Unstereotype- The New Advertising Rules

Feb 5

It’s been an eye-opener year so far from the #metoo to #timesup movement, we’re seeing a shift in the world that can’t be ignored. Consumers are demanding for equality and this isn’t a new hype, matter of fact the shift is already happening. You can see changes across all industries from fashion to tech.

Last year NYFW had seen transgender models grace the runway along with curvy models. Hollywood was rocked by the Weinstein scandals and even Vice had its own share of run-ins. So what does this all mean for the advertising world? Marketing and advertising are consistently morphing with new rules and regulations in order to keep up with the fast-paced changes in technology and the way customers are consuming content.

Gender roles have undoubtedly been portrayed in the wrong light for the last decade or more. LGBTQ representation is few and far in ads. In order to address some of these challenges, the Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) started to develop some new rules which will be enforced and executed by Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Here are a few ads that will be problematic:

Advertisement showing family members creating a mess while a woman is solely cleaning it up.
Ads suggesting certain activities is inappropriate for boys because it is stereotypically associated with girls, or vice-versa.
Ads featuring a man trying and failing to simple parental or household tasks.

According to Ian Barber, director of communications at the Advertising Association, the challenge will be “consistency and certainty for brands and agencies, in what is a subjective debate.”

If you’re looking for some inspiration on gender equality video campaigns, here’s a few: