New joint research from the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University and J. Walter Thompson New York, funded by Google.org and developed at the University of Southern California’s Viterbi School of Engineering, analyzed more than 2,000 English-language films from the Cannes Lions archive to put numbers to the challenge of female representation in advertising, and get a sense of whether the situation is changing. The Getty Images Lean In Collection, a collection of realistic, authentic images of women and the communities that support them, is in many ways the opposite of a flashy nine-figure Hollywood blockbuster. We’re finally able to answer these questions with the same rigorous, data-driven approach that informs so many other important decisions in advertising. Everyone in the advertising industry loves to talk about thinking outside the box. The most recent example is Wonder Woman, which made headlines for taking $103.1 million in its debut weekend in the US alone. Advertising has a lot of gender bias and discrimination. Who makes these decisions? Stories that will begin to undo centuries of diminishing the female experience. “We still see a huge discrepancy between the number of women and men published in journals. Humans love to make conclusions, fit concepts into boxes neatly tied with a bow, and, most importantly, humans yearn to assign value to both parts of the system. But when it comes down to it, a great many of us are still creating work that is informed or shaped to some extent by our own biases. The platform emphasizes supply chain transparency, ingredients with benefits “backed by real science,” and simple, clear aesthetics. The research also examined the content of speech for men and women in ads. Visual Editor: Emma Chiu There is one binary structure, for instance, that is older than even Adam and Eve, and we experience it every day – the sun and the moon. While that approach shows a level of progress for society, it doesn't tackle the value misalignment issue that runs deep. Within language, bias is more evident in songs and dialogue than in formal speech or when popular culture is involved. The success of Wonder Woman sparked discussion about the need for more female directors, writers and producers. Gender biases in advertising are almost as prevalent in society as they were more than a decade ago, according to the research done by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media and J. Walter Thompson 2017 Cannes Lions. A few examples: Take this Dollar Shave Club ad from 2016; while it's progressive, it’s missing the mark when it comes to valuing all genders by neutralizing them. Do women see themselves accurately reflected on television and film, in advertising, and in print and broadcast news? 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? Gender Bias in the Media . A wave of female entrepreneurs is introducing a new visual language for feminine care, with tampon and menstrual underwear startups that are redefining the category. While this ad is making a great effort, it’s still presenting a binary structure, but now it has swapped gender roles. discourse used in advertising and the language of gender are key subjects that will inform the advertisement analysis. It offers All of these things are so important to us and essential if we want to make this world a better place to live in.”. In the studio. Ritual, a vitamin delivery startup “created for and by women who wouldn’t settle for less than the truth,” offers Essential for Women, a daily vitamin dose designed for women (men can take them too, of course, but Essential for Women “provides a little more iron than the average guy needs”). Advertisers can close the gaps we have in culture by choosing to value and celebrate female experiences as a power instead of a burden. Heldman notes that this year the number of female leads in the top-grossing Hollywood movies broke 30% for the first time since the Geena Davis Institute began measuring the percentage. Our research focused on analyzing advertisements themselves, rather than the industry that produces them. We’ve come a long way since then. We’ve seen movements for gender equality in Hollywood, in Silicon Valley, and even on Madison Avenue. Representation starts with content creators, which is why it’s so critical to have diversity behind the lens as well as in front of it,” says Piera Gelardi, executive creative director and cofounder of Refinery29. Gender bias in advertising Advertising has a significant role in society of consumers. Gender bias in advertising Advertising has a significant role in society of consumers. The Origins: Gender Equality and Advertising Effectiveness: Developed by and from 3. CES also revoked the award granted to … There was a female-led Ghostbusters reboot, and women will also front the upcoming Ocean’s Eleven spin-off, while 2019’s Captain Marvel with Brie Larson will ensure that more female leads are added the superhero blockbuster genre. Following a bruising year at the ballot box, fourth-wave feminism has continued to expand. Lena Dunham and Girls co-star Jemima Kirke drew positive attention for starring in a campaign for Lonely, the New Zealand–based lingerie brand. “We now know that simply adding women to scripts will not solve gender inequality in entertainment media,” says Heldman. But the experience of the Geena Davis Institute has shown that the systemic problems that produce skewed gender representation can’t be solved simply by adding female characters. “Even though we see a huge disparity in ownership, we still had a few potential investors aggressively challenge the importance of investing in female media entrepreneurs,” says Mavros. Through the XPRIZE Gender Initiative, we are collecting and implementing missing data in multiple industries so we can start to fill in the gaps. It charts emerging and future global trends, consumer change, and innovation patterns—translating these into insight for brands. The point of Posture is to bring together all these people of different genders and backgrounds into one place, because it’s a huge statement: we all really are in it together.”