- BT Group has created a Digital Dictionary with lexicographer Susie Dent, after finding one in six older people feel “baffled” by digital terms
- Pitch Marketing Group has produced a pair of films, showing how full life can be for older and digitally excluded people when they have access to the internet
- The integrated campaign is part of BT Group’s ‘Senior Skill’s programme
Pitch Marketing Group has unveiled their latest venture with BT Group – an integrated campaign which sees them team up with Susie Dent to produce an online Digital Dictionary and create a pair of films, both of which aim to encourage older and digitally excluded people to get online.
New research conducted by BT Group found that one in six older people admit to feeling “baffled” by digital terms, and 78% feel left behind by their lack of knowledge. In response, Susie Dent, BT Group and UK charity AbilityNet have partnered to create the Digital Dictionary, which identifies the most commonly misunderstood words used on the internet, and provides simple explanations.
The Dictionary contains 21 words in total, including the likes of hyperlink (41% misunderstood), QR code (24%) and the cloud (23%). Lack of understanding around these common online terms creates a significant issue, with the survey of 2,000 older people finding that even though they spend just five and a half hours a week online, over half (55%) wish that they were more knowledgeable when it comes to using the internet.
To further the campaign, and encourage older people to get online, Pitch Marketing Group worked with BT Group to create a pair of films that play with the stereotypes of how the older generation is perceived. Using the loss and emptiness seen in funeral or life assurance ads typically targeted at the older generation, the creative turns this on its head and shows a positive view of how full life can be with the internet.
The films were directed by Cannes Lion winning director Mary-Sue Masson and produced by Dark Energy.
Launched today, the campaign will be activated across PR, paid social (Facebook & Instagram), Spotify and Xaxis
The campaign was devised and delivered by lead agency Pitch Marketing Group (creative, design, PR & creative content production), with media buying via Essence.
Victoria Johnson, Social Impact Campaigns Director, BT Group said: “It’s a shame to see from the research that older adults feel they are a burden when asking for help navigating their way online. We want to create a more inclusive society by helping them make the most of life in the digital world.
We hope that our campaign will give people the confidence to start exploring the internet and give them all the training and support needed to live life to the fullest in the digital age.”
Earlier this year, BT Group announced a new partnership with the charity AbilityNet to help improve the digital skills of 4,000 older and digitally excluded people across the UK in 2023. The ‘Senior Skills’ programme will deliver more than 1,000 group and one-to-one training sessions to those who need it most in regions across the UK.
As part of Senior Skills, BT Group has created a variety of online guides that will help give anyone the knowhow and confidence to start exploring the internet, whilst inspiring them to unlock the possibilities from using it. Each guide comes with both a digital helper section (for the volunteer) and a learner section too, which can easily be downloaded and printed at home for convenience.
Visit www.bt.com/seniorskills to view the Digital Dictionary and find all the training and support needed to live life to the full in the digital age.
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