Are Ads Inclusive Yet?
Nuanced Portrayals of Identity in Advertising
have Improved but are Still Hard to Find
In partnership with Google, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media analyzed character depictions in the most-watched ads on YouTube between 2015 and 2019. The findings suggest that while the industry is making strides in presenting a more diverse array of people, it still has a ways to go when it comes to combating negative stereotypes and being inclusive across a broader cross section of identities. Find out how marketers can be more inclusive.
“Stereotypes shape our split-second emotional responses and judgments of others in ways we may not be conscious of, so media reinforcing negative stereotypes of people of color produces real-world discrimination.”
— Madeline Di Nonno
President & CEO, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
