Older generations believe they are not accurately represented in advertising content published by brands, according to a new study by market research enterprise YouGov. While certain industries fare better than others, the consensus is that brands could do more to resonate with people aged 50 and over.

YouGov surveyed more than 1,000 people born before 1967 to discover key trends for brands to work on with their content campaigns. The main takeaway is that older people often feel like they are overlooked in content such as online videos and high-resolution photos and images, as more than two-thirds said ads do not accurately reflect who they are.

Some industries are more culpable than others when it comes to targeting their ad campaigns to younger audiences. Almost a fifth said cosmetics and beauty products are currently the least likely to represent them in the right way, while the fashion industry and technology companies also performed poorly in this regard.

L’Oréal is one of the few brands that has attempted to connect with older people after its own research found women aged 55 and over often feel like they are “invisible” in ads. The French cosmetics company recently ran a “Gold, not Old” initiative with Helen Mirren and is eager to pave the way for similar campaigns in the industry.

“This is exactly why we’ve been pushing to change this within the beauty industry for many years now,” L’Oréal Paris UK General Manager Adrien Koskas said. “Jane Fonda, Susan Sarandon and of course our iconic Helen Mirren show the commitment from L’Oréal to help 55+ women feel represented and have a face and a voice in the advertising industry. Our campaigns aim to celebrate ageing instead of denigrating. You have still got it and you are still worth it, at any age.”

While marketers usually have work to do when it comes to representing a more diverse audience range, respondents to YouGov’s survey were happy that the health industry and financial industry are, to some degree, depicting older peer groups in a way they recognise and relate to.

TSB Marketing Director Peter Markey said brands should do everything they can to reflect modern Britain and urged them to stop using “awful” stock photography, which often misses the mark entirely in ad campaigns. He added that men and women in their 50s now feel younger than ever before and have more disposable income, so marketers should tap into this lifestyle to boost their brands and better meet the needs of all their customers.

Markey said: “I am also a big fan of having diverse teams and having a wide range of backgrounds and age groups in a marketing team particularly if that reflects your target audience is critical. To better relate to and communicate to over 50s, marketers and their agencies need to do their homework well and look within the DNA of their own organisation to ensure that this reflects enough the rich diversity of the UK today.”