When will I be too old for PR?

This week, our resident agony (Dutch) uncle says that when it comes to working in PR, age is just a number, as long you are still interested in Love Island…

At what age will I be too old for PR?

I get this asked this sort of question quite a lot, possibly due to the fact that I’m 54 and still manage to be clinging onto a role in PR, albeit by my fingertips!

I think that a person’s mental age is much more relevant than their actual physical age. By that I mean that you need to be able to keep abreast of popular culture today and what is happening in the world of your average 20-something. It’s about feeling your age, not being you age.

Not only do you need to know what is going on, you also need to enjoy it and – to an extent – be experiencing it. It has to be quite natural though. As long as you are watching programming, listening to new artists and engaging with content that is produced and curated for this age group, you can stay relevant despite having more grey hairs than others around you.

Once you switch off to what’s happening on Love Island, lose interest in popular memes on social media, or start getting concerned that TikTok is a bit stupid, then that’s the time you should probably realise that this industry is moving on quicker than you.

Until then, age is just a number and you are only as old as you think you are.

Written by Graham Goodkind who is a Dutch uncle – a new type of non-exec business adviser – to several agencies in the marketing services sector, in addition to being founder and chairman of Frank.

If you have got a question for our agony (Dutch) uncle regarding any issue relating to the running, operations, business or financial aspect of a PR agency, either as an owner, manager or executive, then email gg@mydutchuncle.nl and your question will be featured in a coming issue.