“One thing I always really struggled with growing up is I never saw or heard anybody like me on TV or radio”—Dylan Alcott, former wheelchair tennis champion (Topsfield, 2023)
Introduction
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Definitions of diversity areas in our literature review | |
Age | |
Beauty | Beauty typically refers to physical characteristics – e.g., balanced facial features, blemish-free skin, muscular, plump lips, and a slim waist, among others—seen as attractive in a particular society or culture (Swami et al., 2008). In contrast, non-traditional beauty challenges narrow beauty ideals perpetuated by the media (e.g., imperfect skin, average (or more normal) beauty). While not traditionally a diversity area, in the context of advertising representation of diverse forms of beauty has attracted significant attention recently |
Body size | |
Gender | Gender encompasses the socially constructed expectations for the roles, behaviors, attributes, and activities that are deemed suitable for individuals based on their sex assigned at birth. These expectations vary by culture/ society and can change over time (World Health Organization 2023) |
LGBTQIA+ | Refers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual, and other identities. The LGBTQIA+ community represent a diverse group in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age, nationality, and socio-economic status. Further, subgroups exist within the community itself, such as gay men and lesbians (Descubes et al. 2018). We acknowledge that LGBTQIA+ includes aspects of gender, however for the purpose of our review we include all gender-related effects within the “gender” topic area |
Physical and mental ability | Physical ability refers to a person's capacity to perform tasks that require physical capacity, whereas mental ability refers to a person's cognitive and intellectual capacity (APA 2020a). We refer to physical and mental ability as a catch all to encompass people who are differently abled, be it through physical, mental, or sensory limitations |
Race and ethnicity | Race and ethnicity are socially constructed concepts. Race categorizes people based on physical characteristics such as skin color, facial features, and hair texture (Blackmore 2019) whereas ethnicity refers to a shared sense of identity (e.g., nation or region) (Cornell & Hartmann, 2006) |
Related terms and definitions | |
Discrimination/prejudice/bias | Discrimination, prejudice, and bias are terms that refer to negative attitudes and actions towards individuals or groups based on diverse elements or characteristics such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability (Greenwald and Banaji 1995) |
Diversity | Diversity refers to the recognition and appreciation of variations and differences among individuals or groups, such as gender, race, ethnicity, age, religion, and sexual orientation. It is more than just a matter of numerical representation; it involves the establishment of a welcoming environment where people feel appreciated, respected, and included (Arsel et al., 2022; Hewlett, Marshall, and Sherbin 2013) |
Equity | Equity is the idea of treating people fairly in terms of both opportunity and outcome. It means ensuring that everyone has an equal chance to succeed, regardless of their background or other factors that might create disadvantages (Arsel et al., 2022) |
Inclusion | Inclusion is the practice of establishing an environment that promotes a sense of belonging and integration of various groups, ensuring that everyone feels welcome and valued, regardless of their differences (Arsel et al., 2022) |
Intersectionality | Intersectionality is a concept that recognizes that individuals have multiple social identities, such as race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic status, and that these identities intersect and interact with each other to shape individuals' experiences and outcomes (Crenshaw 1989) |
Marginalization | Marginalization can be described as a social phenomenon in which a specific group or class of people is pushed to the fringes of society and excluded from mainstream social, economic, and political opportunities and resources (Baah, Teitelman, and Riegel 2019) |
