Driving Business Growth Through Gender Equality in Marketing
To help benchmark success, in 2016 SeeHer developed the Gender Equality Measure (GEM®) with ABX, the first research methodology that quantifies gender bias in ads and programming. GEM® has become the global measurement standard, having measured more than 300,000 ads and content, providing diagnostics on gender, demographics, race/ethnicity, predictive themes and drivers and category benchmarks.
Key Takeaways
The importance of accurate gender representation in media and advertising is underscored by significant market dynamics, with women influencing 85 percent of purchase decisions and controlling $31 trillion in spending power. However, there's a concerning disconnect: only 16 percent of women believe media portrays them accurately, a 9 percentage point decrease, while 90 percent of consumers agree that media is critical in shaping gender roles, representing a 9 percentage point increase. This gap between influence and representation presents both a challenge and an opportunity for marketers.
GEM® has established itself as the global standard for measuring gender equality in advertising and media, with implementations in 14 markets representing 87 percent of global ad spend. The methodology evaluates content across four key dimensions: how women are presented, respectful representation, appropriateness of portrayal, and role model potential. This comprehensive approach provides marketers with actionable insights for creating more inclusive and effective advertising content.
Research has identified several key themes that drive higher GEM® scores, including the portrayal of professionals and counter-stereotypes, positive life changes, and goal achievement. Additionally, ads featuring warm connections, aspirational yet approachable characters, and unified human truths tend to perform well. Conversely, factors that can lead to lower scores include misused humor, generational disconnects, and inequitable portrayals between genders. These insights provide valuable guidance for creating more effective, inclusive content.
The business impact of high GEM® scores is significant across global markets. Ads scoring well on GEM® metrics show notable improvements in brand reputation, purchase intent, and response to calls to action. These improvements vary by region but consistently demonstrate the value of gender-equitable advertising, with increases ranging from 34 percent to 52 percent in brand reputation, 35 percent to 50 percent in purchase intent, and 10 percent to 21 percent in response to calls to action across U.S., LATAM, EMEA, and APAC markets.
Action Steps
- Implement GEM® testing in creative development processes.
- Review existing advertising content against GEM® benchmarks.
- Train creative teams on identified positive and negative portrayal themes.
- Develop strategies to incorporate key drivers of high GEM® scores.
- Monitor GEM® metrics across different demographic segments.
- Align marketing strategies with gender-equitable representation goals.
- Track business impact of GEM® score improvements.
- Incorporate diverse perspectives in creative development.
- Utilize GEM® insights for media planning and placement.
- Share GEM® best practices across marketing teams and agency partners.
Source
"Gender Equality Measurement (GEM®): Accurate Representation That Drives Sales." Jodi Marchisotta, SVP of SeeHer. Virtual Diversity Marketing and Measurement Fair, 10/15/24.