How do you solve a problem like... gender stereotypes in advertising?

February 23, 2021

"Each week, we ask readers of The Drum, from brands, agencies and everything in between, for their advice on real problems facing today’s marketing practitioners.

This week, we’re looking at gender stereotypes in advertising. While we’ve heard a lot about attempts by advertisers to abandon the use of gender stereotypes entirely, such as the Unstereotype Alliance, this cause is far bigger than a single scheme or campaign.

Just last week, a survey by the Campaign Against Living Miserably and Joe Media found that two-thirds of British men thought negative gender stereotypes were a source of psychological damage.

So, we asked the industry – from activists to strategists, creatives to chief executives and media owners to data scientists – what actions their organizations have been taking lately to tackle the use of gendered stereotypes."

Chaaya Mistry, diversity strategist, Rapp UK

Tapping into – and being able to truly represent – the spectrum of fiercely individual experiences that exist within our society is at the very heart of Rapp’s approach to creating more inclusive marketing.

Over the last six months, we’ve been reviewing and reinvigorating our methodologies (from where we insight mine to how we review data to what is fed into the creative brief) ensuring that we as strategists are making a conscious effort to remove our blinkers throughout our entire journey, challenging our own assumptions and bias towards audiences – whether it’s about their race, age, sexual orientation or gender."

See what other industry leaders had to say with The Drum.