An excerpt from Design Your Age by Tuck Kamin
Change the way you see aging now. Other misleading perceptions have been dismissed. Like litter and garbage. For example in the late 1960’s after you drove through the roadside hamburger stand and after you finished the hamburger and fries…you threw it out the car window. Then in the early 70’s we saw the damaging effects of pollution. In the 1980’s advertising campaigns like “Throw in the basket” and “Don’t Mess With Texas” started working and litter eased up. Here I offer the example now “There’s no such thing as a poo fairy.” About cleaning up after your dog. The Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
Changing perception is also true for cigarettes. From the inception where Cigarettes like LUCKY STRIKE were endorsed by physicians as a healthy product to the ending of Cigarette TV commercials in 1969. We now know Smoking kills.
Instead of just showing white haired people laughing and dancing. We need to show real people still creating. Individuals who are still innovating, producing new ideas and product. Very very cool individuals who are well into their numerical age. The way you do it. Tell it in a fresh way. Connect with your audience. Make it entertaining. It can and will happen. And that’s no poo.
“How Old Are You?” What should you say when they ask?
If you are a boomer this question is an invitation to ageism. Equivalent to racism. Too drastic you say? When you tell your age and they reply “You look good for your age.” You have now have accepted that you accept society’s cultural prison of numerical age, declaring your limitations, humiliating yourself.
Their positive reply is like saying “Wow you are smart for being a mentally challenged person.” That’s crap.
So how should you answer? Tell them “I’m 16 inside actually. How old are you?”.
That’s a healthier place to reside in this world.
TUCK KAMIN
Shaping and creating perceptions has been apart of Tuck Kamin’s career for over 30 years. He is an award winning creative director / strategist in advertising. He lives in Austin, Texas.
Get your copy of DESIGN YOUR AGE at designyourage.com/book/