Unwrapping Gender Representation in the 2023 Christmas Ads
Authentic gender representation clearly isn't just for Christmas, but it is especially important during the UK ad industry's Super Bowl moment, when investment, risk and reward for agencies and marketers are at their highest.
Women account for 80% of all consumer purchase decisions, even dominating categories we traditionally think of as masculine; and ads that depict gender positively have been proven to perform better. Yet this economic powerhouse is still overlooked, with women (especially women of colour, queer women and midlife-plus women) consistently saying ads don't represent them well (for example Geena Davis Institute, Ipsos, UM and more.)
So in the season when standing out, getting talked about and inspiring brand love is more valuable than ever, how's this year's crop doing on gender representation? Who's portraying this huge, underserved audience as they want to be seen? And who's inadvertently reinforcing the traditional season of goodwill to all men?
Are women driving the action?
More screen time for women is "representation 101" so I applaud Amazon for having that most underrepresented economic force, older women, dominate the narrative in its Christmas offering this year. But why do women over 50, one of the biggest, fastest-growing and most affluent demographic groups on earth, feature in only 10% of ads with women in them? And why do so few ads reflect the fact that many women aged 50 or over feel more J-Lo than geriatric?
In a world where men speak more than women even in Disney princess films and romcoms, I'm celebrating young girls asking difficult questions and driving the action for Boots, Sainsbury's and Vodafone. I also salute John Lewis & Partners for featuring a single mum; and Marshalls for its squad-strut including a man, and being led by a black woman. Making marginalised groups feel seen doesn't alienate broader audiences, so there's no excuse not to.
Depicting a broader range of masculinity and femininity
We've come a long way since "the consumer isn't an idiot: she's your wife" was a radically inclusive thought. Today, subtle moments can subvert old-school gender portrayals and reflect what's a reality for millions of people, and aspirational for many more.
So shout out to Morrisons for not making a big song and dance about a man putting the turkey on; and for doing that rare thing, centring female characters in the comedy. Considering Brandsplaining found women of all ages put "sense of humour" in their top three defining characteristics, yet only 3% of ads featured women being funny, it's no wonder the "let them say we're crazy" line resonates so strongly with women.
Well done McDonald's for rewriting the Love Actually scene with a man in Keira Knightley's role, and for suggesting a woman might instigate an exodus from the school nativity play. Thanks, Boots, for gifting face cream and haircare to guys in traditionally masculine jobs. And let's admire how beautifully JD Sports portrays young men who are often woefully-misrepresented, giving us glimpses of their love for each other, and for older people in their families and communities.
But most advertisers could be doing so much more to capitalise on the desires, demands and spending power of half the population. My top four Christmas wishes would be:
Respect the economic power of older women. And as 50-year-old women are closer to 25 than 85, let's see more magnificent midlifers too, not just lovely little old ladies.
Centre all kinds of women without worrying about being "niche". If universal emotions and brilliant storytelling can make us see ourselves in martians and claymation tortoises, why doubt that stories featuring under-represented groups can resonate with a mass audience?
Create beautiful, positive, nuanced depictions of men doing traditionally feminine things too. Showcasing women behaving in ways that were once just for men is only half the picture, and can even reinforce the idea that masculine-coded qualities are superior.
Think about gender for characters beyond the humans. Did Snapper the Venus Fly Trap have to follow in the footsteps of Buster, Edgar, Monty and Moz [John Lewis & Partners Christmas ads characters] and be another "he"? There's loads of evidence that default-male assumptions contribute to real-world problems for women, so we could do our bit to disrupt that too.
This article was featured in Campaign on 28th November 2023 and can be found here.
