were essentially "ignored", [a common finding in this age group]. The advertisements will feature a 42 year old model with the strapline " Feeling better than ever" and the approach is designed to appeal to women who are still "young at heart" and coping with a changing body shape.
Over the weekend the Guardian also ran a feature about films and the fact that stories never involve women aged over 50. A major cinema audience survey "reveals anger" at the film industry for perpetuating stereotypes.
It is good to see that these aspects are finally getting some airing but it seems incredible that it has taken so long for businesses such as Playtex to finally realise what a massive market the 50+ population is and how under-serviced their needs still are. The menopausal women is a good example of where age could help in targeting but there are many other life events triggering new needs for men and women in the following 4 decades of life which still need addressing. A huge opportunity for businesses to do something worthwhile and earn money.