Brands often focus most of their marketing efforts on the newest audience, which makes sense because the sooner you turn a user into a fan, there’s an element of built-in loyalty for the long term. That’s the goal, anyway. 

It’s fascinating to look at the demographics of certain social media platforms and how they seem to change (or not) with each generation. 

Most of us use social platforms to delineate certain times in our life. How we categorized levels of friendship on MySpace, jumped ship and friended everyone on Facebook, showed off what we ate for dinner on Instagram, and watched the latest trend on TikTok.

Instagram, for example – has most of its users in the 25 to 34 age group, with roughly 35 percent. The next biggest group? 18 to 24-year-olds, at 30 percent. Younger generations have more options, with social media, Snapchat, YouTube, and TikTok being some of the biggest platforms for the cohort.

Using that information, it’s safe to say that most of us have used Instagram for a long time.

What about older age groups? With only 13 percent of Instagram’s users aged 45 and over, Instagram hasn’t traditionally been an effective platform to reach this group, brands instead opt for Facebook to get the most traction.

But that’s starting to change.

As beneficial as it is to target younger audiences, tapping into the aging market will have its value. Millennials are reaching the threshold of their fourth decade, which means that at some point, nearly half of the active users on Instagram will be 40 years and older (accounting for millennials and gen x combined).

Data shows that use amongst the Gen X cohort specifically (aged 43 to 58 years old in 2023) is one of the fastest-growing audiences on the platform. The same could be said for Facebook and how many Gen X users use the site today while younger generations have moved on to other platforms.

What can brands do with this information? 

L’Oreal is setting its sights on an older audience, and it’s enlisting the help of influencers between the ages of 45 and 84 to help promote one of its newest launches, the Age Perfect Rosy Oil-Serum.

With influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy, the beauty enterprise seeks to embrace aging and celebrate self-confidence. Curious about what that looks like? 

Keep reading!

L’Oreal commits to inclusion and generational diversity

Hop on over to L’Oréal’s website, and  you’ll see this heading on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page:

Our objective is to be the most inclusive beauty leader and contribute to a society in which everyone can live safely, peacefully, and equally.

For the brand, this means celebrating a diversity of beauty within marketing and advertising and committing to taking a wide range of generations and ages into account when formulating new products.

One of the most recent launches and focal points for the campaign was created with mature skin in mind. Formulated to boost radiance and reduce the appearance of sagging, the Rosy Oil Serum specifically aims to “deliver instant radiance and revitalize the look of [dry and dull] mature skin with an ultra-rich and comforting texture.”

L’Oreal is certainly not the first to create products with this skin type in mind, and there have been older women acting as brand ambassadors for skincare brands (see: Ellen DeGeneres for CoverGirl and Olay) for over a decade. 

Plus, there’s the fact that L’Oreal counts Kate Winslet and Eva Longoria, both in their late 40s, as spokespeople for several of L’Oréal’s product campaigns and initiatives.

So what makes the Rosy Oil Serum campaign different?

In an interview with Adweek, Gabriella Ostrenius, Nordic social brand manager at L’Oreal, said, “Many anti-aging brands promote the narrative that older women are focusing on trying to get rid of wrinkles. But, with the launch of our Rosy Oil-Serum, we want to celebrate and encourage the attitude of positivity, confidence, and self-love that our audiences already feels about themselves—no matter what their age.”

Maria (@aginginstyle), an ‘oldfluencer’ as she calls herself, expressed this sentiment in content created for the campaign. “You know, I don’t mind my lines, but I want to keep my glow.”

Susanne Histrup (@susannehistrup) highlighted what many hope to feel at a certain age.

In a caption for the partnership, she said, “With age, I feel both safer, more confident, and more satisfied – my inner natural glow is reflected on the outside thanks to a little help from Rosy Oil-Serum.”

The beauty positivity also flowed from content created by Finnish author and entrepreneur Merja Mähkä.

For the campaign, Mähkä wrote, “Age, the best thing that ever happened to me! Each year is better than the year before. I am braver – I dare to start new things without thinking if it’s going to be anything. I am more confident – I know and can do so much already. And damn, I feel even more beautiful!”

While there were parameters in place for the campaign, creators were free to express their feelings about the product and how they used it. The campaign targeted the Nordic region – Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway using Instagram Reels, Stories, and static images.

Boosted through paid media, the campaign aimed for a few specific metrics:

• Build brand and product awareness for the Age Perfect collection
• Increased general sales
• Increased purchases through Instagram’s swipe-up feature

Within two months, the business director of Billion Dollar Boy, Suzanne Stal, shared that key metric goals were exceeded by 450% thanks to four million impressions and an engagement rate of 2.5 percent.

Granfluencers want better representation.

Ageism still exists. But numerous creators and influencers out there are trying to break down the stigma of what it means to be 50 plus.

Take Helen Ruth Elam, known as @BaddieWinkle, on Instagram.

With more than three million followers and ‘stealing ur mans since 1928,’ she’s worked with several brands, from Paramount Pictures and Aussie Hair to Smirnoff and Sally Beauty.

Angie Schmitt, creator of Hot and Flashy on YouTube, creates content for women 50 and older who want to learn best practices for makeup, hair, skincare, and fashion tips as skin and style start to change.

What’s the takeaway here? 

Nothing’s off limits for creators and influencers who want to put creativity and ideas out into the world.

There’s also this point: millennials and gen z are both at a point where content creation has been a big part of social and cultural shifts. With older generations taking a seat at the table, finding creators during every stage and age of life will no longer be that difficult.

Brands that want to reach wider audiences must consider expanding creator programs to include all ages or risk losing significant brand awareness and revenue.