A longitudinal content analysis of gender role portrayal in Belgian television advertising

A longitudinal analysis of the changing roles of gender in advertising: a content analysis of Super Bowl commercials

“…Although prior research suggested that gender stereotypes do vary across product categories (e.g., Ganahl, Prinsen, and Netzley 2003;Plakoyiannaki and Zotos 2009;Verhellen, Dens, and Pelsmacker 2016), prior research on Super Bowl commercials has neglected to examine whether gender stereotypes vary across different product categories. Our results suggest that shifts in gender stereotypes are more likely to occur in certain product categories and highlight the importance of considering several product categories over several years in order to identify shifts in the cultural notions of gender in Super Bowl advertising.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, this is the longest time period of systematic monitoring of gender stereotypes in Super Bowl commercials recorded so far. As advertisements in general and Super Bowl advertisements in particular are slow in adapting to social changes, a longitudinal approach is necessary in order to identify how cultural notions of gender are constructed in Super Bowl commercials (e.g., King 2012) and how these cultural notions of gender have evolved (or not) over time (Verhellen, Dens, and Pelsmacker 2016).…”

“…A comprehensive framework, however, has been developed and extensively used in prior research on gender representations in print and online advertisements and can provide valuable insights on the type of female and male stereotypes used in Super Bowl commercials (e.g., Lysonski 1985;Plakoyiannaki et al 2008;Plakoyiannaki and Zotos 2009;Tsichla and Zotos 2014;Zotos and Lysonski 1994). Furthermore, the studies on gender stereotypes in Super Bowl commercials discussed earlier have not examined how gender representations may vary across product categories, although prior research has suggested that gender stereotypes are likely to vary across product categories (e.g., Ganahl, Prinsen, and Netzley 2003;Plakoyiannaki and Zotos 2009;Verhellen, Dens, and Pelsmacker 2016).…”

“…Several studies have suggested that female and male stereotypes in advertising vary across product categories (e.g., Ganahl, Prinsen, and Netzley 2003;Plakoyiannaki and Zotos 2009;Verhellen, Dens, and Pelsmacker 2016). However, none of the aforementioned studies examined if the longitudinal changes in the use of gender stereotypes vary across different product categories.…”

“…As recent data suggest, the event now attracts a 46% female audience, and more women watch the game than the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys combined (Brazile 2014). However, there is limited research on the cultural notions of gender that are constructed through the ads (King 2012), and how these cultural notions of gender have evolved (or not) over time (Verhellen, Dens, and Pelsmacker 2016). The purpose of this research is to conduct a longitudinal study, over a 20-year period (1990À2009), to examine how the depiction of female and male stereotypes in Super Bowl commercials has changed over time for the most advertised product categories.…”