In advertising and marketing, aspirational age is an ideal age whose characteristics consumers aspire to embody. Thus, marketing messages aimed at that target age will resonate with consumers of other ages. The aspirational age in Western society is the cusp between childhood and adulthood. In theory, consumers younger than this age aspire to the maturity and freedom it signifies, while those older than it seek to recapture the youthfulness and freedom from responsibility of this age. Thus, products pitched at notional young adults will appeal to a broader target market. Ideology The aspirational age can be identified as the age of which consumers associate positive experiences with, such as freedom. For example, most adults are preoccupied with day-to-day responsibilities which can be viewed as stressful. Marketing to the aspirational age therefore, allows businesses to attract a generation of nostalgic consumers. The aspirational age as a tool is thus essentially modelled on the notion of nostalgia. From the adult's perspective, the psychology behind the 'aspirational age' can be defined as a recapture of youthful days. 'High-speed modern living, stress and the impact of recession' have all been considered as factors which influence a consumer's longing of their 'aspirational age'. Evidence The aspirational age relies on a youth-obsessed culture, which is particularly associated with the Western World, specifically America. Crux Research states that the aspirational age in the form of adverts targeted to kids, essentially works as 'adults aspire backwards'. Thus utilising this emotional link allows marketers, if effective, to target a wider audience. A study of 'Age Related Vicarious Nostalgia and Aesthetic Consumption' from the University of Wolverhampton concluded age as a phenomenon which is not 'totally bound to chronological time constraints'. In this sense, nostalgia 'has a bearing on the cognitive age of the individual', making it useful for businesses to market towards the aspiration age, in an attempt to trigger a pleasant cognitive response. The Harvard Business Review article on a study conducted by the Grenoble School of Management, states that 'nostalgic feelings increased people's willingness to pay for desired objects'. The article concludes that the psychology behind the aspirational age is 'useful to brands looking to elicit feelings of nostalgia in their promotions' . The article uses Subaru's 2012 'First Car Story' as an example, although the car does not target 16-year-olds, the campaign allows adults to create their own first car story through animation. The desired result,