Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Gender and Advertising in Southern Africa: Edited by Colleen Lowe Morna and Sikhonzile Ndlovu
Gender and Advertising in Southern Africa: Edited by Colleen Lowe Morna and Sikhonzile Ndlovu
THE
ON
Gender and
MIRROR
Advertising in
Southern Africa
EDITED BY COLLEEN LOWE MORNA AND SIKHONZILE NDLOVU
Mirror on the Media
Gender and Advertising in Southern Africa
Gender Links
9 Derrick Ave,
Cnr Marcia Street,
Cyrildene,
2198,
Johannesburg,
South Africa
Phone: 27 (11) 622 2877
Fax: 27 (11) 622 4732
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.genderlinks.org.za
Sponsor:
Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa
C O N T E N T S , T A B L E S & L I S T O F F I G U R E S
Contents
List of acronyms 2
Foreword 4
Executive summary 5
Chapter 1: Overview 7
Chapter 2: Mauritius 21
Chapter 3: South Africa 35
Chapter 4: Zambia 51
Chapter 5: Zimbabwe 61
Chapter 6: Conclusions and recommendations 75
Tables
Table one: Media monitored 10
Table two: Monitoring dates in December 2006 11
Table three: Total number of adverts monitored per media per country 11
Table four: GEM Classification 12
Figures
Figure 1.1 Women and men in advertisements 13
Figure 1.2 Women and men in advertisements in each country 14
Figure 1.3 Women as subjects in advertisements versus as news sources 14
Figure 1.4 Roles of women and men in advertisements 15
Figure 1.5 Women and men per media type 16
Figure 1.6 Women and men voice-overs 17
Figure 1.7 Women and men voice-overs in each country 17
Figure 1.8: Most advertised products 18
Figure 1.9 Women and men in different age brackets 19
Figure 2.1 Women and men in advertisements in Mauritius 26
Figure 2.2 Roles of women and men in advertisements in Mauritius 27
Figure 2.3 Women and men per media type in Mauritius 28
Figure 2.4: Most advertised products in Mauritius 29
Figure 2.5 Women and men in different age brackets in Mauritius 31
Figure 3.1 Women and men in advertisements in South Africa 40
Figure 3.2 Roles of women and men in advertisements in South Africa 42
Figure 3.3 Women and men per media type in South Africa 43
Figure 3.4: Most advertised products in South Africa 46
Figure 3.5 Women and men in different age brackets in South Africa 48
Figure 4.1 Women and men in advertisements in Zambia 54
Figure 4.2 Roles of women and men in advertisements in Zambia 55
Figure 4.3 Women and men per media type in Zambia 56
Figure 4.4: Most advertised products in Zambia 58
Figure 4.5 Women and men in different age brackets in Zambia 59
Figure 5.1 Women and men in advertisements in Zimbabwe 65
Figure 5.2 Roles of women and men in advertisements in Zimbabwe 67
Figure 5.3 Women and men per media type in Zimbabwe 68
Figure 5.4: Most advertised products in Zimbabwe 69
Figure 5.5 Women and men in different age brackets in Zimbabwe 71
Acronyms
AAA Association of Advertising Agencies
ADMA Advertising Media Association
AIDS Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome
AMF Advertising Media Forum
AMPS All Media Products Survey
ASA Advertising Standards Authority
ASASA Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa
ASC Advertising Standards Committee
AZA Association of Zimbabwe Advertisers
BS Blatant Stereotype
CBD Central Business District
CE Code of Ethics
CIAZ Communications Industry of Zimbabwe
DAB Day After Broadcast
FGD Focus Group Discussion
GA Gender Aware
GB Gender Blind
GEMSA Gender and Media Southern Africa Network
GL Gender Links
GMBS Gender and Media Baseline Study
GMMP Global Media Monitoring Project
HIV Human Immuno Virus
IBA Independent Broadcasting Authority- Mauritius
MBC Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
MIC Media and Information Commission
MISA Media Institute of Southern Africa
MMD Movement for Multi-party Democracy
MWO Media Match Organisation
NGO Non Governmental Organisation
SABC South African Broadcasting Corporation
SAARF South African Advertising Research Foundation
SMS Short Message Service
SS Subtle Stereotype
TV Television
ZAAPA Zimbabwe Association of Accredited Practitioners in Advertising
ZABG Zimbabwe Amalgamated Banking Group
ZANIS Zambia News and Information Services
ZARF Zimbabwe Advertising Research Foundation
ZIM Zambia Institute of Marketing
ZNBC Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation
ZTV Zimbabwe Television
ZWRCN Zimbabwe Women Resource Centre and Network
Acknowledgements
Gender Links (GL) would like to acknowledge the key role played by the team leaders and monitors from the
four countries that participated in this research:
Mauritius: Loga Virahsawmy, team leader and monitors Pamelah Gungaram, Davinah Sholay, Julie Telot and
Anushka Virahsawmy Coy; South Africa: Bambo Lovedeliah Lepelle, Mathinjwa Telele, Munyewende Pascalia
and Thwala Didi. Zambia: Charles Chisala, team leader and monitors Aswell Kazembe Mwalimu, Munambeza
Muwanei, Jack Mwewa, Barbara Mukuka and Bruce Kaunda. Zimbabwe: Sharon Tapfumaneyi, team leader
and monitors Sibusisiwe Dube, Sandra Mujokoro, Nhlanhla Ngwenya and Tawanda Mudzonga.
