Unilever has promised it will no longer use sexist ads in the future, after a study demonstrated only 2 % of ads displayed intelligent women.
“Now is the time”
The study also pointed out that 40 % of women could not identify themselves with women in ad campaigns: only 3 % of those women are shown in a professional situation, while only 1 % has a sense of humour. It is therefore not surprising 90 % of women indicated they feel like they are only being used as a sex symbol in the ad campaigns.
That has prompted Unilever to make a change: “Now is the time for us, as an industry, to challenge the way genders are displayed in ad campaigns. Together, we spend billions on certain images and we have the responsibilityto use this power in a positive way”, Unilever’s head of marketing, Keith Weed, said.
Sadiq Khan, mayor London, already banned all sexist ads from his city, with his primary focus on a more selective range of possible ads in and around the city’s public transportation.
