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The year is 2021. Women have careers. They have spending power. They are increasingly taking their place in professional and executive ranks.
Yet much of advertising and marketing is stuck in the past, showing women less frequently, with fewer words spoken, less often in positions of authority, but more often shown in a sexual light, according to a recent study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (GDI).
Modern feminism has been in the mainstream for the past half-century. Women make up half the population — they are not a niche market. Why are advertisers, at best, only now starting to notice this?
The problem is not new
The notion that the zenith of a woman’s career is husband-marriage-children “is an idea that has been cemented in our culture for such a long time,” said Jane Cunningham, co-founder of PLH Research, who along with founding partner Philippa Roberts co-authored the book “Brandsplaining: Why Marketing is (Still) Sexist and How to Fix It.”
“In a world where mostly men are in charge, women are encouraged to behave in ways that are pleasing,” Roberts said.
“Women are often cast in the role of not speaking,” Cunningham added. They are not seen leading. They are seen wearing less clothing. “Creative directors have been fed this stuff for decades”, so it is hard to escape when they have nothing to lose by perpetuating it, she said.
That cliché creates a huge blind-spot. Case in point: Third Love versus Victoria’s Secret. Third
Read more here: https://martech.org/when-it-comes-to-women-marketing-is-behind-the-times/