Special thanks also go to focus group participants across the four countries, as well as institutional partners
including the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network; Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
in Zimbabwe; Media Watch Organisation (MWO) GEMSA; the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ)
and the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN).
Rochelle Renere Davidson and later Sikhonzile Ndlovu from Gender Links’ research department coordinated
the research. Colleen Lowe Morna, Executive Director of Gender Links and Chair of the Gender and Media
Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network, assisted by Sikhonzile Ndlovu edited the report.
Foreword
What on earth does the size of a woman’s bra have to do with smoking cigarettes? The
question, posed by a woman in one of the focus group discussions for this study on advertising
in four Southern African countries, is one that could well be asked of many of the advertisements
that flash around us each day.
After several studies on gender in news content, this study is the first by GL and partner
networks to probe other areas of media content that have an equal if not greater impact on
gender relations in society.
It is estimated that each day we are bombarded by some 10 000 images, each sending out
powerful messages that are subconsciously embedded in the psyche. Advertisements account
for the vast majority of these images.
Unlike news content that must be impartial, considered and fair, advertisers have the licence to play with our minds by
accentuating the bizarre; taking us on feel good trips; or lifting us out of our normal space: whatever it takes to catch
our attention.
Precisely because of this power over the mind, advertising is a critical area of concern for transforming gender relations.
The good news is that women are far more likely to be reflected in advertising than in news content. The bad news is
that this is often for all the wrong reasons.
Valued more in society for their physical than mental attributes, women (like the one wearing a Cup D bra in a cigarette
advert) are more often than not used as objects to sell merchandise (presumably to a largely male buying audience) than
because they comprise 52 percent of potential consumers.
As this research shows, women are more likely to be seen than heard; they predominate in billboards and still images
and hardly feature in voice overs; and it is in these still images that we see blatant stereotypes at their worst.
When one adds up the gender blind adverts (or instances in which adverts are simply oblivious of female consumers)
with those that display either blatant or subtle stereotypes, adverts with one kind or the other of gender bias still far
outweigh those that might be regarded as gender aware.
What is interesting about this research, that included separate focus group discussions with men and women on the case
studies selected, is that audiences are alive to these biases. Women in particular respond negatively or with ambivalence
to the blatant stereotypes while young women resist being type cast as homemakers and cooks.
A surprising number of men, young and old, said they would like to see men in more diverse roles, such as cooking and
caring for the family. Women and men warmed to the increasing examples of “gender benders” in advertising.
These findings concur with those of the Gender and Media Audience Study (GMAS) conducted by GL and the Media
Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) as a follow up to the Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) on editorial content.
GMAS found that across Southern Africa women and men want more human interest and local news with greater gender
balance and diversity.
Could it be that by harping on tired old stereotypes, advertisers are losing out on potential new markets? If advertising
is meant to capture our imagination, then it should be able to lift us into a more equal, exciting and diverse world.
It’s time that we as women said: if you want to sell your cigarettes, find some other way to do so than a bra! Come on
advertisers, how about really surprising us!
