11 January 2009



Yesterday’s Guardian had an article which indicates that the advertising world's reliance on young, white and extremely thin models has a detriment on company profit. A global survey of female consumers' attitudes, shows that women respond more favourably to a brand if the models it uses somehow mirror their own identities.

It’s not just a case of a few models that are say a size 16 (US size 12)but they need tor eflect age and background too. Ben Barry, from Cambridge University's Judge business school said "It's not necessarily enough to show one component which is similar - people really wanted to see someone who represents them in all three factors."

Such an approach has been used by a handful of brands in recent years, notably the Dove skincare range (see image above), which made a deliberate virtue of using older and larger models in its award-winning Campaign for Real Beauty. Elsewhere, however, the traditional reliance on so-called aspirational advertising has limited change, despite high-profile campaigns against perceived racism and the encouragement of unhealthy female physiques within modelling.

The study, which is still being completed, canvasses the opinions of 2,000 women in the UK, US, China, India, Canada, Brazil, Kenya and Jordan. Barry commissioned advertising agencies to produce a number of realistic print campaigns for products, including consumer and luxury goods. Half were made using what the study termed "traditionally attractive models" - aged 16 to 24, white and around US size zero, the equivalent of a UK size four - while the remainder pictured "realistically attractive models" of a range of ages, races and shapes.

The findings were marked. Aside from women aged under 25, who were less likely to object to an abundance of young, white, ultra-slim models, and Chinese consumers, who actively preferred them, most of those surveyed felt positive towards the brands that used the more diverse models.

A small number of earlier studies, mainly carried out by psychologists, have suggested that the use of excessively slim models can create a bad impression with female consumers. But Barry's work goes further: as well as looking at the issue from a business and marketing viewpoint, it additionally considers race and age. The latter is a particular factor for companies to take note of given the relatively high spending power of older women.

Another key finding was that while women preferred to see attainable images of beauty, this did not mean they were against glamour. "The women wanted models who looked like they were part of the fashion industry but also looked like them," Barry says. "It made them feel that they, too, were included in the industry and were considered beautiful. It's not just about taking a plain mugshot of a real woman. If you're a big fashion retailer and you're going to hire 10 models, you should make sure that each one of them represents a different aspect of your consumers."

12 comments:

Kay Dennison said...

Makes sense to me. Since I'm a skinny old wench, I really can't say much but I do understand the rationale. Not all of us were meant to be a size 6. We are all products of a genetics accident. I'm like my dad -- tall and thin. I got lucky. Good thing because dieting would put me crazy.

jmb said...

The Dove and other similar adds have been quite interesting. I hope they proved to be successful for the companies so that they will continue them.

It's funny how this idea of the ideal women being so thin has become so fashionable when men always seem to like more well rounded women. Does it all go back to Twiggy who was probably just naturally very thin?

Just as we can blame George Balanchine for the ballerinas being so thin, for that was his vision, is she who started it all?

beakerkin said...

Actually as a person who has worked with models they are not my ideal.
The emaciated gumby look is not my ideal and most of it is attitude anyway.

James Higham said...

When they get into the high fashion, which I occasionally post on the blog, it swings completely away from beauty to some perverse concept of high camp with goth overtones. I don't see how they're presenting that as pleasant or something to aspire to.

The Lone Beader® said...

This is an never-ending issue. Personally, I try not to look at fashion mags, or pay attention to what the models are up to. I am too busy beading!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Well, I think the survey results are right. There is nothing so depressing as the images a woman has thrown at her when she flicks through "Vogue" or some similar publication.

Pretty Life Online said...

Style is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style.... Great idea... Have a great weekdays ahead!

A Free Man said...

Great post, Jams. I was asked to do a guest post about the same topic a while back. I think you did it much better than I did. I'm too much of a male chauvanist pig to do the topic justice.

Liz Hinds said...

It seems like common sense. that women would want to see women who looked like them but looking glam. It's far more achievable. (Well, for some people!)

jams o donnell said...

I'm glad this generated quite a response. Personally I find the Dove women far more alluring than a head on a stick

Anonymous said...

As a middle-aged woman with a disposable income the last thing I want to do is wear clothes that cause people to think that I'm mutton dressed as lamb or deluded that I'm thinner than I am, so I am reluctant to buy things that are seemingly aimed at pre-pubescent girls

jams o donnell said...

Middle aged Gert but I'm older than you... shit I'm middle aged too! Seriously I agree wholeheartedly