A SeeHer Series
Advertising has long held the power to influence and shape cultural perceptions. As consumers’ awareness and expectations of gender equality increase, having predictive drivers of success becomes even more critical.
In a breakthrough partnership, SeeHer and multinational market research firm Ipsos have released their first joint white paper, Strive for More. The paper showcases the GEM® Creative Drivers framework, based on SeeHer defined thematic elements, to provide predictive best practices for gender equality in advertising.
Leveraging insights uncovered by GEM®, the SeeHer methodology that quantifies gender bias in ads and programming, the framework provides marketers with guideposts on creating more representative and authentic depictions of women.
In this week’s blog, Latha Sarathy, Chief Research Officer, ANA and EVP, Analytics, Insights & Measurement, SeeHer, discusses how these creative drivers can help brands fuel sales and build stronger long-term relationships with consumers.
For more than six years, SeeHer has built the processes, protocols, and marketing tools for a more gender-equal media and marketing ecosystem. Through GEM®, SeeHer has conclusively proven that the accurate representation of women and girls is as good for business as it is for society.
But it’s no longer enough.
Consumers are ready for more real-life presentations of women, and painting richer, more authentic depictions of women increases the relevance of advertising. For example, portraying women in counter-stereotypical roles, whether in family relationships, with friends, or in business, has proven to be effective at achieving positive results. Female characteristics such as being warm and maternal also work if advertisers think about women in a multi-dimensional way and these qualities are complementary to other aspects of their lives.
SeeHer and Ipsos specifically designed the GEM® Creative Drivers framework to reinforce the value of early refinement of advertising creative pre-launch. This pioneering framework takes gender equality in advertising to the next level and helps marketers put accuracy and representation to work.
As noted by our partner at Ipsos, Lindsay Franke, Head of U.S. Creative Excellence, “For the first time, we have shown that the positive portrayal of women and girls, as measured by GEM, is significantly predictive of in-market success of advertising and is consistently linked to improved brand preference.”
Key findings of the white paper include the critical need for relevancy (through more authentic portrayals of women and girls), the importance of self-agency (showing women actively taking control of their lives), which leads to a strategic advantage so brands can break through advertising clutter, simultaneously creating change and differentiating themselves from their competitors.
We now have a blueprint of success in the creative development process. Consumer passion for equality created the need. Potential for marketplace success fuels the demand.
Without question, fully realized portrayals of women drive both sales success and brand enhancement.
For more details on the SeeHer and Ipsos white paper click here: Strive for More
For more information on SeeHer research and membership please contact:
Latha Sarathy, Chief Research Officer, ANA
EVP, Analytics, Insights, and Measurement, SeeHer:
Chris Guilfoyle, EVP, Membership, SeeHer:
About SeeHer
SeeHer is a global coalition of committed marketers, media leaders, agencies and industry influencers united in the mission to increase the accurate portrayal of women and girls in marketing, advertising, media, and entertainment, so they see themselves as they truly are and in all their potential. Led by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), in partnership with The Female Quotient (The FQ), SeeHer has become the industry’s leading global voice for gender equality in advertising and media. To help benchmark success, in 2016 SeeHer developed the Gender Equality Measure (GEM®), the first research methodology that quantifies gender bias in ads and programming. GEM® has become the global measurement standard, measuring 200,000+ ads, representing 87 percent of worldwide ad spend. SeeHer also developed #WriteHerRight Guides to encourage content creators to address potential blind spots and unconscious biases and integrate more authentic and nuanced depictions of women into their work. To address the specific inequities in the sports and music industries, SeeHer launched two verticals: SeeHer in Sports and SeeHer Hear Her. Gender equality and intersectionality in advertising and media is an imperative. It is good for business and good for society.
