Stereotypes and advertising in Spain: YouTube analysis

Abstract

Cause marketing is acquiring a growing role in the field of communication. Brands that express their willingness to confront social dysfunctions promote movements such as femvertising, which addresses the representation of women in the media, including advertising. Through a quantitative methodology (survey and analysis of ads on YouTube: gender of the protagonist and screen time), the female presence in the social network is analyzed in order to analyze the exclusion and visibility of gender, the new business greenwashing and the inclusivity. The results show a majority female role in the ads, data reinforced by a greater amount of screen time, and more time spoken by the female characters. The percentage of appeal to the female gender in advertisements increases with the age range. Most women do not feel represented in the ads analyzed and do not believe that they opt for a representation that is far from stereotyping and gender bias. It is concluded that, despite the fact that in the analyzed advertisements a clear greater visibility of the female characters compared to the male ones is detected, this representativeness is not perceived as gender equity, as an exaltation of women or as a commitment to the repeal of stereotypes of genre.