• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, April 17, 2024

Declaring 50 and beyond as “The Age of Possibility,” retail giant QVC is looking for new ways to engage women.

The backbone of the new campaign is the “Quintessential 50,” a group of 50-plus celebrities, activists, entrepreneurs and QVC hosts. They include lifestyle guru Martha Stewart, actor Queen Latifah and musician Patti LaBelle. Also on the list are actors Christina Applegate, Rita Wilson, Naomi Watts, and Sherri Shepherd, such TV personalities as Sandra Lee and Kathie Lee Gifford, and public figures, including tennis legend Billie Jean King, NFL mom Donna Kelce and menopause advocate Tamsen Fadal.

Describing the campaign as “the brand’s next chapter,” QVC aims to help women over 50 “seize what’s next from a life stage that is too often ignored and under-supported by mainstream brands,” the company says in the announcement. “QVC’s new campaign platform aims to reflect age 50+ for what it really is: a vibrant stage of life, full of new questions, changes, opportunities and hopes.”

QVC, which has long enjoyed outsized popularity with older women, says the decision to introduce the new effort stems from research the video retailer conducted with YouGov. It was found that 62% of women aged 50-70 feel that society views life after 50 as a time of decline. They are eager to prove that perception wrong by opening up to change and new experiences.

Only 31% of older women feel supported by brands, compared with 58% of women ages 18-29 and 41% of women ages 30-49.

“The Age of Possibility platform represents an underestimated period of freedom, exploration and transformation to look forward to as women age,” says Annette Dunleavy, QVC’s vice president of brand marketing, in the announcement. “It’s a prime time of a woman’s life where anything is possible.”

The effort begins with an Age of Possibility summit in Las Vegas, followed by a series of local activations around the U.S. It also includes linear TV, ecommerce sites, digital streaming and social platforms.

A spokesperson tells Retail Insider that the campaign will be featured in a national and regional multimedia advertising campaign focusing on women ages 50+ in top markets throughout the U.S. Harmelin Media is the agency.

"Through the 'Age of Possibility,' we are seeking to increase overall brand awareness of QVC as a destination for women 50+ and drive new customer growth," the spokesperson says.

The launch comes at an unsettled time for the TV retailer, which reaches more than 200 million homes via 13 TV channels.

Qrate, which also owns HSN, Garnet Hill and Grandin Road, recently reported a 10% decline in annual revenues, with QVC’s sales declining 5% to $2.52 billion. However, QVC sales notched a 2% gain to $679 million for the fourth quarter.

And after layoffs in the company’s European operations, it sees more robust sales ahead as inflation stabilizes.