Today there is a push for brands to be neutral in the audience they target and the message they portray in their digital advertising campaigns.
A brand that runs an advertisement aimed at breaking a gender stereotype—for example, Verizon’s #InspireHerMind campaign—will attract an audience that will react positively to the advertisement and bring a stronger sense of loyalty to that brand. However, there is an even bigger segment of consumers that won’t be affected by the advertisement at all.
Recently Choozle conducted a Gender Stereotyping in Digital Advertising Surveyto better understand how users interact with digital advertising. Almost half of the respondents in the Gender Stereotype Survey said when it comes to their feelings about a brand, they are not impacted by advertisements that aim to break stereotypes. Why is this?
“I don’t really care what gender is portrayed in advertising. If I need something, regardless of gender, I buy it”, shared a male survey respondent, 30-44.
One male survey respondent – 60+ stated that he believes gender stereotyping in advertising is, “Less prevalent than it was 10 years ago.”
This fits in exactly with the overall results of the survey that men are more likely to experience no impact when compared to women. However, when a consumer notices that a brand is trying to break a stereotype more than a third of survey respondents like the brand more and a quarter of respondents said they are more likely to make a purchase from the brand.
