The use of stereotypes in advertising is old. Ever since brands have tried to increase sales, they have made use of these often simplistic or erroneous conceptions about groups of people, which do not take into account the particularities of each individual within that group.
With the arrival of the digital age , the way companies execute their advertising strategies has changed considerably.
Instead of blasting messages out to large audiences via mass media , there is now the possibility of reaching specific niches with greater purchasing potential.
Does this mean that stereotypes in advertising are no longer relevant? We will discuss this in this article. Read on!
What is a stereotype?
Let’s start by defining what a stereotype new zealand telegram data is. According to the RAE dictionary, a stereotype is an image or idea that is commonly accepted by a group or society with an immutable character.
These images are created based on certain social characteristics such as gender, age, income level, physical appearance, religion, among others.
Although advertising uses harmless stereotypes such as men with moustaches to represent shopkeepers.
Generally speaking, stereotypes have a negative connotation as they are associated with the dissemination of prejudices about people or their roles in society.
An example is that of traditional Brazilian breweries, which often use images of women in bikinis to attract the audience’s attention, which contributes to associating the image of the Brazilian woman with this type of figure that appears in advertisements .
Characteristics of advertising stereotypes
Brands that use stereotypes in their choose a good name for your book e-commerce advertising strategies must be careful, as these turn out to be ” segmentation shortcuts ” that can communicate the wrong message to an unreceptive audience.
So, stereotypes in advertising:
- simplify the characteristics of a target audience ;
- They are unaware of the particularities of the people within a target;
- They broadly segment audiences based on incorrect biases;
- reinforce existing social roles.
Let’s look at some examples below.
7 examples of stereotypes in advertising
1. The woman is in charge of household chores
This is one of the most widespread stereotypes cyb directory in advertising. There are countless advertisements for dish soaps, floor cleaners, detergents, household appliances or kitchen products that have women as protagonists.
They are the ones who wash, cook, clean and, in general, who must take care of the entire family. The controversy is that the role of women has changed radically in recent decades.
With their entry into the labor market in the mid-twentieth century, women have opened up a space to develop other facets of their lives beyond home and family.
2. Boys are explorers and girls are princesses
Toy stores are among the companies that most use gender stereotypes in their advertising.
In their ads, they show restless, adventurous and self-confident boys, while girls are seen as tidy, obedient and dreaming of finding a prince charming. In this way, they exclude other behaviours that boys or girls may have.
3. Sports are for the enjoyment of young men
Advertising claims that all men are sports fans. The ads almost exclusively show a group of young men with beers cheering euphorically for their teams at football matches.
These advertisements ignore, for example, that sports activities can be enjoyed by the family or can be practiced by women or by people of any age.
4. A woman should always look beautiful
Gender stereotypes in advertising show women an ideal of beauty that is difficult to achieve.
Slim, toned bodies or long, perfectly coiffed hair are constant images in many advertisements that appear in all media . This stereotype denies other types of women’s bodies, appearances and styles.
5. Women do not drive big cars
When you see ads for big SUVs, how many of the drivers are women?
In these ads – sometimes sexist – only men drive these types of adventure-related vehicles, while women, if they ever appear in the ads, drive small cars in the city.
6. Only men know about technology
In advertisements featuring cell phones, computers, or technological gadgets , men are mostly the protagonists.
Furthermore, the use of these devices also varies according to gender. While women use them for selfies or keeping in touch with loved ones, men perform more specialized functions.
7. The man is strong and successful
As with women, stereotypes in advertising have attributed certain values to men. Their role is to show strength, emotional stability, dominance and courage.
Thus, it is common to see advertisements where men run companies, go on adventures or fearlessly throw themselves into risky situations.
Do stereotypes work in the digital marketing scenario?
Basically, the relationship between stereotypes and advertising can be understood from two points:
- Brands try to sell an unattainable ideal, maximizing the consumer’s need to satisfy it with their products.
- Brands respond to stereotypes, embrace differences and show that their products can be used without distinction.
Although stereotypes in advertising have been used successfully in the past, the marketing landscape is transforming.
In the digital age, society has become more critical of the advertising pieces that brands produce. They rightly defend gender equality and freedom of expression, leaving the use of stereotypes as a thing of the past.
For this reason, it is increasingly common to find advertisements that move away from stereotypes and focus on the specific characteristics of people, segmenting them into specific groups.
In fact, new concepts and strategies have emerged in digital marketing that respond to this new reality, such as buyer personas — as opposed to target audiences — or hypersegmentation .