Getting a feel for the reaction of ‘older’ audiences using The Real Folk Panel

Prepaid travel card firm FairFX were due to launch a campaign titled ‘Silvermoon’, targeting retirees about to embark on their first adventure since entering this new phase of life. Second guessing the name, they wanted a second opinion to prevent any negative connotations causing offence before they went ahead.

Lucky for FairFX, we had The Real Folk Panel, a diverse panel of independent communications specialists, ready to offer any potential red flags and make sure all the language was age positive, supported by Age Cymru (the Wales arm of Age UK) – a leading charity dedicated to older people.
The panel shared insight around the word ‘silver’ and its connotations and concluded that it looked at age in a glowing light, without conveying any negative or harmful stereotypes. What’s more, they felt the name created a fitting new term for an era so overlooked.

“Names like “older people ” or “older adults” do not sit well with retirees, who could be anyone from people in their 50s, 60s or even 70s these days. So on balance, Silvermoon is a good way to describe the holiday of a lifetime for the future retirees, whatever age, one panel member said.”