Recently I was lucky enough to be invited by Lend Lease to speak to their audience of marketers about this phenomenon we are now seeing in society - the Flat Age. I thought I'd share some of the key themes of this presentation, as this audience is cashed up, ready for a premium lifestyle and yet largely ignored in advertising by the bulk of consumer products out there.

There has been a lot of talk about this topic of the Flat Age Society recently... The Consumer Futures Forum held by the Future Laboratories held an entire afternoon dedicated to this phenomenon of our ageing population who are not growing old in traditional ways. Personally, I believe that most marketing has a way to go before it catches up to the older person attitude. In many cases, the norm is still that we see ads for 'older people' as being the domain of superannuation and adult incontinence products. And the cliches about friendly older men and women smiling and doting on grandchildren is being peppered throughout.

There's nothing wrong with this technically. Grandparents do (hopefully) love their grandchildren, and certainly older people are in need of superannuation and the occasional Tena Lady. However, there is a real shift in attitude in what was traditionally referred to as the baby boomer generation - now dubbed the 'Flat Ager'.

Boomers were genuine campaigners for a new way of thinking: the contraceptive pill enabled a new sexual freedom for women; they lived to witness the first man on the moon; they protested against wars; tuned in, dropped out and generally stuck it their own parent's generation about what it meant to be alive and free. It is highly unlikely then, that we should ever have expected this generation to grow old quietly like their parents did.

What we are witnessing now are a new generation of consumers who have the desire to maintain their health so that their quality of life doesn't suffer - but who still want new experiences, luxury goods, fantastic food and wine. and most of all, to be treated with respect. This is truly evident when we consider that we older entreprenuers are growing as a segment... driven partially by necessity (the ageism that can exist in the workforce), but also by a desire for control over lifestyle and income. In a 15 year period, the percentage of new businesses started by people over 55 increased by 7% - a significant statistic!

So why are so many brands talking down to this group - if they bother to talk to them at all? Not to say that all brands are - Dolce & Gabbana recently featured older models in their campaigns, which if nothing else actually creates cut-through in the clutter of all the perfectly similar models who generally pepper the luxury brand advertising palette. Dos Equis also started championing the appeal of the older person with the much celebrated 'Most Interesting Man in the World' campaign from several years ago.

So what's the lesson for brands? Talk to this audience. With respect. With humour. People don't lose their lust for life just because they get older, and no one wants to feel that they are becoming invisible.

So many brands attempt to make viral content (and do so poorly), but this example by Samsung remains one of the most widely spread this year. Why? Because it taps into the kindness of the human spirit - for anyone who has ever thought how hard is must be to be deaf.

This particular ad made by Samsung in Turkey is called 'Healing Hands' - and even though there is no getting around the fact that this is a 3 minute spot that is actually a commercial for Samsung, it is thoroughly heart warming.

Essentially, Samsung took some of the residents of Bagcilar in Turkey and trained them in sign language, so that they could make their hearing impaired neighbour Maharrem feel truly connected with the people around him. For a brand that is about bringing connection, this was an excellent metaphor for what their products can actually deliver.