Representation in advertising | Representation in advertising refers to the fair and proportional portrayal of diverse groups in a particular promotional setting or medium. Representation depends on what benchmark (e.g., population, media audience) is used (Eisend (2022) presents a larger discussion of the challenges of benchmarking) |
Social stigma | Social stigma is a term used to describe the unfavorable opinions, perceptions, and stereotypes linked to certain attributes or qualities that can result in prejudice, isolation, and segregation of affected individuals or groups from the broader community. This can lead to discrimination, marginalization, and exclusion of stigmatized individuals from mainstream society (Link and Pelan 2001) |
Stereotype | A stereotype is a generalized and oversimplified belief about a particular group of people, based on limited or inaccurate information, and often perpetuated through cultural or social norms. Stereotypes can be positive or negative, but they are typically based on simplistic or exaggerated characteristics and do not accurately represent the diversity and complexity of the individuals within the group (Kanahara 2006) |
Our investigation and method
Stage 1: Conceptualizing representation of diversity in advertising
Stage 2: Literature review process
Systematic literature review
Manual literature search
Stage 3: Bibliometric findings
Stage 4: Qualitative analysis of literature on representation
Age | Beauty | Body size | Gender | LGBTQIA + | Physical/ Mental Ability | Race/Ethnicity | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mechanisms | |||||||
Habituation | 14 | 88 | 129, 134, 139 | 311, 326 | |||
Social comparison | 20, 26, 28, 31, 40 | 46, 49, 53, 55, 57, 61, 65, 70, 71, 73, 75, 76, 79, 85, 88, 94, 104, 107 | 108, 109, 110, 115, 120, 126, 134, 142, 149, 150, 151, 154 | 226 | 282, 296 | 307, 319, 324, 347, 349, 350, 357, 358, 362 | |
Identification | 6, 9, 16, 17, 20, 27, 29, 34, 35, 41 | 54, 75, 88, 94, 95, 101 | 117, 122, 125, 134, 136, 138, 144 | 180, 181, 216 | 256, 257, 259, 261, 263, 265, 266, 270, 273, 274, 276 | 308, 310, 313, 315, 317, 320, 322, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 338, 343, 344, 345, 346, 348, 349, 357, 358, 359, 362, 363, 372, 361, 369, 378 | |
Reactance | 9, 13 | 61 | 149 | 164 | |||
Authenticity | 9, 17 | 58, 77, 105 | 119, 126, 132, 152 | 190 | 252 | 281 | 337, 349, 359 |
Trustworthiness | 103, 106 | 148 | 248 | 377 | |||
Moderators: Depicted Diversity | |||||||
Accuracy of representation | 2, 9, 10 | 46, 48, 49. 52, 53, 58, 59, 60, 62, 64, 75, 76, 77, 88, 90, 94, 95, 96, 100, 105, 106 | 108, 109, 111, 112, 113, 115, 116, 117, 118, 125, 126, 129, 136, 138, 141, 143, 145, 147, 148, 152 | 175, 190 | 252 | 281, 282, | 312, 349, 354 |
Locus of control | 124, 131, 137, 140, 145, 147 | 260 | 287, 291, 296, 297, 298 | ||||
Extremeness/Overtness | 17, 38 | 46, 48, 49, 57, 58, 73, 75, 77, 96, 99, 102, 104, 106, 107 | 109, 111, 113, 115, 117, 121, 133, 135, 148, 153, 154 | 237, 238 | 259, 261, 264, 270, 272, 273, 276, 277 | 297 | 308, 309, 313, 318, 331, 332, 347, 350, 354, 377 |
Moderators: Viewer | |||||||
Social desirability | 42 | 50 | 306, 307, 347 | ||||
Perspective taking | 154 | 254 | |||||
Schema (in)congruity | 23 | 145 | 174, 176, 178, 185, 186, 187, 190, 192, 193, 199, 201, 203, 208, 210, 216, 259 | 264, 275 | 340, 365 | ||
Culture | 17 | 60, 86, 100, 101 | 125 | 173, 176, 187, 193, 195, 196, 197, 199, 207, 223, 229, 239 | 254 | 304, 307, 351, 378 | |
Time | 12, 17, 18, 24, 30 | 114, 146 | 165, 166, 167, 179, 183, 188. 204, 206, 209, 218, 220, 224, 227, 233, 235, 242, 243, 250 | 259 | 303, 314, 322, 326, 342, 354, 356, 362, 364, 366, 367, 373, 379 | ||
Political or social dominance orientation | 171, 208, 217 | 260, 269 | 315, 370 | ||||
Moderators: Ad | |||||||
Product category | 6, 20, 33 | 80, 91, 93, 94, 96, 105 | 130, 131, 152 | 159, 160, 161, 167, 173, 179, 183, 187, 191, 198, 220, 231, 237 | 259, 262, 268, 271 | 302, 305, 313, 318, 327, 329, 334, 335, 336, 339, 342, 352, 354, 356, 366, 373 | |
