San Francisco Eyes Anti-Ageism

This fall and winter, the San Francisco Department for Disability and Aging Services is running its first-ever — and one of the nation’s first and largest — anti-ageism campaigns. The creative is built around five old/young faces, each in multiple digital and outdoor formats. The old eyes we see are those of actual San Franciscans whose passion, leadership, creativity, courage or intelligence is profiled on the campaign website.  The five younger faces were cast simply for physical likeness. It is advertising agency Most Likely To’s first work for the new client.

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A budget of $300K is going to social media (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn in English, Spanish and Chinese; physical, hanging public space banners; giant wallscapes; digital display at commuter train stations: and bus tails and bus shelter advertising.

The initial goal is to increase awareness of ageism, specifically among the “transitional” middle-aged. The target is San Francisco workers, age 30 – 50, who, at the younger end, are just gaining the economic clout to practice ageism, sometimes unknowingly, and at the older end, just starting to be its victims. This is the first part of a two-part campaign, whose overall goal is to increase use of the department’s services. Older adults are San Francisco’s fastest growing age group, and by 2030 over 30% of the city’s residents will be age 60 or older.

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Agency credits go to: Trent Farr, ECD/CW; Mark Butorac, CD/AD; Joseph Newfield, Strategy Director; Noël McKenzie-Johnson, Account Director; Joshua Dowden, Web Developer; and Laura Lindow, Print Production. Peter Samuels is the Photographer and Farmuse did the Casting.