(Also relevant for #MarketingSky #EconSky #AcademicSky)

Advertisers: Gender representation in ads isn’t just about presence. Are you getting it right? Now, we can measure it.

Link to the paper: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

#advertising #marketing #gender #brandstrategy #representation #measurement

➡️ The new method can be scaled to study representation beyond gender, including race, ethnicity, and class.

➡️ Leaders and founders set the tone: women leaders may play a key role in reshaping portrayals, particularly of masculinity.
➡️ You can’t manage what you don’t measure: now, stereotyping in ads can be tracked and benchmarked.

𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

➡️ Advertising can perpetuate inaccurate gender stereotypes: relying on stereotypes risks alienating consumers whose realities are misrepresented.
➡️ Counter-stereotypical representation isn’t just social good: gender representation choices can differentiate a brand in cluttered markets.

4️⃣ Brand heterogeneity matters: large and male-consumed brands rely more on stereotypes.

However, women-founded brands buck the trend, showing more balanced gender representations and less stereotypical male portrayals.

3️⃣ Perceptions drive ads more than real consumption: actual gender gaps in product use explain little of the stereotyping variation. Instead, perceived usage gaps predict advertising choices. Marketing professionals’ beliefs are especially biased, particularly at low and mid-levels of responsibility.

2️⃣ Industry patterns echo traditional gender norms: women dominate in household and personal care ads, while men dominate in alcohol, transport, and business.

For the first time, we provide systematic evidence of widespread stereotyping in TV advertising across 1900+ product categories.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐬

1️⃣ Men are heavily stereotyped: men are shown stereotypically twice as often as women, and rarely in counter-stereotypical roles.

*Staring at overleaf fills you with determination*

#PostDoc: 1-3 years fully funded by Ramón Areces Foundation (including yearly research budget). Must have a doctoral thesis defended after Jan'23. Apply through the Ramon Areces Foundation website, with the endorsement of our research group. 🚨 Deadline: June 5 2025

#PreDoc: 1-year fully funded, with prospective access to our 4-year PhD program (including specialized training at relevant grad schools in Barcelona) and overseas research visit. Ideal background in marketing analytics, econ, econometrics, OR/IS. 🚨Deadline: Sept 2025. Apply: research@esade.edu

We start with Martina Pocchiari @martinapocchiari.com
, on online review updating. Leveraging a field experiment from PissedConsumer (seriously), they aim to answer when to ask for an update: Early to increase the likelihood, or late to benefit from “time is an ultimate healer". Cool project!

Looking forward to a lively discussion about causal identification and doubly-robust modelling in (once again) a room full of economists. 💅

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