Brands failing to reflect society in their ads

Stephen Whiteside

Brands are failing to adequately reflect society in their advertising, according to a study conducted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, the non-profit research body.

Advertisers are falling short when it comes to representing individuals with different sexual orientations and people with disabilities, according to a new study.

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media – a non-profit research body located at Mount St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles, that studies representation in media – assessed 133 ads that were shortlisted in the Film and Film Craft category at the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

These commercials were analyzed via a machine learning solution capable of delineating characteristics like the gender and race of a person who features in audiovisual content, with the...

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