Highlighting and celebrating positive examples in the media.
How often do we see advertisements that offer us positive messages about gender, with a can-do attitude? Not often enough, maybe. But when we do see such ads, they stand out. In fact, mega-brands such as Nike, Adidas, Audi, Nissan, Ariel and Dove have been pioneers in showing the world what it means to take the high road. In recent decades, their advertising campaigns have put the spotlight squarely on women’s achievements, with an emphasis on deep, meaningful qualities such as health, wellbeing, determination, endurance, self-acceptance, and love. The creators of these ads made the conscious decision to make the world a better place, and we need more people like them.

Spreading awareness and helping content producers to create fair, respectful, gender-neutral content.
It's no secret that consumers relish the freedom of purchasing products from companies that reflect their own values and principles. Younger generations are especially attuned to issues of equality and social justice. Media-savvy companies know that if they want their company and products to have staying power, then their messages need to resonate with this generation.

Businesses need to take social responsibility for their messages. Importantly, they need access to the right advisors, decision makers, and resources. There is a wealth of resources that are devoted to helping companies, content creators, and advertisers to make their products inclusive and gender-neutral. These experts will brainstorm together with you, flag troubling or offensive content, and work to deliver a message that maximises impact while showing respect for your fellow human beings. Hence, a big goal of this project is to highlight the existence of services for the creation of socially responsible content, and encourage companies to use them!

Furthermore, a growing body of research is showing that companies benefit financially when they choose to create socially aware, gender-neutral advertising and products. They reach a larger base of potential customers, and generate goodwill through positive messaging. As younger generations reach adulthood and wield an increasing proportion of purchasing power, continued reliance on tasteless, antisocial advertising will have an erosive effect on the bottom line. Another goal of my project is to shine a spotlight on the importance of this research, and its wide-reaching implications for media producers.

Examples of such research organisations and initiatives are: GRACE (Gender and Cultures of Equality in Europe); ATRIA (Institute on gender equality and women’s history); the Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (Rotterdam School of Management); AdReaction: Getting Gender Right (KANTAR); The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (University of Southern California); Common Sense Media; Kids’ Inclusive and Diverse Media Action Project (KIDMAP); and The Representation Project.