Presencia y representación de las personas mayores en la publicidad televisiva: el caso español / Presence and representation of older people in primetime television advertising: the Spanish case

Introducción. El giro demográfico hacia la madurez, ha generado una serie de cambios socioeconómicos y culturales que transforman el papel y la imagen pública de las personas mayores en nuestra sociedad. Los mayores se han convertido en uno de los segmentos de mercado con mayor futuro. En España apenas se encuentran trabajos que profundicen, desde el punto de vista de la comunicación, en la realidad de este nuevo mercado. Esta investigación analiza la utilización que se hace de la imagen del mayor en la publicidad televisiva, diferenciando entre los anuncios destinados al público de la tercera edad, y aquellos cuyos destinatarios no son los mayores, pero los incorporan en su contenido como actores publicitarios. Material y métodos. Análisis de contenido sobre 2.065 spots grabados en la franja horaria de máxima audiencia (de 20:30 a 22:30 horas) durante la semana del 10 al 16 de noviembre de 2008. La muestra se ha obtenido de las 5 principales cadenas de televisión españolas (TVE 1, La 2, Tele 5, Antena 3 y Cuatro). Dos evaluadores analizaron simultáneamente la misma programación obteniendo un coeficiente de fiabilidad entre jueces de 0,91. Resultados y conclusiones. En general las personas mayores aparecen poco en la publicidad española, especialmente las mujeres. Su presencia es más contundente y visible en campañas dirigidas a diferentes grupos de edad donde se les presenta con una imagen estereotipada, interesada y tradicional(AU)

Introduction. The demographic shift towards aging population generates a series of socioeconomic and cultural changes that are beginning to transform the role and public image of older people. The elderly have become one of the market segments with a greater future. This fact has attracted little scientific interest in the field of advertising communication and for this reason there is little research that is actually looking into this Spain. This research examines the use that is made of the image of the elderly in the television advertising in Spain, looking at the differences between the advertisement dedicated to the targeting people over 65, and those that are not directed at the elderly, but use older people in their content as actors or main characters in the advertisement. Material and methods. A content analysis study was conducted on a sample of 2,065 spots obtained from prime time slots (from 20:30 to 22:30 p.m.) from the five major Spanish television channels (TVE 1, La 2, Tele 5, Antena 3 and Cuatro). Two independent judges coded all the advertisements. The reliability coefficient between judges was 0.91. Results and conclusions. In general, older people, particularly women, are not very often shown in Spanish advertising. Their presence is much stronger and visible in campaigns which aim their communication strategy at different age groups. In those cases, advertising presents the elderly with a stereotyped, self-interested and traditional image(AU)

[Presence and representation of older people in prime-time television advertising: the Spanish case]. / Presencia y representación de las personas mayores en la publicidad televisiva: el caso español.

INTRODUCTION: The demographic shift towards aging population generates a series of socioeconomic and cultural changes that are beginning to transform the role and public image of older people. The elderly have become one of the market segments with a greater future. This fact has attracted little scientific interest in the field of advertising communication and for this reason there is little research that is actually looking into this Spain. This research examines the use that is made of the image of the elderly in the television advertising in Spain, looking at the differences between the advertisement dedicated to the targeting people over 65, and those that are not directed at the elderly, but use older people in their content as actors or main characters in the advertisement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A content analysis study was conducted on a sample of 2,065 spots obtained from prime time slots (from 20:30 to 22:30 p.m.) from the five major Spanish television channels (TVE 1, La 2, Tele 5, Antena 3 and Cuatro). Two independent judges coded all the advertisements. The reliability coefficient between judges was 0.91. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: In general, older people, particularly women, are not very often shown in Spanish advertising. Their presence is much stronger and visible in campaigns which aim their communication strategy at different age groups. In those cases, advertising presents the elderly with a stereotyped, self-interested and traditional image.