The Age Thing

I have never dyed my hair. That in itself is quite a bold statement from a gay man, but it’s true. I can add it to the list of other things to disguise the aging process that I have never done, like moisturizers, collagens, Botox and cosmetic surgery. Though it may be just cause for demanding that I turn in my Gay Card, I figure growing older is inevitable and trying to cover it up is really an undignified thing to do.

I remember a friend of mine telling me years before I got into the leather community, that I should start wearing leather because, “it looks good on you as you age.” That was good advice.

In a culture that values youth and beauty over almost anything else, the real anomaly is the image of the leather “daddy”. He is a person who is valued for not only his look, but his experience and wisdom. At least that is the story I keep telling myself.

So far on my life journey the only drawback from aging, other than the continual battle with gravity is a discrimination I find in the job market. In the field of communications and advertising, having grey hair is akin to having smallpox. For some reason marketers and agencies feel that only someone who is fresh out of college can connect with the mind of the youth market. It is as though advertisers feel that the youth of today are from another planet and only “their kind” can reach them, much less understand them.

The truth is that young people today are pretty much the same as they were in my generation. Oh they have new technology and different style clothes, but they are still motivated by the same thing I was at their age. In the business of advertising that boils down to two key ingredients, sex and acceptance. If those weren’t the key motivating factors ads wouldn’t feature claims that using (insert product here) would get you laid or get you friends.

So why the bias against anyone who is older? I don’t know, unless it’s because a more experienced and seasoned professional can see through the smokescreen of jargon and bull being spewed by management and that is threatening. For some, especially in marketing and advertising jargon is power. Like the fields of Medicine and Law, if you put things in everyday terms instead of using Latin, your clients and patients wouldn’t feel your services were worth so much money.

Would you be more willing to pay your doctor in order to get a prescription for “microdose acetylsalicylic acid administered prophylacticaly” that you would for a “half a baby aspirin taken each night”? The same holds true in advertising.

Which would you find more trustworthy, a report that details the “differentiated marketing to counteract intense segment rivalry” or one that states simple “there are already a glut of similar products being sold, so we need to get specific as to which groups we try to sell to.” Confusion is power and as I age I find I just don’t have time to veil my knowledge in jargon.

So, I guess my next marketing position will be to, “personalize the retail experience through initialized direct contact communication”. Of course this job, unlike any other I have had will take a specialized wardrobe. Something in a blue vest should do. Now, I just need to review the marketing narrative, just to make sure I can optimize my interface with target markets…”Hello, and welcome to Wal-Mart”.