The Depiction of Seniors in Hotel and Motel Television Commercials

A content analysis assesses the frequency and favorability with which older persons are depicted in a sample of hotel and motel advertisements. The results indicate that older persons are portrayed less frequently than younger people. However, when compared to the proportion of the population in each age group, older persons are depicted relatively equally. The study also reveals that older persons are portrayed less favorably than their younger counterparts. Implications associated with these findings are offered.