Alter in der Werbung – zur altersspezifischen Sprache in deutsch- und italienischsprachigen Kosmetikanzeigen

Proceeding from different definitions of 'old age' the later stages of life in advertising are in the focus of our empirical study. The analysis of the language of elderly people in advertising has hitherto been neglected in the framework of this otherwise very popular research domain. Considering the percentage of this group within the population and the development of the buying power of older people, the interest of the advertising sector in senior citizens can be expected to increase in the future, in comparison to the target group of young people and adolescents. How does advertising react to this economically potent group of 'old people' that is allegedly extremely inclined to buy?
Methodologically it seems suitable for a first linguistic approach to the topic to select age-specific products as a starting-point. We will draw on examples predominantly from cosmetic advertising, determining in particular age-specific linguistic features and comparing in an exemplary way German and Italian advertisements.