Gender (In)Equality in Social Media Ads: Effects on University Students' Attitudes, Purchase Intentions, and nWoM
Öz
This study examines the effects of gender equality and inequality representations in social media advertising visuals on university students’ responses. Emphasizing the critical role of gender representation in digital marketing, the research investigates its impact on social perceptions and brand-related outcomes. Using an quantitative, experimental, survey-based design, 272 university students from a public university in Türkiye were exposed to fictional food processor advertisements designed to reflect either gender equality or inequality. The findings reveal that the advertisement visual portraying gender inequality significantly decreased attitudes toward the ad and weakened purchase intentions, while increasing negative word-of-mouth (nWoM) intentions compared to the equality-based visual. Moreover, attitude toward the advertisement was found to fully mediate the relationship between advertisement type and both purchase intention and nWoM. These results provide empirical evidence that gender-equal portrayals can generate more favorable consumer responses, while stereotypical representations may pose substantial reputational and commercial risks. The study underscores the importance for marketers of adopting equality-oriented messaging strategies and demonstrates that such approaches can enhance consumer attitudes and key business outcomes within the university student demographic.
Anahtar Kelimeler
Gender Equality, Stereotypes, social media, Advertising, Consumer Behavior
Kaynakça
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