文档介绍:Gender Bias
in Advertising
Research, Trends and New Visual Language
GENDER BIAS IN ADVERTISING 2
In 2017, discussions around gender and media have reached a
fever pitch. Following a bruising year at the ballot box, fourth-
wave feminism has continued to expand. From the Women’s
March to high-profile sexual harassment trials to the increasing
number of female protagonists gaining audience recognition in
an age of “peak TV,” women are ensuring that their concerns
are heard and represented.
“This Girl Can” campaign from Sport England
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We’ve seen movements for gender equality in Hollywood, in Silicon Valley—
and even on Madison Avenue. In response to longstanding sexism in
advertising, industry leaders such as Madonna Badger are highlighting how
objectification of women in advertising can lead to unconscious biases that
harm women, girls and society as a whole.
Agencies are creating marquee campaigns to support women and girls. The
Always #LikeAGirl campaign, which debuted in 2014, ignited a wave of me-
too “femvertising” campaigns: #GirlsCan from Cover Girl, “This Girl Can”
from Sport England and the UK’s National Lottery, and a spot from H&M that
showcased women in all their diversity, set to “She’s a Lady.” Cannes Lions got
in on the act in 2015, introducing the Glass Lion: The Lion for Change, an award
to honor ad campaigns that address gender inequality or prejudice.
But beyond the marquee case studies, is the advertising industry making
strides toward improving representation of women overall? How do we square
the surge in “femvertising” with insights from J. Walter Thompson’s Female
Tribes initiative, which found in 2016 that, according to 85% of women, the
advertising world needs to catch up with the real world?
H&M Autumn collection ad 2016
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TECHNOLOGY REVEALING BIAS
We’re finally able to answer these questions with the same Or, in the words of Caroline H