US multinational Mars has announced that it has increased female representation across its advertising portfolio by 11% since it began auditing such figures in 2018.
Women now make up 45% of characters featured across Mars advertising, up from 34% four years ago, when the company first partnered with the Geena Davis Institute (GDI) on Gender in the Media to track ‘representation and address bias’ across its advertising and marketing content.
The firm has also taken steps to break down stereotypes surrounding so-called traditional gender roles with the latest statistics showing no gender differences for portrayals of work, a marked improvement on 2018, when men were almost twice as likely to be shown working than women (26% to 11% respectively).
Further improvements made include gender parity in terms of total screen time, although as the brand points out, progress remains to be made with women only accounting for 43% of overall speaking time.
It was also revealed that women are now just as likely to be portrayed in leadership positions than their male counterparts, closing the 5% gap seen four years ago.
“As a global advertiser, we know marketing has the power to influence how people see themselves and others,” Mars Wrigley global president, Andrew Clarke said.
“I believe we can make a massive impact on representation across the whole industry. This is not something we can accomplish as individual businesses, but when we come together our collective action can make a real difference.”
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As part of its long-term commitment to increasing female representation across advertising, Mars was a founding member of the UN-run Unstereotype Women’s Alliance upon its creation in 2017.
Mars global vice-president, brand and purpose, Michele Oliver added: “Adverts must speak to, and celebrate, the diversity of the audiences who enjoy them.
“We are pleased with the progress that has come from rigorously ensuring we have diversity not just in front of the camera but behind the camera, in the agencies and our teams.
She concluded: “However, we will not rest until we are representing the true diversity of the people who enjoy our services and products around the world. There is still more we can do to reflect the beautiful reality and diversity of the countries and communities that we operate in.”
Whilst Mars’ announcement strikes a positive note, it follows a joint UM-Unstereotype Alliance report released last week which laid bare the significant strides needed in order to achieve true ethnic representation in advertising, with 1 in 4 UK minority women feeling ‘negatively portrayed’ across the board.
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