How ageism at agencies affects older employees
Advertising is known for its youth obsession but that’s to the detriment of aging agency employees. Those employees are not only affected by age discrimination in agency culture but find it harder and harder to land the next job.
The fee-based agency business model has long been dependent on cheaper talent. It makes experience a commodity.
According to Digiday Research, 54% of employees with more than 15 years of experience believe they’ve experienced ageism at agencies and 43% of employees surveyed believe they’ve experienced ageism.
Ageism doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Agency sources who’ve dealt with ageism believe it impacts the mental health of those who experience it.
A way forward
Given the size of the Baby Boomer generation, agency sources believe that the on-going conversation about ageism within advertising will enact change eventually. What that change will be is still yet to be determined.
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