• Men are the voice of authority: On average • But there are interesting examples of gender
women constituted only 29% of all voice-overs. The aware advertising emerging: Despite these biases,
pattern is the same across countries although the study found an interesting array of advertisements
Mauritius, at 38%, is above the regional average of classified as “gender aware”. These included
29%. South Africa and Zimbabwe had the same advertisements that portray women and men as
proportion of women voice-overs at 24%). The equal partners; with similar educational and economic
proportion of women voice-overs in Zambia stood aspirations; as well as advertisements that challenge
at 30%. Male voice-overs reinforce the stereotype traditional roles of both women and men.
of men being in control and as the voice of authority.
• Consumers have a higher degree of gender
• The gender division of labour further reinforces consciousness than advertisers might
stereotypes: Another way in which stereotypes are imagine: Women and men focus groups demon-
reinforced is in the different roles that women and strated a high degree of gender awareness, frequently
men are portrayed in advertising. For example women questioning why women are excluded from
constitute 82% of those classified as model/beauty certain advertisements, and why women and men
contestant/sex object and 60% of home-makers. are portrayed in predictable ways in advertise-
Men dominated in business (68%) but with ments. Women in particular found the tendency
interesting country variations. In Zambia women to treat women as bodies without brains
constituted 61% of those portrayed in business in demeaning and younger women reacted neg-
advertising, compared to 43% in Mauritius, 14% in atively to the traditional domestic roles in which
Zimbabwe and 11% in South Africa. women are often cast. Both male and female focus
groups commented that they found the gender
• Telecommunications and indoor household aware advertisements refreshing and (in the case of
goods are the most advertised products: women) more inclusive.
Telecommunications and indoor household products
topped the list of advertised goods. Auto-
mobiles, travel and leisure were the least advertised Structure of the report
products.
The report comprises six chapters. The first chapter
• Women and men are strongly associated with covers the background and rationale for the study; the
certain kinds of products: One of the ways in methodology used and the overall findings, both
which subtle stereotypes are reinforced in advert- quantitative and qualitative. Chapter two to five cover
ising is through the strong association of certain the specific findings and case studies from each country.
product types with either men or women. For The final chapter draws conclusions and makes
example household goods, food and cleaning recommendations, including the need for gender and
materials are almost always associated with media networks to take up cases of blatant stereotyping
women, while financial services are typically and campaign for greater gender balance and sensitivity
associated with men. in advertising.
T his first chapter provides background to the research; the methodology used and the overall regional
findings. Subsequent chapters cover the specific findings in each of the four countries in the study.
BACKGROUND
Gender and advertising in Southern Africa is the fifth in the GL Mirror on the Media series which analyses different
aspects of the media from a gender perspective. Previous reports include Can every day be women’s day? (coverage
of Women’s Day on 9 August in South Africa compared to the rest of the year); the Sixteen Days of Activism and
coverage of gender violence; Who makes the news? Southern African findings of the Global Media Monitoring Project
(GMMP) and Who Talks on Talk Shows?
The Mirror on the Media series has its roots in the Gender and Media Baseline Study (GMBS) conducted by GL and
the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) with the assistance of the Media Monitoring Project (MMP) South Africa
in 2003. The study found that women constituted 17 percent of news sources across Southern Africa and that they
are portrayed in a limited range of roles; most often as sex objects; home makers or as victims of violence. Men on
the other hand predominate in all topic categories except for gender equality and are portrayed in a much broader
range of roles; most often those that convey power and control.
The aim of the Mirror on the Media series is both to build the capacity of gender and media networks to conduct
quantitative research and media analysis skills as well as expand the horizons of gender and media research. Case
material collected in the course of monitoring in stored in GL’s Virtual Resource Centre for use by trainers and activists.
The studies are used to engage with media owners, managers and practitioners, as well as analysts and activists on
the need for greater gender balance and sensitivity in the media.
The Southern African analysis of the GMMP in 2006 as part of this series is one example of how Mirror on the Media
is used as a monitoring tool. The GMMP regional results showed that overall, compared to the GMBS, women sources
in the region have increased to 19%, with some countries exceeding this average (for example South Africa, now at
26%). Although the change is gradual, it demonstrates the power of activist research and advocacy in transforming
gender relations in and through the media.
Why advertising?
