Gender Stereotypes and Consumer Behavior Quiz

Evolution of Gender Stereotypes in Marketing

• The term "metrosexual" was coined in 1994 to describe men interested in grooming and fashion, exemplified by David Beckham.
• In 2005, the "bad-boy" stereotype gained popularity, rejecting the metrosexual pitch and embracing politically incorrect themes in marketing.
• Alcohol advertising shifted towards promoting "Man Laws" and chivalry in 2009, rejecting the metrosexual trend.
• The "Dad Bod" trend emerged in 2015, celebrating a more average male physique, rejecting the emphasis on a sculpted body.
• Marketers began to pay more attention to LGBTQ consumers, with a focus on same-sex couples with dual incomes, and organizations like Ad Respect providing resources for LGBTQ advertising.
• Pinkwashing refers to companies using LGBTQ support for favorable perception while masking inconsistent behaviors, while rainbow washing involves superficial support for LGBTQ causes.
• Female stereotypes in advertising have shifted towards more empowered portrayals, with the emergence of "femvertising" promoting female empowerment.
• Brands like Dove have led the femvertising movement, with campaigns celebrating real women and promoting positive messages.
• There is a discussion around the authenticity of brands' support for female empowerment, with Dove's parent company also owning Axe, known for its sexist branding.
• The Dove Evolution ad, showcasing the transformation of a woman through makeup and computer enhancements, went viral and sparked parodies.
• Marketers have increasingly focused on promoting female empowerment, leveraging profemale talent, messages, and imagery, with hashtags like #unstoppable and #LikeAGirl.
• The marketing industry's role is to sell products, and the trend of female empowerment in advertising reflects what works in the current market.

The Psychology of Consumer Behavior

• High self-esteem individuals are more likely to take risks and make impulse purchases, while those with low self-esteem weigh options more closely and may be targets of appeals showing a weakness resolved by a product
• The ideal self is a person's conception of how they would like to be, partially based on cultural elements, and is often used in commercials to appeal to target groups
• The actual self is a person's realistic appraisal of their own qualities, and everyday products appeal to the actual self
• Online, people may assume a virtual identity different from their actual self, posting filtered photos and selected experiences to show an altered reality of who they are
• Fantasy appeals are self-induced shifts in consciousness, often used to compensate for dissatisfaction with oneself, and may be effective for those lacking external stimulation
• The looking-glass self is the process of imagining the reaction of others towards oneself, influencing self-identity and the props individuals use for the roles they play
• Self-consciousness is an awareness of the self, and individuals high in self-consciousness are more interested in their appearance and more attuned to how they present themselves
• The symbolic self-completion theory suggests that people with an incomplete self-definition will compensate by acquiring symbols associated with their desired social identity, often through material possessions
• Advertising targets consumers' feelings of "incompleteness" by showing how products will make up for their incompleteness, symbolizing some missing quality
• The symbolic interaction theory stresses that relationships with others play a role in forming the self, and meaning is attached to symbols, possessions, and brands
• Individuals pattern their behavior on perceived expectations of others, with some evaluating products based on the effect they will have on others
• Brands like Old Spice and Apple use symbolic self-completion and symbolic interaction theories in their advertising, appealing to consumers' desire for completeness and their relationships with others through their products