Statistics on Advertising, Gender Equality, Branding, and Philanthropy: Kickstart Your Week with 5 Compelling Insights
Equip yourself with key data points to empower your week ahead and stay informed on important trends in advertising, gender diversity, branding, and charitable initiatives.
One in four UK ads feature women over 40
In 2023, research from Kantar shows that 28% of UK ads showcased women aged above 40. This is a notable rise from the previous year, where only around one in five ads (21%) featured women in this age group.
Furthermore, almost a third (31%) of UK advertising included women with diverse body shapes, which is nearly double the global average.
Despite some positive statistics, it is important to note that the portrayal of women in advertising still largely reflects traditional gender stereotypes. In 2023, only 8% of UK advertisements featured women in non-traditional roles, while occupations like nurses and caregivers remained predominant.
Furthermore, most advertising campaigns still tend to portray men more favorably than women. Interestingly, consumers perceive women more positively in the category of personal care compared to men.
Kantar’s head of creative excellence, Lynne Deason, is encouraged by the progress in UK campaigns. However, she emphasizes that there is still a lot of work to be done in terms of non-traditional gender portrayals, including representations of both men and women.
Deason also highlights the importance of getting this right from a commercial perspective. She mentions Amazon’s 2023 Christmas ad 'Joy Ride' as an example, which received praise for its positive portrayal of older women and performed exceptionally well in ad effectiveness rankings.
Source: Kantar
Ads viewed in the living room have highest chance of ad recall
Research by Thinkbox has shown that consumers are most receptive to advertising when they are in the comfort of their living rooms. This is due to a combination of factors that make the living room environment more conducive to remembering and recalling ads.
One important factor is the quality of the video content where the advertisement is placed. Studies show that professionally made videos lead to 60% higher recall for the ads compared to non-professional content.
Moreover, viewers are 44% more inclined to trust an ad shown in professional content and 39% more likely to find the advertisement enjoyable. It is worth noting that most content consumed in the living room is professionally created.
The size of the screen in the living room plays a significant role in creating an effective advertising environment. Research shows that viewers are 34% more likely to recall ads seen on a TV screen compared to a computer, and 60% more likely compared to a tablet or smartphone.
Additionally, shared viewing occasions are more common in the living room, further boosting ad recall. Studies have found that ad recall increases by 23% when watching ads with others.
Feeling good or satisfied with the moment plays a key role in boosting ad recall, according to the research.
The study reveals that the most effective combination of in-home factors (such as being in the living room, watching professional content on a TV with others, and feeling content with the occasion) resulted in an average ad recall of 32.5%. In contrast, the weakest combination of factors (being in the kitchen, watching non-professional content alone) only led to an average ad recall of 5.1%.
Thinkbox suggests this means the right in-home advertising context can increase ad recall by up to 6.3 times.
Source: Thinkbox
Women with lighter skin tones four times more likely to appear in ads
In 2023, research from CreativeX showed that women with lighter skin tones were four times more likely to be featured in advertising compared to women with darker skin tones.
There has been progress from the previous year, with the representation of women with darker skin tones increasing by 63% year over year. Despite this improvement, only one in five ads in 2023 included women with darker skin tones.
The research suggests that advertising spend is hindering diversity and representation efforts. In 2023, ad spend for content showcasing women with darker skin tones dropped by 9%, while spend for content featuring women with lighter skin tones increased by 2%.
According to the research, over 82% of media dollars spent on ads featuring women went towards content with lighter skin tones.
The research shows that older men are more likely to appear in ads than older women, with a 25% difference. Ads featuring individuals over the age of 60 only received 1.2% of total ad spend, showing a decrease of 33% compared to 2022.
Consumers more likely to buy a brand that donates to charity
Almost half (45%) of consumers are inclined to purchase a brand if it promotes donations to a charity. On the other hand, only a tiny percentage (5%) of consumers feel less inclined to buy a brand that advertises charitable donations. Interestingly, a considerable number of consumers (36%) state that it doesn't impact their decision to purchase at all.
Consumers aged over 55 are most likely to say that a brand's advertising of donating to a charitable cause does not impact their decision to purchase, with 41% expressing this apathetic opinion.
On the other hand, 53% of 18- to 24-year-olds say they are more inclined to purchase from a brand that promotes its charitable donations, making them the age group most influenced by this type of advertising.
Source: YouGov
Girls more likely to actively participate in social media versus boys
Almost half (45%) of girls aged 10 to 14 are actively participating in social media, compared to 37% of boys of the same age.
TikTok is a platform where girls outnumber boys (58% versus 42%).
When it comes to favorite video content platform, YouTube takes the lead among both genders (57% for boys and 39% for girls). However, TikTok is a close second choice for girls, with only 11% of boys and 28% of girls preferring it.
The research shows that children at this age tend to use different platforms consistently. Boys prefer watching video content within video games (45% of boys compared to 30% of girls), while girls are more inclined to watch content on paid streaming services like Netflix (77% of girls versus 69% of boys).
In addition, the report from Kids Industries also examined the types of fandom that boys and girls are interested in. A significant 26% of boys are fans of gaming, in contrast to only 8% of girls. On the other hand, girls show a higher interest in music fandom, with 16% of girls being fans of musicians or bands compared to just 1% of boys.
Source: Kids Industries
Editor's P/S:
The advertising industry is making progress in representing diverse groups, but there is still room for improvement. It is encouraging to see that more women over 40 and with diverse body shapes are being featured in ads, but the portrayal of women in advertising still largely reflects traditional gender stereotypes. Additionally, women with lighter skin tones are still more likely to appear in ads than women with darker skin tones.
It is important for advertisers to continue to strive for more inclusive and representative advertising. This not only benefits consumers by providing them with a more accurate reflection of the world around them, but it also makes good business sense. Research has shown that consumers are more likely to buy from brands that promote donations to charity and that feature diverse and inclusive advertising.