Advertising plays an important role in socialisation. Apart from influencing what the public consumes, advertising
also influences the public’s opinion and world view. Yet there has been limited research on this genre and particularly
on the gendered nature of advertising in Southern Africa.
Advertisements portray and interpret society’s definition of roles for men and women: “From the earliest years of
children, advertisements shape the way of their lives, and what to consume. Many commercials showing boys playing
with cars and girls playing with dolls create different tastes and preferences for each sex.” (O’Barr,2005).
Most advertising seeks to reinforce what is socially accepted behaviour and roles for the two sexes, thus defining what
is feminine and masculine. For example men are more likely to be portrayed as figures of authority in business settings
while women are confined indoors especially in the kitchen and when they appear in the business world they are
restricted to “less challenging” roles like beauty and fashion industries.
Most advertisers make use of mass media to reach their target audiences and therefore advertisements easily find
their way to the public. Many people aspire to live like the people or use the products and services that they see in
adverts. Advertising creates tastes, some of which are alien to a people’s way of life.
Consumers may interpret advertisements differently. According to Katherine Frith (1998) there are three levels of
analysis:
• The first one is the surface meaning which consists of, “the overall impression that a reader might get from
quickly studying the advertisement…
• The second level is the advertiser’s intended meaning which is the “preferred or expected meaning that a reader
might get from the advert, the meaning that the advertiser intends for the reader to take with them.”
• The third level is the cultural or ideological meaning which, “relies on the cultural knowledge and background
of the reader.”
The result is that advertising solicits different interpretations from different people. However, an equally important
observation is that “individuals portrayed in the advertisements appear to accept these relationships and they serve
to validate the roles described” (Goffman, 1976). “Advertisements depict for us not necessarily how we actually
behave as men and women but how we think men and women behave” (Goffman, 1979). This underscores the
critical role of advertising in either reinforcing or challenging gender stereotypes.
Studies suggest that gender stereotyping is most pronounced in television because of the distinctive
male and female target audiences. In adverts, men tend to be portrayed as more autonomous. They
are shown in more occupations than women. Women are shown mainly as sex objects, housewives
or mothers. Men are more likely to be shown advertising cars or business products; women as
advertising domestic products. Also, men are more likely to be shown outdoors or in business settings
and women in domestic settings. Men are more often portrayed as figures of authority. While older
men seem to gain authority in advertisements, older women seem to disappear. Other key findings are
summarised in the box below.
• Women’s bodies and body parts are portrayed more often in print and television advertising than are women’s
faces and the opposite is true for portrayals of men. (Studies suggest that facial views are perceived as
projecting intelligence and ambition while body views are not).
(http://www.uta.edu/huma/illuminations/kell6.htm
• Women are constructed as subordinate and passive sex objects: through positioning of the body, facial
expression etc.
• Female voices are rarely used in voiceovers (one study revealed that only 14% of voiceovers were female and
only 8% of radio commercials used female characters).
• Some goods are seen as exclusively masculine or feminine, for instance: household products are separated
into kitchen use (cooking utensils) and outdoor use (lawnmowers or building tools).
• Women and men respond differently to the same advertisements. For example, in her study
Gender-pitched advertising: Do men and women see the same things Melanie Yarborough suggests that
“For women, ads often are more detailed. Take for example toiletry advertisements. For one thing, women
are more concerned about grooming and appearance. And they appreciate very fine distinctions…Men think
in a more macro way, and need to be shown the big picture. Also men are less likely to process complex
metaphors.” (http://village.fortunecity.com/carnival/383/adverts.htm
• Constant exposure to demeaning portrayals of women in advertising can lead to socially induced depression
and lowered achievement aspirations for women.
Objectives
This study aimed to establish how advertisements in the mainstream media in Southern Africa reflect women and
men through analysing:
• The extent to which women and men appear in adverts.
• The roles that women and men play in advertising.
• The extent to which adverts promote or challenge gender stereotyping.
• How audiences perceive and or are affected by such adverts.
• Whether approaches that reflect women and men more equitably and in a greater diversity of roles are possible,
and how audiences respond to these.
Methodology
The research made use of quantitative and qualitative content analysis of advertisements in billboards, print and
electronic media (both privately and publicly owned).
