When you read this title, do you bury your head in your hands, or do you have a smirk on your face? I am guilty of both. Yes, I’m bringing this subject up as a recent study by marketing technology firm Rocket Fuel analysed 40,000 online ads and revealed that adverts featuring male celebrities had a 670% higher conversion rate than those featuring female celebrities.
Hurts, right? But do you know why this is the case? To be honest, I don’t think anyone can really put their finger on it, but let’s give it a go…
I’m sure you’re familiar with Everyday Sexism – it’s the second thing that pops up when you search ‘everyday’ into Google. It’s a worldwide campaign which highlights numerous submissions from the public detailing their sexist experiences, whether it be in real life or something they’ve spotted elsewhere. The effect of the project has gone way beyond the internet, and it has shown to influence the way we behave in social situations. However, even though it points out blatant sexism in advertising, it hasn’t really changed our consumer behaviour…
So maybe the reason why men are more popular than women in adverts could have something to do with men becoming far more sexualised in media, than ever before. From David Gandy in his ‘tighty whities’ (enjoy the photo everyone) to Jamie Dornan giving an Oscar winning performance for sexiness in 50 Shades of Grey, there has been a huge rise in male dominance, beauty and confidence in media. It seems that this has had a great impact on the general public as The Telegraph found that young male Brits aged 18-30 posted over a billion selfies in 2014 – more than women.
But I don’t think this really affects why men are more popular than women in adverts. I think it’s something a bit deeper than that. You would think that brand ambassadors would have a significant influence on our relationship with a brand. But really, it has next to none… Video advertising analytics group Ace Metrix gathered data from the beginning of January 2012 through October 2013 showing that in the aggregate, TV ads containing celebrities underperformed than those without. Celebrity ads underperformed the most in the elements of ‘desire’ and ‘relevance’ – but is that really surprising? I love Jay Z, but I wouldn’t buy a Samsung product just because he’s featured in that advert – the two are like chalk and cheese. Having said that, the research found that the ads that out-performed had a strong connection to the endorsed brand along with a smart, integrated script. That makes sense. And this leads me to my next point.
Interestingly, the study from Rocket Fuel found that gender bias was the greatest in the entertainment industry with 41% of male celebrities starring in adverts compared to just 8% of female celebs. Think back to when you flicked on your TV – who did you see? Idris Elba being a boss on the Sky advert, Usain Bolt… being Usain Bolt with Virgin Media and Kevin Bacon being annoying as ever with EE. But now, I think it’s all starting to make sense. I think the reason why men are more popular than women in adverts is because there are no female celebrity ‘role models’ in adverts. Let me explain…
It seems that female celebrities are used by brands purely for their aesthetic features and sexy voice, and not actually for their business mind and talent. I honestly struggle to think of a female celebrity who has been used for their role model features – seriously, not even one. It’s no wonder that we’re in love with adverts that feature cool and clever men, when there are no women at all. I know it’s virtually impossible to make society change their opinion overnight, and I don’t think that what I’m saying is definitely right, but I do feel like I am close. Can we even imagine what an advert would be like with a brand showcasing a relevant connection with their campaign and a smart female celebrity? It’s difficult, because we’re so used to seeing a woman who could be on the front cover of Vogue. Damn it.
It’s a real shame that this is the case but I don’t think that this is done and dusted. I think we can change the way we relate to advertising and female celebrities. It would be a great move if brands were to have a talented, witty female celebrity who could bring the best out of a brand and their consumers. I can think of many iconic female role models, but I think there’s one in particular, who could be awesome…
How about J.K Rowling, for the Amazon Kindle? I feel the two could be a great match, for the obvious reasons, but having someone like J.K Rowling as an ambassador could turn the Amazon Kindle into something even better than it is today. Wouldn’t it be incredible to finally have a female celebrity showing off what they do best, for a brand as big as the Amazon Kindle and not in an advert for fashion and beauty? With Rowling’s wit, humour and talent, I think she could bring even more life and consumers to the Amazon Kindle.
No one steal my idea. I called it!