Watch Ted Danson in Consumer Cellular ad aimed at the 55 and up crowd

More than a third of the U.S. population is older than 55. So why does that age group appear in only 15% of media images, per AARP? Consumer Cellular’s new lead creative agency, Alto, tapped into this insight in a new campaign for the telecom company. Dubbed “Freedom Calls,” the campaign stars 75-year-old actor Ted Danson sharing stories of how people age 55 and older are enjoying leisure activities in their newfound free time. “When freedom calls, we’re here to answer,” Danson declares in a new commercial. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here In one ad, an older couple leaves cold winters behind to become snowbirds and play pickleball in the sun after choosing a new phone plan that has “the same coverage at up to half the cost.” Consumer Cellular already has a sizable base of consumers older than 75, according to Tara Fray, partner and head of strategy at Alto. “The real ambition was to start to build a brand for 55+,” she said. This age group has historically been overlooked in ads, Fray said in an interview. “‘I've fallen and I can't get up’ is probably some of the only ads you can think of that … represent this audience, when the reality is so drastically different from that,” she said. “It's actually this phase of life that we should all be looking forward to,” Fray said, quoting studies that say the happiest and freest group of people are typically those older than 55. “They really have the freedom to do what they want to do.” According to Fray, the stock photo options for those over 50 weren’t exactly plentiful, so the agency conducted a photo shoot to show “real people” that age having fun, such as groups of people who go line dancing or roller skating. “We want to show that there are people at this age demographic out there doing these things; we’re not just saying that,” said Dan Kroeger, Alto’s executive creative director partner who worked on the campaign. Kroeger and Fray did not specify the total amount of campaign spend for “Freedom Calls.” But executives confirmed it would include a handful of 15- and 30-second ads, as well as other materials for TV, radio, print and social media. A further media push will follow later this year, according to an Alto spokesperson. Subscribe to Ad Age Sign up now for the latest industry news and analysis Click here

Watch Ted Danson in Consumer Cellular ad aimed at the 55 and up crowd

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