Media monitored
Table one shows the spread of media monitored. South Africa is the only country in which the research covered a
private TV station as the Mauritius, Zimbabwe and Zambia only have state-owned TV. Zimbabwe is the only country
in the study with no private radio broadcaster and in which the monitoring covered only state-owned radio.
South Africa ETV SABC 1 Kaya FM SAFM The Star Sunday Times 10 Billboards
Zambia ZBC TV Radio Phoenix ZBC Radio Times Sunday Post 10 Billboards
Dates
Table two shows the monitoring dates. The dates constituted a “constructed week” meaning that in all
monitoring took place on each day of the week, but this was staggered over a two week period from
3 - 16 December 2006. Weekly newspapers were monitored twice. The monitors also randomly picked ten
billboards within a 5 km radius of their work station for inclusion in the monitoring.
Table three: Total number of adverts monitored per media per country
Case studies
Out of all the items monitored, team leaders in each country selected sixteen case studies, one for
each media type (print, radio, TV and billboard) for each of the categories: gender aware, gender
blind, blatant stereotypes and subtle stereotypes (a total of 48 case studies). Where case studies are
referred to in the report, they are denoted by the icon to the left. The classifications are taken from
the GMBS and explained in Table four.
Gender blindness refers to the fact that often women are not even seen as a factor because of the assumption that
only men matter or take interest; for example in reference to sport. Thanks to “gender blindness”, world cup advertisers
woke up much too late to the fact that 40 percent of those viewing the World Cup were women, when most of their
advertising had been targeting men!
Blatant stereotypes present women and men in obvious stereotypical roles such as woman as victims or sex objects
or men as daredevils.
Subtle stereotypes reinforce notions of women’s domestic and men’s more public roles in ways that make this seem
normal and thus reinforce this as the norm. For example women shown cooking and serving their families appears
normal yet it subtly promotes the stereotype that this is women’s main role.
Gender awareness refers to being alive and responsive to the fact that the world is made up of women and men
in many shapes and forms, with diverse interests and in a world where old myths and assumptions are daily being
challenged.
Focus groups
After selecting the case studies, team leaders conducted two separate focus groups, one with women and the other
with men. The groups comprised six to ten people of varying age, occupation, race and ethnicity. Team leaders
conducted discussions with each group on the case studies, noting differences in reactions by women and men.
VRC
Detailed case studies and artefacts (print and electronic) can be found archived in GL’s Virtual Resource Centre. To
access these go to www.genderlinks.org.za and click the relevant section of the home page. This will lead you to a
data base where the case studies are archived by country and according to their GEM classification.
FINDINGS
The section below summarises the key overall findings of the monitoring in the four countries covered. This is examined
in terms of the four main categories used to analyse the case studies: gender blind; blatant stereotypes; subtle
stereotypes and gender aware advertisements.
Out of all the items monitored 30% were deemed neutral (often these showed only the object being advertised,
without any human dimension). Gender blind (16%), blatant stereotypes (9%) and subtle stereotypes (18%) constituted
43% of the total, compared to 27% regarded as gender aware. This suggests that a high proportion of advertisements
have a gender bias of one kind or the other. This conclusion is drawn for the overall regional sample because of its
size, but not for individual countries, which had a much smaller size.
A basic test of gender blindness (or awareness) is the extent to which women and men are represented in content
as compared to their representation in society.
Figure 1.1: Women and men in advertisements % Women
As illustrated in Figure 1.1 overall women % Men
59%
Figure 1.2 shows that at 47% Zambia had the Figure 1.2: Women and men in % Women
highest proportion of women subjects in its advertisements in each country % Men
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Mauritius South Africa Zambia Zimbabwe Average
Stereotypes
As in the case of news content, gender biases in advertisements are not just about whether women and men are
present or absent, but also about how they are portrayed. Many examples suggest that the reason women feature
more prominently in advertising than in news content is not because their views are valued more but because their
physical attributes are used as a marketing ploy.
Women
Figure 1.4: Roles of women and men in advertisements Men
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Model/beauty contestant/
sex object
Parent/ Care-giver
Other
Home-maker
Semi-skilled worker
Student/ youth
Retiree
Average person
Partner/ spouse
Business person
Salesperson/Marketer
Professional
Politician
Entertainer
Figure 1.4 shows that women in advertisements predominate in the roles of sex worker; model/beauty contestant;
parent/care giver; domestic worker; homemaker and semi-skilled worker while men predominate
in business; as spokespersons/marketers; professionals; politicians; and entertainers.
