Youth Appeal (Advertising)

What is the Youth Appeal?

The Youth Appeal  is one of roughly twenty advertising strategies that marketing professionals use to persuade people to buy a product, pay for a service, donate to a cause, or otherwise be persuaded. The Youth Appeal persuades people to purchase a product because they feel it will make them feel younger in some way, either in appearance or in attitude. Many people, especially those over the age of 40, have a longing desire to feel young again, particularly when their bodies aren’t as able as they once were. The Youth Appeal tugs on this desire.

When Should I Use the Youth Appeal?

The Youth Appeal is best used when you have a product or service that can make people feel younger in some way. While beauty products and anti-aging creams seem like the natural product type for the Youth Appeal, the reality is many products can speak to a person’s desire to feel younger, more energetic, more cool, and so forth. If your product or service can appeal to someone’s desire to feel younger, it may be a good approach.

How Do I Apply the Youth Appeal in Advertising?

Because the Youth Appeal seeks to persuade people that they will look and/or feel younger by using your company’s product or service, images of youthful people are often effective. Also, you can consider the before/after approach, playing on the idea that a person feels old or aged in some way before using your product but they gain back years after using your product. Use words and visuals that appeal to a person’s longing for feeling that way once again.

Examples of Youth Appeals in Action