Meta-analysis of over 60 yearsOpenness to Diversity in US Advertisements Increases Significantly

22 February 2024, by Newsroom editorial office

Photo: Iordani / Adobe Stock

Study results: Companies can appeal to a broader target group with advertising that is mindful of diversity.

Advertisements reach hundreds of millions of people in the United States and is always a reflection of societal developments. In a comprehensive meta-analysis, a Universität Hamburg research team has examined how preferences for the people used in advertisements have changed since the 1960s. The results have been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Globally, companies spend billions on advertising. In order to make these as effective as possible, it is crucial that those responsible understand the needs of the target groups. Whom do potential buyers respond to? Who will get them interested in a product? So who is suited to being a model?

In the current analysis, the team led by Julia Diana Lenk and Prof. Dr. Henrik Sattler from Universität Hamburg and Prof. Dr. Jochen Hartmann Technical University of Munich focus specifically on diversity. For example, the models’ skin color has an impact on perception. Prior research shows particular support for the theory of in-group favoritism: people of color (PoC) are more likely to be attracted to Black models, whereas White consumers prefer White models.

Focus on development over time

“Advertising can influence how we perceive other demographic groups and, in the best case, help to break down discrimination. This makes it all the more important that we understand how exactly the selection of models works,” explains Prof. Sattler, professor of marketing and branding and dean of the Faculty of Business Administration (Hamburg Business School).”

What is special about the current study is the focus on the development over time. While the 1960s civil rights movement was fighting for the fundamental rights of PoC, companies sometimes emphasize their commitment to more diversity directly in their advertising campaigns. “US society changed dramatically during the period under examination from 1956 to 2022. We wanted to find out whether and how this affects the public’s perception of advertising,” says Julia Diana Lenk, doctoral researcher in marketing and branding and coauthor of the study. The meta-analysis incorporated 62 studies spanning 7 decades in which more than 10,000 Black and White people took part.

Changes in preference

The results show that there is a consistent preference for the own group; however, there have been significant changes in preference over time. Since the turn of the millennium, Black models have increasingly appealed to White consumers—sometimes even more than White ones. The analysis suggests that this is partly due to the fact that, over time, White people have become less prejudice against PoC and White people identify less with other White people in the US.

However, PoC—who still frequently face disadvantages in everyday life—show a constant level of own-group preference for the period under investigation. This finding is in line with the theory of difference, according to which PoC identify more strongly with their ethnic group than White people due to their experiences of discrimination and thus prefer Black models.

Nonreproduction of stereotypes

“Our analysis shows that different groups’ perceptions of each other is dynamic and that a shift in preferences is evident. Companies can appeal to a broader target group with advertising that is mindful of diversity than previously assumed in theory,” explains Julia Diana Lenk. However, the type of presentation is important in order to avoid reproducing stereotypes.

From the team’s point of view, there are also important implications for research. “Societies are constantly changing, and the characteristics by which people identify with others are in flux,” says Prof. Hartmann, professor of digital marketing at Technical University of Munich. Therefore, science—not only in business administration—must constantly trace these developments in order to depict reality.