Is It Too Bold to Portray the Old?

Sammanfattning: A recent stream of research has investigated the use of non-stereotypical portrayals in advertising and their effects. However, an area that has not gained much research attention is that of age stereotypes. This study contributes to closing this knowledge gap by investigating the advertising effects of non-stereotypical portrayals of age and the underlying mechanisms of these effects. Furthermore, the effects are compared across Generations Y and Z, the consumer segments which will soon command the largest part of the world's purchasing power. Two product categories serve as the stimuli for investigation, namely sunglasses and underwear. Through conducting two experimental studies, the authors show that non-stereotypical portrayals of age can increase the level of perceived brand effort and ability, which in turn leads to more positive brand attitudes and higher word-of-mouth intentions, at least in the underwear category. The findings extend signaling theory by showing that product quality is not a necessary mediating variable for the more positive brand attitudes and higher word-of-mouth intentions when using non-stereotypical portrayal of age. The authors hence suggest that that the positive effects of non-stereotypical portrayals of age can be observed on a brand level, rather than a product or ad level. This implies that non-stereotypical portrayals of age can be expected to be most effective for brand building or PR purposes, rather than for the purpose of increasing specific product sales. The findings also show that there are few differences in advertising effects between Generation Z and Y when using non-stereotypical portrayals of age. However, when using stereotypical portrayals, more negative effects can be observed among Generation Y consumers.