Attitudes toward femvertising in the Middle East: the case of Lebanon

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer a clear understanding of the use of femvertising in Lebanon and its effects on consumers in general. Design/methodology/approach Data was collected using an online survey questionnaire, administered to a random sample of 318 individuals. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses. Findings Lebanese people positively perceive the implication of women empowerment in advertisement. Gender, trust in ads, support of women’s rights and feminist self-identification, all have an impact on consumer behavior toward femvertising. However, the educational level and age do not affect the attitudes toward femvertising. Practical implications The practical contributions of our research derive from the importance of our findings on the uniqueness of the knowledge and information in the Middle East region. The importance of increasing knowledge of gender roles and Marketing in the Middle East is highly related to the gender dynamics embedded within broader globalization debates. Originality/value While studies have been extensive on the utilization of femvertising as a marketing strategy, the contexts under which these studies have been published, are mainly focused in the West. Hence, the Middle East in general and Lebanon, in particular, has witnessed no comprehensive and serious research on the subject. Consequently, this study is considered important and a major step toward establishing a theoretical base and underpinnings on the subject of utilization of femvertising in brands’ marketing strategies.

A nők attitűdje a tradicionális és a femvertising reklámokban megjelenő női sztereotípiákkal szemben

“…Kapoor és Munjal (2019) azt találták, hogy a nők femvertisinggel kapcsolatos hozzáállását öntudatuk és érzelmi igényük is befolyásolja. Ugyanakkor a femvertisinghez kapcsolódó legújabb kutatások eredményei azt mutatják, hogy az életkor és az iskolai végzettség (Elhajjar 2021), továbbá a vidéki lakhely (Abitbol & Strenadori 2020) nem befolyásolja a femvertisinghez való hozzáállást. Sternadori és Abitbol (2019) arra a következtetésre jutottak, hogy azok a nők, akik nagyon fogékonynak tűnnek a femvertising típusú reklámra, nagyobb valószínűséggel támogatják a női jogokat és azonosulnak a feminista értékrenddel.…”

The Perceived Empowering And Brand-related Effects Of Femvertising

“…The information delivered through advertising can influence consumer behavior directly or indirectly (Bauer, Berács, & Kenesei, 2007). In line with the previously discussed potential empowering effects of femvertising, it is not surprising that consumers perceive messages on women's empowerment positively (Elhajjar 2021;Teng et al, 2020). This is might be owing to the positive emotions evoked by femvertising (Drake, 2017), and it may develop a favorable attitude towards advertising (Åkestam et al, 2017).…”

“…Advertising attitudes are mediated by personal, negative psychological reactions as well (Åkestam, 2018). The results of recent research related to femvertising show that educational level and age do not affect the attitudes towards femvertising (Elhajjar, 2021). Kapoor and Munjal (2019) found that the attitude of individuals towards femvertising is influenced by their private and public self-consciousness and need for emotion.…”

“…The main goal of femvertising is to promote conscious thinking that avoids gender stereotypes (Kapoor & Munjal, 2017). Femvertising empowers women and is well received by customers (Elhajjar 2021;Teng et al, 2020). Besides, it may also have a positive influence on the brand's attitude (Åkestam et al, 2017) and increase purchase intent (Drake, 2017).…”

“…The attitude towards the advertisement is also influenced by the stereotypes displayed in it. Femvertising is considered better compared to advertisements showing traditional female stereotypes (Åkestam et al 2017;Åkestam, 2018;Elhajjar, 2021;Teng et al 2020), therefore femvertising might have a more positive impact on the advertisement (Drake 2017;Åkestam et al 2017). Åkestam et al (2017) also added that femvertising leads to higher advertising attitudes than traditional advertising because it is viewed as less stereotypical than traditional advertising, resulting in less advertising reactance.…”