Product-model fit | 17, 22, 23, 31, 33, 37, 40 | 48, 59, 62, 67, 68, 72, 74, 88, 91 | 109, 122, 123, 134 | 174, 210, 238, 241 | 255, 271 | 322, 372 | |
Context | 80 | 112, 113, 130, 131, 150 | 155, 157, 167, 183, 219, 235 | 301, 302, 311, 318 | |||
Breadth of targeting | 33 | 191 | 355, 366, 368 | ||||
Social Effects | |||||||
Inclusion and self-esteem | 3, 4, 9, 34, 43, 44 | 55, 59, 65, 70, 71, 73, 75, 76, 78, 79, 82, 85, 88, 92, 107 | 108, 111, 113, 117, 121, 123, 133, 134, 139, 148, 151, 153, 154 | 156, 234, 245, 251 | 253 | 282, 283, 284, 286, 299, 300 | 305, 308, 319, 350, 369, 377 |
Stereotypes and stigma | 2, 4, 11, 19, 26, 28, 29, 43 | 129, 131, 137, 138, 142 | 164, 221, 226, 227, 229, 233, 235, 242, 244, 250 | 265 | 280, 282, 293, 296, 297, 299, 300 | 319, 320, 326, 327, 336, 342, 368 | |
Inspiration | 76, 88 | 131, 134, 139 | 280, 290 | 369, 375 | |||
Shame (among marginalized) | 2, 13, 28, 29, 34 | 55, 85 | 121, 127, 139, 151 | ||||
Coping behaviors (among marginalized) | 13, 43 | 50, 55, 82 | 120, 127, 132, 149, 153 | 168, 234 | 253, 265 | 286, 299 | 305 |
Fear and aversion (among non-marginalized) | 31, 33, 42 | 137, 144 | 258 | 291 | |||
Disgust and repulsion (among non-marginalized) | 49 | 116, 128, 145 | 217 | 258, 260, 269, 275 | 296 | 324, 328 | |
Pity and empathy (among non-marginalized) | 164, 170 | 254 | 279, 289, 291 | ||||
Commercial effects | |||||||
Attention | 1, 4, 7, 9, 38 | 90, 93 | 156, 191, 249 | 253, 263, 276, 278 | 282 | ||
Recall | 66, 67, 69, 83, 93 | 155 | 330, 333, 334 | ||||
Attitude (toward model, ad, brand, product, etc.) | 5, 6, 16, 22, 27, 28, 37, 40, 41 | 45, 46, 49, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57, 59, 60, 66, 67, 68, 71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 84, 86, 92, 94, 96, 97, 99, 100, 102, 103, 105 | 108, 109, 111, 113, 116, 118, 119, 122, 123, 126, 127, 130, 135, 140, 143, 144, 148, 151, 152 | 164, 170, 171, 172, 174, 176, 180, 181, 182, 191, 195, 201, 203, 208, 210, 216, 217, 237, 238, 239, 240, 245, 247, 249 | 255, 256, 257, 258, 260, 262, 263, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 274, 276, 277 | 290 | 304, 305, 307, 308, 310, 312, 313, 315, 317, 318, 320, 322, 324, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 337, 339, 343, 346, 348, 350, 351, 356, 357, 358, 359, 363, 372, 375, 376, 377, 378 |
Behavioral intentions | 5, 7, 20, 23, 31, 41 | 45, 46, 48, 49, 50, 57, 59, 60, 61, 63, 71, 73, 75, 77, 80, 81, 82, 83, 89, 90, 91, 92, 95, 96, 99, 100, 102, 103, 107 | 108, 109, 116, 117, 123, 124, 125, 126, 130, 131, 135, 136, 138, 143, 144, 149, 154 | 164, 174, 182, 192, 201, 228, 237, 241, 247, 248, 249 | 257, 263, 266, 272, 275, 278 | 287, 279, 296 | 304, 306, 307, 310, 318, 322, 324, 328, 330, 331, 333, 337, 338, 339, 343, 361, 368, 371, 375, 376 |
Brand and product associations | 16, 28, 33, 41 | 68, 71, 73, 80, 88, 96, 101 | 113, 130, 131, 134 | 201, 203, 216, 240, 251 | 261, 275 | 346, 348, 362, 363, 371, 375 | |
Brand/ad morality | 135, 145 | 172 | 256, 275 | 304 |
A unified framework of consumer response to diversity in advertising
Mechanisms through which diversity representation operate
Moderators on the effects of diversity representation
Social effects of diversity representation
Commercial effects of diversity representation
Discussing themes from our analysis of diverse representation in advertising
Research has a predominantly Western perspective
Characteristic | Study composition | Number of articles | % articles |
---|---|---|---|
(out of 337) | |||
Study location | Western nation | 267 | 79% |
Non-Western nation | 53 | 16% | |
Developed nation | 267 | 79% | |
Developing nation | 46 | 14% | |
Sample frame | Students | 106 | 31% |
Non-students | 48 | 43% | |
Marginalized consumers | 69 | 20% | |
General consumers | 175 | 52% | |
Methodology | Quantitative | 205 | 61% |
Qualitative | 48 | 14% | |
Content analysis | 63 | 19% | |
Literature review | 24 | 7% | |
Conceptual | 8 | 2% |
Research is largely non-experimental and non-behavior based
Research on diversity topics is unevenly distributed
Research generally (but not always) views diversity representation as positive
If advertising has a role, is it to mold or just mirror society?
