Nearly half of women believe that media and
advertising shy away from women’s health issues
45% of all BIWOC (Black, Indigenous, Women of
Color) want to see more representation of race/ethnicity in health
communications
Women are not seeking out information about
their reproductive health from healthcare professionals, media or
peers due to enduring taboos (less than 25%)
52% of women report miscarriages as not
portrayed or portrayed negatively and 53% share that periods are
not represented in marketing and advertising
Less than 50% of women, specifically moms, feel
that mental health is well represented, and that number goes down
among Gen Z women and non-binary women
52% of women say depictions of weight are
unrealistic
WPP (NYSE: WPP) has partnered with SeeHer, the leading global
movement to accurately portray women in marketing, advertising,
media and entertainment, to unveil “Health On Her Terms (HOHT).”
Released today, the new research study reveals critical gaps and
opportunities focused on women and people who identify as women
across reproductive care, weight diversity and mental health.
Women handle more than 80% of healthcare spending decisions in
the U.S., and they make up 65% of the workforce in the healthcare
industry.[1] Yet for all the progress made in gender equality over
the years, there are serious disparities and issues in the way
women’s health is portrayed in media, and women and other
marginalized genders are not framed as a primary audience in health
marketing. Women say that they’re likely to be loyal to brands who
tackle entrenched and pervasive taboos in media—and speak to them
authentically and with dignity.
Lindsay Pattison, Chief Client Officer of WPP, said:
“Advertisers tend to flatten womanhood and our health needs into a
demographic box. But women's health is far more dynamic and nuanced
than how it’s currently presented in the media. Our industry has a
responsibility to transform how women are portrayed and provide
more multifaceted representation and prioritize showing women’s
mental health more authentically, weight more realistically and
reproductive health more inclusively.”
Cassandra Sinclair, President, Grey Health and Wellness,
said: “This groundbreaking study shows that we as marketers in
health and wellness must do a better job listening to the needs of
women and connecting with them on their terms and their personal
health needs. Women want brands to be vulnerable, brave, and real.
They want brands to understand that their health is personal and
connecting with them must be more inclusive of the realities of
their lives.”
Rachel Lowenstein, Global Head of Inclusive Innovation,
Mindshare, said: “The state of women’s health and bodily
autonomy, including healthcare for trans and non-binary
communities, is in a tenuous place. Media and communications play a
significant role in the pervasive taboos on topics like
reproductive care, mental health, and more. But it doesn’t have to
be that way. Brands have an opportunity to affect change and give
women and marginalized genders the more nuanced, diverse, honest
representation that they deserve. In doing so, they can earn this
audience’s loyalty while driving positive change in the world
around us.”
Christine Guilfoyle, Executive Vice President, SeeHer,
Association of National Advertisers, said: “We’re so proud to
partner with WPP on this important study. The insight clearly
demonstrates that consumers want content reflecting women in their
multiplicity, with diverse needs and experiences, rather than
monolithic storytelling. When it comes to depictions of women's
health and wellness, there is much work to be done. With this
study, we are launching a new vertical, SeeHer Health, to
accurately represent women's health and wellness-related issues
across marketing, media, and entertainment.”
WPP agencies Grey and Mindshare partnered to uncover and analyze
prevalent themes on the reality of women’s health in today’s
environment, how women’s health is being depicted in media today,
and how brands can modify efforts to better represent and transform
the support of her health needs. Top themes that emerged
include:
- Dynamism of Womanhood: The media positions women’s
experiences of health in a singular fashion. The way in which
brands currently connect with women is at odds with the way in
which women self-identify. A total of 44% of BIWOC want to see more
diverse representations of race/ethnicity in health communications,
as the media places a strong emphasis on womanhood as young, white,
cishet, and non-disabled.
- End of Exceptionalism: Research found women are rarely
marketed just as they are, with brands instead prioritizing women
doing extraordinary things. Marketing efforts need to expand to
focus on a broader, more diverse segment of women and decrease
focus on this phenomenon of exceptionalism to drive inclusion.
- Go Beyond Women Seen Solely as Caregivers: Women are
still seen primarily in the context of their ability to care for
others and expressed the need to be seen for her whole self. Her
self-worth needs to be seen as more than caring for others.
WPP and SeeHer have also put together “The Marketer’s
Hippocratic Oath to Women,” based upon one of the oldest binding
oaths in history, still held sacred by physicians today. Supporting
each of the three themes, the “Marketer’s Hippocratic Oath to
Women” states “to not only do no harm but to drive real change” and
create better outcomes for women themselves, as well as their
businesses.
WPP and SeeHer pursued this research to encourage brands and
organizations to break down historical barriers and invest further
thinking, insights and resources to ensure women’s true
perspectives and needs are accurately translated into strategies to
drive better health outcomes for women. For marketers interested in
learning more about the takeaways and next steps for brands, please
visit this link for more information.
Research Methodology:
The team designed and fielded a custom online survey to 1,545
women and non-binary people ages 18+ across the U.S., leveraging
the Audience Origin platform run by Kantar Profiles Health. The
audience was inclusive of race, gender, sexuality, income, age, and
disabilities.
About WPP
WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of
creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients
and communities. For more information, visit www.wpp.com.
About SeeHer
SeeHer is the leading global movement of media, marketing and
entertainment leaders committed to the accurate depiction of women
and girls in advertising and media. While strides have been made in
recent years to authentically portray women and girls, unconscious
bias persists throughout advertising and entertainment. The average
age, race, and body type, among other characteristics, of women
shown in media still represent only a small fraction of the female
population. The SeeHer movement was launched by the Association of
National Advertisers (ANA) in partnership with The Female Quotient
(The FQ) in 2016. To help marketers benchmark success, SeeHer
spearheaded the development of the Gender Equality Measure® (GEM®),
the first research methodology that quantifies gender bias in ads
and programming. GEM® shows that content accurately portraying
females dramatically increases both purchase intent and brand
reputation. Once complete, the GEM® methodology quickly became the
industry standard, winning the prestigious ESOMAR Research
Effectiveness Award in 2017 and leading to its global rollout in
2018. Since 2019, the movement has expanded its verticals to
include sports (SeeHer In Sports) and music (SeeHer Hear Her).
To learn more, visit SeeHer.com and follow SeeHer on social
media @SeeHer (Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn) and
@SeeHerOfficial (TikTok and Twitter).
[1] Source: Oliver Wyman, “Women in Healthcare Leadership
2019”
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221109006152/en/
Further information Martina Suess, WPP +1 917 456 5049
martina.suess@wpp.com
Christa Dallas, SeeHer Wolf-Kasteler Public Relations
cristad@wk-pr.com
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