A freelance copywriter, aged 55 and supremely annoyed by rejection because of her age, penned a note on social media which has become viral.
Sherri Anderson describes herself as “wicked, clever, witty, smart and quick” and asked employers and recruiters what was the problem.
“I can speak the language of 99.9% of the target audiences of 100% of the brands who’ve hired you to recruit for them,” she wrote on LinkedIn.
“So what is it that I’m missing?
At last report the post had more than 6,000 likes, 774 comments and 157 reposts including advertising leader Cindy Gallop.
“I am 55. I do not wear sensible shoes or a Cross Your Heart bra,” Sherri Anderson says.
“I do not eat prunes or take Geritol Silver. I do not knit afghans while rocking in a chair watching Judge Judy.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
“I am a copywriter with twice the experience as half the applicants for the jobs you post. Being 55 does not mean my knowledge of shopping, finance, healthcare, entertainment, fashion, cars, alcohol or anything else ended 20 years ago.”
Pam Caraway, strategic storyteller commented: “Ageism is alive and well. Makes me sad.”
Vicky Crittenden, a professor of marketing, wrote: “Y’all are killing me with this thread! People here at the Tampa airport prob think I’m a crazy (old) woman sitting here alone and laughing so hard I have tears rolling down face!”
Darryl Vides, brand specialist: “Sherri, I can totally relate to this post. It's quite simple... ageism is rife in today's marketing arena. It's narrow minded not to include those that have won awards, moved the metrics and can bring a truck full of wisdom to the role. In addition we have mainly married, settled down and have had our children. All I want is a purpose and to do great work. Being young at heart is an attitude and not merely a number.”
Pamela VITALE, creative director : “Well, look at us. We are all here seeking work desperately and we are all experienced and we are all great at what we do and we all know what does not work and what's new in the biz that's now finally here that we've been waiting to show up to that's making things much more efficient, and far easier to produce as a designer, creative, sales, developer etc. We've trained our audience, the infrastructure is there, we've done the story marketing UX strategy maps enough to make our eyes bleed and now we have a captive audience. Let's get the brands on board and start making money. Who's with me?”
Jen DeVere Warner, international creative project manager: “Can everyone who left a comment on this post just start a creative agency already. I mean the talent, the humour, the pancakes!!! Come on. Look, the Golden Girls were progressive in the 80's and Martha Stewart is on the cover of Sports Illustrated at 81 in 2023. Age ain't nothing but a number until that number keeps you from being seen as a viable candidate.”
Sherri Anderson replied: “ … we need to start a universal ad agency that will rule the world. we'll call it The Golden Girls and we'll only hire Bettys.”
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