The gender division of labour above (very similar to that found in news content) is a key indicator of how gender
stereotypes are reinforced in advertising. These stereotypes may be blatant or may take more subtle forms.
Blatant stereotypes
Although the broad categorisation of items monitored suggests that the more blatant stereotypes are not as numerous
as either items regarded as gender blind or perpetuating subtle stereotypes, the fact that they still exist at all is a
concern. Moreover, these tend to be the kind of advertisements that catch the eye.
In another advertisement, a woman and man looking like a gangster meet on the stairs. Scared out of her wits,
she misses a step, falls and drops a power drink that she was carrying. He picks up the drink and starts to drink it
while she lies sprawled at the foot of the stairs. A beer advertisement shows a man in a bar manoeuvring his
way confidently across the office to a bar and then to his back yard where he brags about always making the
right choices; including who to share his life with. The man’s partner latches onto his arm; smiles in agreement
and does not utter a word. Again, the advert reinforces the notion of powerful and confident men and the women
who live in their shadows.
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Mauritius Zambia South Africa Zimbabwe Average
Examples of male voice-overs ranged from the male voice advertising a private school in Zambia
and creating the impression that it is for boys only, to a condom advert in Mauritius in which the
role of the secretary is to say “yes” while a male voice-over explains the product and its merit.
Subtle stereotypes
As blatant stereotypes gradually recede, subtle stereotypes are emerging as potentially the greater concern. Because
these reinforce traditional and familiar roles they are potentially more challenging than the more obvious forms of
stereotyping.
Product associations
Among the most common form of subtle stereotypes are the products that women and men are associated with. In
the romance languages, products are either masculine or feminine. In advertising, these lines are firmly fixed and
rarely crossed.
25%
20% 17%
20%
15%
11% 8%
10%
7% 7%
4% 4% 3% 3% 3%
5%
0%
Telcoms
Hpusehold indoor
Financial
Entertainment
Other
Automobiles
Social, health
Household outdoor
Clothes
Travel/ leisure
Figure 1.8 illustrates the top ten products advertised during the monitoring. It shows that telecommunications (20%)
followed by household indoor (17%) food and beverages (11%); financial services (8%) and entertainment (7%)
featured most prominently, with household products used out doors, travel and leisure and automobiles at the lower
end of the scale.
One of the ways in which subtle stereotypes are reinforced in advertising is the strong tendency for
certain products to be associated with either men or women. The qualitative monitoring showed
for example, that women featured exclusively or as the central focus in all advertisements that
featured food and household products. These ranged from spices to breakfast cereal to salads. In
one case a woman is lying next to a packet of milk with a caption “get a boost” and a sub-caption about how milk
is also good for cooking and baking. Women are also associated with washing powders and clothing. Adverts on
“outdoor” household products like paint feature men. Among the subtle stereotypes that run through the adverts
are that women are more addicted to shopping than men.
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Under 13 13-19 20-35 36-60 60+ Don’t know
No matter what the product, from eye glasses to food, advertisers make use of young women. In
one especially telling case detailed in the Mauritius report, three generations of a family sit down
for a meal. The grandfather is shown playing with his grandchildren. But one of the young women
serves the food, while the mother cooking in the background is like wall paper.
Gender awareness
Despite the many gender biases highlighted in both the quantitative and qualitative monitoring, monitors picked out
several examples of gender aware advertising. These may be catergorised as:
• Communication adverts that show that women and men of all ages, have communication needs.
• Educational institutions targeting women and men.
• Financial services that target male and female clients as well as families.
• Shopping, entertainment and spiritual activities for the whole family.
• Shared products and shared dreams, like the mattress featuring a woman and man not about to have sex but
rather to sleep, and dream, comfortably together.
As the monitoring took place during the Sixteen Days of Activism on Gender Violence in November/December, it also
featured cases of social awareness advertisements, like the community in Zambia that refuses to stand by and condone
a case of domestic violence. These examples are in sharp contrast to the more blatant stereotypes and suggest that
some advertisers are becoming more conscious of women consumers. Turning a deaf ear to 52% of the potential
market cannot be good business, whether your product is indoors, outdoors, educational or financial!