. The Influencers 550 Add to collection. “There’s infinite possibility,” says Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute. But is that enough to ensure real representation in the long run? Representation behind the scenes is just as important as representation on screen. For more information, visit jwtintelligence.com. Thinx underwear is changing that. From the lack of retouching, to the confident poses (forget the male gaze), the campaign was celebrated for championing body positivity for women of all shapes and sizes. Ultimately, better advertising can lead to better content across the board. Terms & Conditions In 2016, the figure was 44.2%. A ban on adverts featuring "harmful gender stereotypes" or those which are likely to cause "serious or widespread offence" has come into force. Sixty years have passed, and today we’re at an inflection point in culture where something must change, and the media has responded. It’s saying that gender doesn’t matter which inadvertently erases femininity. “Advertising can be the most powerful change-maker in the world because of its unique relationship to television,” says Di Nonno. Any goods or service that advertised has its own customer. Since then, from the Bible stories to 2020, society has evolved into a binary structure without us even noticing it, with modern advertising perpetuating that same thousand-year-old narrative. Culture doesn’t change unless people start telling different stories. There are about twice as many male characters as female characters shown on screen in ads. 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. “Femvertising” ad campaigns can generate great press, and may even cause real change in society. “A female director will most likely shoot the same scene in an entirely different way and with a different perspective—one that takes into account female ambition, desire, fantasy, agency, not to mention realistic physiology.” Grossman notes that academic concepts such as the “male gaze,” once little-discussed outside liberal arts campuses, are now part of mainstream cultural discourse in a way that seemed unlikely until very recently. Furthermore, the line down the middle ensures the binary structure is crystal clear. While both genders spoke lines that could be understood by the average fifth grader, women’s spoken dialogue was slightly simpler than men’s. Why are incontinence pads shrouded in secrecy, packaged with discretion, and marketed toward older consumers when up to one in three women suffers from this problem? None of these brands would look out of place among fragrances and luxury skincare products. This oversight is a direct reflection of that binary construct we are all living in, and examples like this exist everywhere. The numbers make sorry reading. More info. Worldwide Director of the Innovation Group J. Walter Thompson Intelligence, Madeline Di Nonno The problem is that it is defining a woman’s needs through aesthetics and shopping which only devalues her role. Findings of the … This could result in a full generation of kids growing up understanding that unpaid work in the home or caring for the elderly is just as valuable as the work of a fireman. Advertising and Gender-Equality: The Gender-Equality Index 2. The editors of Hotdog magazine, a poetry journal, draw design references from brutalism, DIY/zine culture, QR codes, cursors, and grid lines. In the current feminist moment, people are paying more attention than ever to women working behind the scenes in film, media and photography, and how this ultimately affects these industries’ output. In ads for perfumes for men, the man is generally shown to be dominant and more appealing to girls due to the perfume. Ads with only male voices were much more common than ads with only female voices, accounting for 18% and 3% of ads, respectively. Agencies are creating marquee campaigns to support women and girls. The relationship between advertisements and gender may have caught some researchers’ attention, since advertisements become a part of people’s everyday life. I want to see more brands committing to real action here.”. “In 2016, only 7% of the top films were directed by women. Gender Bias in Advertising - Are We On the Right Track? Articles cover topics from Scandinavian fashion and UK prime minster Theresa May to sexism in sports and the latest buzzworthy binge-watch on Netflix. – 25% of ads feature men only, while only 5% of ads feature women only. This analysis was based on verbal, physical, occupational, and social cues plus other factors. The brand’s online journal features interviews with female entrepreneurs who benefit from the product. In a study by Dr. Theo Lieven in 2014, results showed that masculine and feminine brands have higher equity and preference than gender-neutral brands, regardless of product category (Lieven, figure 1). Lola, whose tagline is “This too shall pass” offers organic cotton tampons by subscription, packaged in pale blue and white. The … Video Project Diversity film and Lit Mrs. Mata's 2nd periodGroup members:David MarquezDaniela Lares I do not own all the videos and music used Gender advertisement refers to the images in advertising that depict stereotypical gender roles and displays. The new research, called Unpacking Gender Bias in Advertising, shines a new light on this finding. “We have to write female characters with more screen time, more speaking time, more prominence in the storyline, with more personal agency, and without objectifying them.”. “These images of empowerment are simply commercial gimmicks—to sell us more products and make us feel lacking.”. “In this space, normally, everyone focuses on the baby. The MTA has rejected Dame Products' ad campaign on the basis of sexual content, even after accusation of gender bias when evaluation advertisers. Moreover, when it comes to women’s screen time and speaking time in commercials, no statistically significant change has occurred in 10 years. “Obviously, we have a targeted user who is predominantly female,” Baker says. Thalia Mavros, founder of media platform The Front, places female ownership at the core of her business model. In particular, we say, ‘How can we make moms’ lives easier and better?’”