Defy old rickety gender roles with advertising

: How and why the reactions to Femvertising depend on the gender of the consumer

Abstract

In recent years, there has been an increased presence of feminism in advertising, known as Femvertising. Femvertising aims to challenge female stereotypes and promote female empowerment through advertising. While existing research has investigated consumers' perception of traditional advertising and Femvertising, there remains a gap in understanding how consumers' gender may influence their reactions. Thus, this study sought to explore how and why consumers' reactions to Femvertising depend on the gender of the perceiver. The purpose was achieved using a qualitative research approach, constructing three semi-structured focus groups with a total of 16 participants. The findings indicate that females have more explicit positive reactions to Femvertsing than males, as males have more inexplicit positive reactions to Femvertising. However, the reactions varied depending on the stereotypes and norms the Femvertising opposed, such as trait descriptors, physical characteristics, role behaviour and occupational statuses. The findings also indicate that consumer reactions to Femvertising are not solely influenced by gender; factors such as age, culture, and education may also have a significant influence. This study contributes to theoretical knowledge of gender differences in consumers' reactions to Femvertising from a qualitative perspective. Furthermore, as the findings indicate that neither males nor females demonstrate explicit negative reactions to Femvertising, it contributes to the practical knowledge that companies can implement Femvertising without negative consequences. However, caution should be taken for Femvertising within the category of occupational statuses.

Date of Award	2023-Jun
Original language	English
Supervisor	Axel Welinder (Supervisor), Oskar Christensson (Assessor) & Heléne Tjärnemo (Examiner)