Developing a research agenda for diverse representation in advertising
Area | Questions for future research |
---|---|
Better understating diverse representation | • What are the various ways advertisers could incorporate a broader range of diversity perspectives into campaigns? What might these broader perspectives encompass (aside from a more nuanced view on gender and age)? • How does diversity ambiguity (i.e., androgyny or ethnic ambiguity) affect advertising effectiveness? What impact does diversity ambiguity have on advertiser? How might these effects extend to other diversity categories like LGBTQ+ ? • What role does intersectionality play in the effectiveness of advertising campaigns? How do intersecting identity markers like race and sexual orientation affect consumer responses? • What methodologies could be employed to achieve a more nuanced understanding of the portrayal of diverse communities in advertising? • How might under-researched diversity categories (e.g., Indigenous people, political ideologies, refugees/migrants, socio-economic status, and so on) be incorporated into advertising campaigns? What are the considerations for doing so? |
Understanding diverse responses to diversity | • How can advertisers better understand all consumer perspectives (positive and negative) and sensitivities around diverse representation? • What strategies can foster understanding and respect among pro-diversity advocates for those holding alternative viewpoints on the subject? And vice-versa? • How can we broaden our perspective beyond Western and developed countries? Understand the different ways cultures and countries respecting and responding to diversity representation? • In the face of varied cultural opinions on diversity, how can international brands effectively chart their course? Moreover, how should they adeptly handle situations where their initiatives might elicit strong consumer responses? • Are there unrecognized challenges or drawbacks linked to diverse representation, and what underpins these issues? Does exposure to diverse representations in advertising impact consumer openness to other diverse groups? Is there a particular "gateway" group that has this effect more than others? • How might we understand or overcome consumer hesitancy to diverse representation, particularly among majority groups? • Under which scenarios do advertisements sway perspective-taking, and how does this subsequently shape views on diversity? |
Exploring additional mechanisms, moderators, and outcomes | • How does the concept of diversity overtness affect advertising effectiveness? For instance, does the use of models who represent more overt forms of diversity distract from or enhance the ad's message? What impact do overt vs. subtle diversity cues have on the salience of diversity in advertising? How does this salience affect consumer responses? • How do individual differences, such as openness to experience, affect reactions to diverse representations in advertising? Does exposure to diverse representations in advertising impact consumer openness to other diverse groups? Is there a particular "gateway" group that has this effect more than others? • How do negative perceptions of certain diversity groups, like stigma-evoking identities, transfer to brands or advertisers? • Under what conditions does the use of diverse models in advertising come across as tokenistic? What strategies can advertisers employ to avoid this perception? • Is it possible for overrepresentation of diversity groups in advertising to be perceived negatively, perhaps similarly to underrepresentation? • What are other potential positive and negative commercial or social effects related to diversity in advertising? • How do cues related to stigmatized identities transfer to the brand or advertiser? What strategies can be employed to avoid negative meaning transfer? • Are there certain brands or products that are particularly aligned with diverse representation? How might these brands influence general expectations for diversity in advertising? |
Accurately representing diversity | • What are the perceptions and effects of different approaches to diversity representation in advertising, such as less overt, more randomized, or more purposeful portrayals, on both advertisers and various audience groups? • How does the use of strategic ambiguity in advertising messages impact different audiences? What are the implications of this approach, both positive and negative, in the context of diversity? • How do diversity cues in advertising affect message interpretation among various audience segments? • Should advertisers produce single or multiple versions of an ad to effectively communicate with diverse communities? What are the trade-offs of each approach? • At what point does the focus on diversity in advertising become overly conspicuous, and are there potential drawbacks to this? • What are the effects habituation on consumer response? |
Better understanding why advertising isn’t more diverse | • Why, despite increasing awareness and calls for change, does the lack of diversity persist in advertising? • How have changes in media fragmentation and segmentation capabilities influenced the representation of diversity in advertising? • Could the "tragedy of the commons" theory from economics be applied to the advertising industry to explain the under-representation of minority groups in advertisements? • Can the "tragedy of the commons" concept explain the collective decision-making in the ad industry that leads to under-representation of minority groups? • How might the "Prisoner's Dilemma" strategy game, where each firm acts in its perceived self-interest, contribute to the lack of diversity representation in advertising? • What other theoretical explanations might provide insight into the persistent lack of diverse representation in advertisements? |
Understanding the effects of technology and personalization | • What role does AI technology play in the portrayal of diversity in advertising? How do consumers respond to virtual entities or deep fake adjustments aimed at representing diversity? • In the age of AI-driven targeting and personalization, what role does diversity play in hyper-targeted commercials? What are the potential drawbacks and benefits, such as the creation of diversity echo chambers? • What are the pros and cons of using AI to serve consumers models “like” them? Will consumers prefer more or less diversity in the ads they are served? • How might AI-generated models in ads impact consumer perceptions of authenticity, tokenism, and the like? |
Better understanding diverse representation
Understanding diverse responses to diversity
Exploring additional mechanisms, moderators, and outcomes
Accurately representing diversity
“...market segmentation - which, if properly applied, would guide companies in tailoring their product and service offerings to the groups most likely to purchase them. Instead, marketing segmentation has become narrowly focused on the needs of advertising, which it serves mainly by populating commercials with characters that the viewers can identify with - the marketing equivalent of central casting” (p.1).