Why Brands Ignore Women Over 40
Plus How to Juggle Dating Multiple People at Once!
Hello Hotties!
I recently learned from my guest Katie Keating (no relation) that brands don’t advertise to women in mid-life because they don’t think we are worth targeting, even though we control the majority of the nation’s spending decisions. WTF is that all about?
Episode 85: Advertising for Women Over 40, Made By Women Over 40! with Katie Keating
Katie Keating is the Co-Founder and Co-CCO of the women-owned, operated and focused advertising agency Fancy LLC. She and her co-founder left the traditional boys’ club of advertising when they read a stat that fewer than 3% of advertising creative directors were women. It was safer, it seemed, to bet on themselves than trust an employer with the future of their careers when there was no one their age and gender left standing in the conference room.
Katie reflected that she and her partner started out with a ton of female peers, but they didn’t have to wonder long about why they had left the industry. Turns out they didn’t like being relegated to only working on lady business, the lower status beauty and tampon accounts that are the “women’s work” of the agency world, while their male peers won Cannes Lions for groundbreaking campaigns in literally every other product category.
Their peers had also left advertising because after they had families, the unrelenting nature and culture of go-go-go modern Mad Men were inhospitable to the many roles women play in our complicated lives. Having to work from home to attend to a sick kid the day before the big client pitch doesn’t fly when showing up for a 9-5 (or 8-8) day in the office is de rigueur.
My hair caught fire when Katie spoke about not being allowed to advertise on social media for products related to women’s bodies, and how advertisers don’t think women in midlife are worth targeting because while we control the bulk of the nation’s spending, and would open our wallets if brands paid attention to us, we’re not considered a desirable demographic. And don’t get me started on what the AI thinks “women in midlife” should look like (hint: it’s seated and/or gardening).
Katie and Fancy’s research and campaigns are helping brands to understand women 40+, unpacking how to talk to us about taboo subjects, and providing a template for going beyond stereotypes when representing us in ads. Keep fighting the good fight, sister Keating!
Episode #84 - Advice: How Do I Juggle Dating Several Guys at the Same Time?
Despite what popular culture might tell you about how women over 40 are hard up, many women our age on dating apps have a different story to tell. When I first started dating online, I didn’t know if I was attractive at all - I had spent so long atrophying in an unhappy marriage and shouldering the burdens of professional, domestic and emotional labor that I wouldn't have been surprised if men on the apps took one look at me swiped left with a “Hell, No!!” I had no perspective at all.
Little did I know that 50 year-old me would be of interest to such a wide range of men (my preferred people to date, G-d help me), from smooth muscled 20-somethings and mid-career tech bros in button downs to hunky UPS drivers and childless guitar-playing Gen X dudes to kinky retirees. Online dating is a smorgasbord of male attention and I’ve found it fun to date more than one guy at the same time, since I’m not looking for true love or domestic partnership at the moment and I love being totally honest and feeling radically free.
My advice to our caller is the same as I’d give to you: figure out what you want and prioritize that. I know you have limited time to dedicate to dating and romance and sexual shenanigans (it can feel like a part-time job!) so I suggest locking down plans with your favorite guy-of-the-moment and then filling in your social calendar around his availability. It’s good to have a roster so that when someone you like is not free during your Thursday night babysitter window (or, Heaven forbid, that cutie has to cancel in the last minute), you don’t have to settle for Netflix and chardonnay at home because there are other numbers in your phone.
I’m sure I sound crazy to folks who don’t realize there are lots of different ways to structure love, lust and relationships with significant others, but I’m here to tell you that the conventional path is not the only path, and that your approach to joy and satisfaction may look different than your neighbor’s, or your bestie’s or your sister’s. You’re a grown ass woman and you can do your life (and your love life) however you damn well please. Loosen the reins and live a little, ladies!
Want advice about some aspect of your life over 40? We want your questions!
DM us on IG @hotterthaneverpod or text/leave a voicemail on the Hotter Than Ever Hottie Hotline at (323) 844-2303 and your question could end up on the show!
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