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Topic: Student Questions

Relative To Coporate Jobs Is Marketing Ageist?

Posted by biggermiao on 5/10/2014 at 5:22 AM ET 125 Points
Previously I asked a similar question and got insightful responses. The new question however is refined to: "'Relative to other corporate positions,' how ageist is the marketing profession?"

Based on my research, ageism is growing in the corporate world in general, even for the presumably stable accounting profession. If we assume ageism exists in marketing, would it be roughly less, more or equal to the average across all corporate jobs?

thanks!
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  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 5/10/2014 at 8:35 AM Member
    Read: https://www.sfgate.com/business/bottomline/article/Readers-offer-tales-of-S..., https://workreimagined.aarp.org/start-a-business/special-report-ageism-in-s..., https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2014/01/31/the-ugly-truth-about-age-di..., and https://business.time.com/2013/07/24/act-your-age-not-if-you-hope-to-escape....
  • Posted by mgoodman on 5/10/2014 at 2:50 PM Accepted
    It depends on exactly what you mean by "ageist." If you mean, do marketing people tend to be younger on average, the answer is probably yes. If you're referring specifically to digital marketing, it's almost certainly yes.

    But if you mean, do senior executives discriminate against older people with the same skill level as younger people, strictly based on age, I suspect the answer is no. The age difference isn't the key factor. It's the familiarity with new media and new tools that make the difference. And that familiarity (or expertise) is probably more common to younger folks.
  • Posted by biggermiao on 5/11/2014 at 5:36 AM Author
    Thanks and correct, ageism from the perspective of the hirer. You answered it quite well: no, skills are what count.

    So we can basically say in regards to the relative rather than absolute level of ageism that as ageism is becoming prevalent across all corporate professions in general, it is no more common in marketer hiring than it is in the rest.
  • Posted by tcgren on 5/13/2014 at 5:38 PM Accepted
    The only other potential factor: if I am going to hire someone to market to 18-30 age group, who better to do it than someone already in that age bracket? They know the lingo, they have higher % of friends in that bracket, they know the types of media used, etc. it can also be a negative, in that since they are in the target market population, they may not think outside the box for that age group.
  • Posted by mgoodman on 5/13/2014 at 7:57 PM Accepted
    tcgren asked rhetorically: "... if I am going to hire someone to market to 18-30 age group, who better to do it than someone already in that age bracket?"

    My response: A professional marketer who has a solid track record of achieving results across a variety of markets and demographic segments.

    One of the problems with hiring marketers because they "speak the language" of the target audience is that they are often tempted to think they know the answers just because they are "one of them," and they fail to apply time-tested techniques to determine target audience preferences, attitudes, habits and practices. Any one individual can't possibly represent everyone in a diverse group, even if he/she is a member of that group.

  • Posted by biggermiao on 5/13/2014 at 10:14 PM Author
    I would think the bias tcgren mentioned is definitely in practice somewhere out there. This is an interesting precaution to consider, but may not be a cause for any real concern If the frequency of age bias in the profession is no greater than that found in other corporate positions. Remember we need to be realistic. We don't care if there's ageism in marketing as much as we do how it ranks in ageism compared to other corporate options.

    To help understand that we have yet to conclude if this age bias in marketing is more, less or equal to the average across all corporate professions. I'm hoping this could give a realistically positive view for all, and for myself who is considering the profession.

    Thanks!
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