. Women today demand more from brands than ever before, and the norms are shifting faster than many can keep up with. The metric would become the Gender Equality Measure for advertising (GEI™). Challenge creatives and designers to bring the same energy to everyday ads and accounts. Picture Assistant: Jaime Eisenbraun “We’re excited because it allows us to reveal a level of unconscious bias that isn’t possible with the human eye, and it’s able to go much deeper. Watch the challenger brands springing up to fill (or even create) a niche market—they’re often a valuable indicator of where culture is headed. Gender displays are used heavily in advertising in order to establish the role of one gender in relation with the other, and some scholars argue that advertisers are obsessed with gender. “Technology advances in data sciences and machine learning give us new ways of shining light on media content, at scale and with an unprecedented level of detail and accuracy,” says Shri Narayanan, Niki & C. L. Max Nikias Chair in Engineering, University of Southern California. John Berger explains in his book, Ways of Seeing, that the woman is blamed and punished by being made subservient to the man. Advertisements … “To find out the reverse was quite surprising.”. This blind spot puts brands in danger not only of consumer backlash, but also of overlooking a massive market opportunity. They function as tool to affect the consumers in a way that is implicit because of its time duration and frequency, however, the content of any advertisement represents other set of paradigms of any society, gender bias, sexism, stereotypes, racism, and patriarchal standards. The 1952 Schlitz beer ad is devaluing this housewife by saying that she can’t do the one job that she is supposed to be doing right. As she points out, a group that comprises around half of the world’s population is not “niche.” “It’s because so many of the people at the top of these industries are still straight, white older men,” adds Grossman. US publishing trade group MagNet found that, in 2015, newsstand revenues from women’s magazines declined by around 14.5% on the previous year, outpacing the 13% overall decline in newsstand magazine sales. The research analyzed more than 2,000 Cannes Lions films from 2006 to 2016, focusing on winning and shortlisted entries in the Film and Film Craft categories from five English-speaking markets: the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Willow, a smart connected breast pump, was named the best wearable device of CES 2017 by the tech site Digital Trends. In 2006, 42.3% of commercials featured women speaking for 20% or less of the time spent on dialogue, compared to 41.7% in 2016. “We’re beginning to understand that it’s not just about high profile wins, or campaigns, but it’s about creating a mass volume of images that present positive alternatives and about having a relentless commitment to the normalization of female power in all forums and spheres,” says Pam Grossman, director of visual trends at Getty Images. Wherever decisions are made. “It can give us novel insights not just by eliminating the mystery about potential unconscious biases in content, but in offering objective tools to shape content.”, Or, in the words of Caroline Heldman, research adviser to the Geena Davis Institute and associate professor in the politics department at Occidental College, “more data means more light is shed on the problem, which inspires more activism around the issue.”. It’s no secret that Hollywood has a diversity problem, but the industry may finally be taking steps to address its shortcomings and become more relevant to the women and minority groups that also buy tickets. “Women’s interest” titles have suffered declining fortunes in recent years on both sides of the Atlantic. As in so many other areas, it will come down to who’s making the films. Obsessed with travel? The chapter will begin with an overview about British and Moroccan women’s magazines where we will compare the themes and contents of the magazines. Many little boys do indeed want to play with trucks and cars, so instead of telling them to play with another toy, we must teach them why kids that play with other toys are just as important. Gender Bias in Advertising Research, Trends and New Visual Language In 2017, discussions around gender and media have reached a fever pitch. “A few heated arguments and door slams later, I am proud to say we are founded and run by women, our investor has a female chief executive at the helm, and even our board of directors is all-female.”. Some of the more experimental print-only outlets draw their aesthetic cues, ironically enough, from the internet. Apart from automating the task of counting faces and voices, the GD-IQ is able to mark times with much greater precision than human researchers can achieve. In 2017, discussions around gender and media have reached a fever pitch. Seventy-six articles found in premiere marketing, psychology, sociology, and communications journals were reviewed. Rap biopic Straight Outta Compton made almost $200 million, becoming the highest-grossing biopic of all time. This means that brands should tell gender specific stories and do so without the marginalizing of the other (as we saw in the fifties). Header image credit: Molly Cranna / Refinery29 for Getty Images But beyond the marquee case studies, is the advertising industry making strides toward improving representation of women overall? Elvie was among the first. All Rights Reserved. It was trailblazing not only for being the first DC/Marvel superhero film to feature a female protagonist (following 19 male-led films since the movie franchise launched in 2008), but also because its director, Patty Jenkins, is one of only three women to direct a live- action film with a budget of over $100 million. All rights reserved. I first started learning about the word binary when it’s opposite, non-binary, came into the cultural conversation around gender identity. Advertisers can still reduce the stereotyping in ad pictures, and increase the amount of female speech relative to male speech, even though progress is evidenced. “It’s really disappointing that despite increased awareness of the issue, women are still not being represented in advertising with the frequency, intelligence, or gravitas as men,” says Piera Gelardi of Refinery29. It’s not about teaching little boys to play with dolls, but rather giving them the choice to identify with any toy they want. “We need to move beyond the ‘niche-ification’ of the female experience.”. Many of the ads do not show gender biases in the pictures or the graphics, but some bias does turn up in the language of the advertisements. 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