The search for immortality, the elixir of life, is as old as human existence. The finality of death and the promise of an afterlife fuels many of the world’s faiths, and history is littered with cranks, charlatans, and seers who claim to have discovered the philosopher’s stone.
But contemporary biology may be offering, if not immortality, then at least a dramatic increase in human longevity. American entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Bryan Johnson recently launched a line of Blueprint longevity products, receiving significant media attention, and the industry as a whole attracted more than three billion dollars in investment last year.
As the sector grows, however, media scrutiny is increasing. Companies in the space are confronted with a tension: will eccentric millionaires like Johnson and Peter Thiel who have helped propel the industry to popularity – if not notoriety – remain its key spokespeople? Or will new figures and companies that can position longevity as something accessible, affordable, and achievable – an answer to the impending demographic challenges facing many aging populations – step up and shape its narrative?
The Office of National Statistics reports that the population of 90+ year olds in England and Wales grew 2.1% between 2021 and 2022 to its highest ever total. Meanwhile, the number of centenarians has more than doubled since 2002. Yet, longer lives do not necessarily mean more time in the workforce, which is why the longevity industry’s focus on increasing healthspan, or the number of healthy years we have, is so important. An estimated 1 million people aged 50-64 in the UK are ‘involuntarily workless’, with more than half having been forced out of employment by factors like redundancies or health issues. Stalls or declines in healthy life expectancies in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom mean older people are unlikely to be able to remain in the workforce longer than previous generations. A recent analysis by the International Longevity Centre UK suggests that this demographic change will drive a 2.6 million shortfall of paid workers by 2030.
The industry has an opportunity to position itself as a solution to this mounting challenge. While improving healthspan and helping individuals remain in the workforce longer is an encouraging solution, increasing retirement ages and promising people can work longer does not carry mass public appeal. Communicators in the sector must tread lightly to ensure their efforts are received positively. They also must be aware of the other serious challenges facing the industry, including the risk that their work will be seen as diverting resources away from other valuable medical research efforts, or as the pet project of a few vain billionaires.
In a blog post for Longevity.Technology, I recommend that companies proactively address potential communication challenges by (1) positioning their products as public goods and themselves as leaders in addressing pressing social challenges, (2) legitimizing investments in their products by communicating value and ensuring products’ accessibility, and (3) creating mass appeal by using marketing practices that target diverse consumer groups.
You can read the full article here: https://longevity.technology/news/growing-pains-communications-for-a-maturing-longevity-sector/
