People often ask me, ‘What is the secret sauce?’ to the longevity of such brilliant creativity at Specsavers. And I get it. ‘Should’ve gone to Specsavers’ is the gift that keeps on giving, with every creative articulation humorous but emotive – whether it makes people laugh out loud, raise a wry smile, or go and get an eye and hearing test. In truth, the answer to the longevity of our creative idea lies in the values of the whole business. These values are what enable this creativity.

Specsavers’ mission is to ensure eye and hear care is accessible and affordable to everyone, and this inclusivity and humility is the beating heart of the business. But inclusivity is not often a word we have historically associated with the creative industry, especially when it comes to age.  The creative industry is, of course, a magnet for young people, and so it should be. However, to see that only 6% of people in our industry are aged over 50, is hugely worrying.

With people having (and wanting!) to work much later in life, we’ve never had such an opportunity to employ such a diverse age range of people in the workplace. I’ve read so many articles about how difficult it is to marry the working ways of these interworking generations.   But with every challenge comes an opportunity, and it’s this opportunity, the alchemy of these brilliant and diverse creative minds who inspire each other daily, that Specsavers is so good at nurturing and thrives on. 

If you look at our team, as an example, we have an insanely talented creative pairings of youngsters (for example, Reece and Dana, Guernsey locals who are starting out their creative careers with us) a Global Creative Director who has been with Specsavers pretty much his whole career, and a Design Director appointed last year who is in his 60s. And let’s not forget about our founders – Doug Perkins CBE and Dame Mary Perkins - who are still highly active in leading our business. No one in our team worries about having a shelf life, and this is hugely liberating.

47% of the UK population are in their 50s and above. Between them, they hold 69.7% of all UK household wealth.  et only 4% of people portrayed in ads are aged over 60. When people aged over 55 do appear in advertising, they are routinely misrepresented and caricatured as one singular demographic, in need of pity and help. Mullenlowe’s Invisible Powerhouse research also showed that 88% of people aged over 55 felt unhappy about the way advertising treats them or feel misrepresented. With such a small percentage of creative talent over 50 working in adland, how can we be surprised? This is a fundamental issue that brands and agencies are still getting so wrong.

You see the finished Specsavers product and it’s always unexpectedly and obviously Specsavers, but it’s not always easy getting there. But it’s the teams’ longevity and inherent understanding of the brand that enables them to create ideas that are so right for the brand. We combine this longevity and depth of experience with the younger fresh talent who challenge us to express and activate these ideas in new and fresh ways. 

Our culture (again, set and led by our Founders) is one of openness and humility. So, regardless of your age, if you live by these values, you are always learning, open to challenge and keen to keep evolving. That’s as important at 65 as it is at 25.

Our Outside In programme, which brings in learnings from other organisations, isn’t just for junior talent. It’s for all of us, to come together and learn together. Our buddy system, which pairs experienced talent with emerging talent is in every way mutually beneficial.

I would urge all creative leaders to not write off experience. Indeed, to embrace it. Depth of experience is so important in terms of understanding a brand and helping to educate younger people. But ensure your business has a culture which facilitates the interaction of this intergeneration of talent, for the creative good.