Age preferences for advertisement models differ by their gender / Las preferencias de edad de los modelos publicitarios varían en función del sexo del modelo

Abstract

Based on evolutionary psychology, this paper investigates whether age preferences for ad models differ according to the model’s gender. The study is the first to experimentally document the double standard of ageing in consumer appraisals of advertisements. Fictitious advertisements were created for mineral water, chewing gum and energy bars, manipulating the ages of the models. Each participant was randomly placed in one of four conditions using a 2 (Model Age) × 2 (Model Gender) between-subjects experimental design and asked to rate the ads. As hypothesized, mature male models elicited a more favourable response than did young ones, whereas mature female models elicited a less favourable response than did young ones. The link between the model’s age and the attitude towards the ad was mediated by the model’s attractiveness. These preliminary results suggest that in choosing ad models, advertisers should take into consideration that mature male models and young female models are rated as attractive, eliciting favourable responses from potential consumers. Nonetheless, mature age can elicit the perception of trustworthiness of the model.