Executive summary of “Do females in advertisements reflect adolescents’ ideal female images?”

Citation

(2014), "Executive summary of “Do females in advertisements reflect adolescents’ ideal female images?”", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-04-2014-0936

Executive summary of “Do females in advertisements reflect adolescents’ ideal female images?”

Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 31, Issue 3

This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the material present.

Female consumers are making an increasing contribution to the Chinese economy through both their earnings and spending. Gender socialization that occurs during adolescence has a significant influence on their behavior; thus, it is important that marketers gain a greater understanding in this area.

Media contributes to the socialization process in that “ideal role models” portrayed in the media typically influence how young consumers behave. Given the prevailing media diversity, adolescents are exposed to a wide variety of ideal images. Researchers point out that young people can be selective about media information and consume images reflecting the “believes, characteristics, interests and values”, which are perceived as closely reflecting their own.

Three potential responses to media images have been identified in the literature:

Aspiring. In this case, users aspire to a media image which is perceived as ideal. The emphasis is on creating a self-concept incorporating the values, beliefs and traits reflected in this ideal image. Celebrities who are talented, clever and attractive are often seen as positive role models in this way.

Rejecting. Adolescents focus here on distancing themselves from media images seen as unattractive. The self-concept is effectively distanced from negative role models, such as drug-taking celebrities.

Identifying. Users adopting this strategy personalize their own “values, beliefs and interests” so that their self-concept is deemed to mirror the media representation of a specific person.

Deciding which female images to use to effectively communicate with their target audiences is a key marketing issue. Research conducted in Western societies into consumer responses to female images used in advertisements indicates that many adolescents, as a result, become more concerned about their dietary habits and physical appearance.

Different studies have also found that people preferred and responded better to advertisements in which their own gender is depicted. Similar tendencies were also indicated by females in China. How Chinese women interpret female images was investigated, and it was found that such consumers accepted certain Western values but rejected others. They also stated their admiration for gentleness, chastity, hard work and other internal traits. As such work has focused almost exclusively on adults, knowledge about how adolescents use media representations to form their own ideal female images is limited.

Four beauty types were identified in earlier exploration of the ways Chinese females are portrayed in print advertisements:

classic – slightly older females who appear glamorous and refined;

sexy – women who wear clothing that is sexy and revealing;

cute/girl-next-door – women who are active and boast youthful looks; and

trendy – women who have an “uncaring attitude” and wear fashionable clothes.

In a different study, four kinds of ideal female images within advertisements were defined as follows:

cultured nurturer – women who depend on males for love and contentment;

strong women – who are smart, clever and professional;

flower vase – women for whom physical beauty is the greatest priority; and

urban sophisticate – reflecting lifestyles based on luxury and leisure.

Evidence has previously shown that Hong Kong magazine advertisements featured the classic beauty type the most, while urban sophisticate images boasted the highest frequency within advertisements featured in Chinese publications.

The few studies to consider self-socialization of adolescents found that subjects’ understanding of female media images were strongly influenced by “appearance, personality, work and family”. In the current study, Ng and Chan aim to further explore the relationship of these themes to ideal female images.

Interviews were subsequently conducted with 32 adolescent males and females aged between 15 and 19 years from a wide range of provinces and regions of China. Subjects viewed three advertisements on an electronic device which respectively portrayed an elegant woman, a strong female and an urban sophisticated female. These images were selected because of their popularity and assumed status as ideal female images for Chinese girls.

The first TV commercial featured a mature, beautiful and elegant woman at various stages of her life. In the second, a celebrity Chinese singer was depicted as “independent and aggressive”. A cute young female enjoying a “colorful urban life” took center stage in the final advertisement.

Study respondents answered research questions relating to their perceptions of the appearance, personality and work and family life of the females represented in the gendered advertisements they had been shown. Subjects were then asked to indicate the extent to which they would aspire to, reject or identify with these different female images.

Results mirrored previous work in that subject responses to the advertisements reflected their gender roles. More specifically, findings showed that female participants:

Admired the elegant female because of her attractive physical appearance and success in both career and family environments. The appeal of this image mirrors previous research in which young females expressed their desire to pursue their goals while having a “good manner” and wearing attractive clothes.

Identified closely with the urban sophisticate female because she was similar to their own age and background. They consequently fused their own values, beliefs and interests with hers, illustrated by them prioritizing relationships and fun over work. That they identified with the fashionable clothing of this female showed their concerns about physical appearance that was revealed in earlier work.

Distanced themselves from the strong, aggressive female image depicted in the second advertisement. Ng and Chan infer that a fear of remaining single might be a factor in their perceptions here. Lack of a happily family life was cited as a reason for similar rejection of this female image type in another study.

The majority of female study participants thus aspired toward either the elegant woman or her cute urban sophisticate counterpart. Adolescent boys also selected the latter female as their most ideal type because of her youthfulness and approachability. This connects with evidence that men in China see traditional females as best marriage material due to their gentleness, loyalty and housework. The authors purport that focus on female images now rather than in the future might explain why the elegant female was regarded as the most ideal image type by only a few male study participants. Those who did choose the elegant women did so, as she was considered understanding and easy to get on with. That no male adolescents opted for the strong woman was attributed to a dislike of females exhibiting independence and aggression.

Ng and Chan note the largely negative sentiments toward the strong woman among both young female and male respondents in this study. Because the advertisement was promoting a personal computer aimed at both genders, they caution against using this image type if negative brand perceptions are to be avoided. Pilot-testing the main character in a commercial to the target market is suggested as the way to ascertain whether consumers are likelier to reject, aspire or identify with the image.

On this limited evidence, the authors suggest use of urban sophisticated females for when consumption is personal and instant gratification is being sought. For products like banking and others consumed over the longer-term, a mature elegant female image could be most effective. The ability of this image to inspire ambition justifies this choice.

To read the full article enter 10.1108/JCM-10-2013-0748 into your search engine

(A précis of the article “Do females in advertisements reflect adolescents’ ideal female images?”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)