It once sounded like the stuff of science fiction: Lives stretching into the ninth or tenth decade, people marking their 100th birthdays with energy to spare. Yet here we are. The 100-year life isn’t a fantasy of the future; it’s now.
Thanks to breakthroughs in health and technology, we are not simply adding years: We are adding better years. By 2050, the World Health Organization projects that the number of people aged 60 and older will double to 2.1 billion. In the U.S., Stanford research tells us half of today’s five-year-olds can expect to live to 100. That’s not just a statistic; it’s a cultural earthquake.
And yet, most brands still behave as though longevity is a side story. It’s not. It’s the defining shift of our time. Longer lives mean entirely new markets, shifting values and a redefinition of what aspiration looks like. Understanding that early is the difference between brands leading and lagging.
THE NEW LONGEVITY GENERATION
Let’s be clear: Those aged 55 to 72 are not quietly “slowing down.” They are fitter, wealthier, more ambitious, and more technologically fluent than any previous generation. They aren’t retiring from life, they’re reinventing it.
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The numbers are breathtaking. In the U.S., AARP’s Longevity Economy® workers over age 50 contribute $8.3 trillion annually, and that is set to more than triple by 2050. In the UK, over-50s now account for 53% of household spending. Older adults are among the fastest adopters of everything from telemedicine to travel apps. Yet, only 5 to 10% of marketing budgets are attributed to this cohort, with 4 in 5 people over 55 saying their favorite retail brand no longer understands them.
This isn’t a story about decline. It’s about the arrival of a dynamic, empowered life stage—one that is reshaping consumption, culture, and careers. Ignore them, and your brand isn’t just being tone-deaf; it’s being reckless.
LONGEVITY AS STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
Yes, longer lives create pressure: on pensions, healthcare systems, and workforces. But here’s the flip side: More people working longer means more skilled talent to fill shortages. More healthy retirees mean more spending power to fuel entire industries. More cross-generational collaboration means new ways to learn and innovate together.
For decades “anti-aging” has been a narrative core to the beauty and wellness industry, but now it’s creeping into almost everything. The chase to “stay young” has become a universal goal in how we look, work, and even define success.
Professor Lynne Corner of the UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing often reminds me of a core principle of healthy aging: it’s not just about adding years to life but adding life to those years. That is the challenge, and the opportunity, that brands face.
WHY BRANDS NEED A NEW PLAYBOOK
Most marketing is still frozen in youth-obsessed amber. Campaigns either default to showing older people as grey, fragile, and disengaged, or worse—they don’t show this cohort at all.
The real Longevity Generation is largely invisible in advertising. Products rarely flex to the realities of longer, fuller lives, and in doing so, brands are alienating the very people keeping their economies afloat.
But some brands are starting to see the opportunity. Fashion, for instance, is leading the charge. Burberry’s choice of the inimitable Maggie Smith and the brilliant Olivia Colman alongside younger models wasn’t just elegant; it was electric—creatively sharper, generationally inclusive, and commercially smart. After all, it’s the older generation who has the dollars to buy. Instagram is now full of creators and fashion houses celebrating maturity as the “new cool”—what Tiffany Hill Studio’s Trend Suite calls the “anti-age to pro-age movement.”
They are not done. They are demanding. And they are discerning.
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The Longevity Generation is redefining their health. They have the wealth, and they are changing how they engage culture for their generation. They want brands that respect them, reflect them, and design for them. During my conversations with my colleague Carolyn Paul, she explains: “This group is rewriting the health narrative. They are not passive patients but proactive partners.” That same truth applies across categories: finance, fitness, travel, fashion, and technology.
FROM INSIGHT TO ACTION
Too often, longevity gets treated as a footnote rather than a growth strategy. Across industries, from retail to finance, and healthcare to travel, brands have the opportunity to:
Tap generational insights that reveal older consumers as both sceptical and deeply influential.
Craft narratives that reject clichés and instead connect authentically to values of vitality, innovation, and purpose.
Reimagine products and services that reflect real life at 60, 70, 80, and beyond.
It’s about brands seizing the upside of longer lives, and being fully optimized to meet the desire, money and profile of this generation rather than missing the moment.
A CALL TO ACTION
The 100-Year Life is not coming—it’s here. The exciting question is: Will your brand be ready for the longevity runway?
This is a compellingchance to retool, reset, and build enduring trust with one of society’s most overlooked forces. The Longevity Generation is not marginal—it is central.
At Edelman, we have data that shows the future will not only be longer, but also stronger, richer, and more surprising than we ever imagined. Given this generation is living its best life now for a better tomorrow—it’s time for brands to pivot and embrace this opportunity to optimize their future in this longevity society.
Jackie Cooper is the global chief brand officer at Edelman and cofounder of Edelman’s Longevity Lab.