Young, white and super-skinny models out of fashion?

This article in today’s Guardian looks at research being carried out by Cambridge University’s Judge business school into the way in which women react to the models used in advertising.

Ben Barry, who is carrying out the research with 2,000 women from different countries including the US, China, Brazil, Kenya and Jordan, says:

“In general, people have a more favourable reaction to brands that show models who represent people’s age, size and background.”

This would suggest that campaigns such as that run by the Dove skincare advertisement, which used older and larger models in its award-winning Campaign for Real Beauty, might be an approach others would be likely to follow. However, Paddy Barwise, professor of marketing at the London Business School, feels that these findings should be treated with caution, saying that there may be a gap between what respondents say to researchers, particularly in the presence of other women, and what they would do actually at the point of sale.

You can also visit the website of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty here, to see an interesting example of corporate social responsibility, through the resources they make available to “help free the next generation from self-limiting beauty stereotypes”.

Revision Presentation - Marketing Mix: Introduction to Products & Brands [17 May 2012]
Revision Presentation - Marketing Mix: Introduction to Promotion [17 May 2012]
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Extreme Market Segmentation? [20 Feb 2012]
Kit Kat Chunky Champion [20 Feb 2012]
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Behind the scenes of an Innocent advert [30 Oct 2011]
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Marketing in an age of austerity - Live Well for Less [20 Oct 2011]
Car Wars - VW v Greenpeace [17 Oct 2011]
Non-price Determinants of Demand [Advertising] [17 Oct 2011]
Revision Quiz - Market Research for a Business Startup [13 Oct 2011]
The Business of Newcastle United [12 Oct 2011]
Reebok forced to tone down its advertising claims [29 Sep 2011]
How Mattel & Hot Wheels ‘activated boys of all ages’ [19 Sep 2011]
Tesco’s sausage advert is banned [15 Sep 2011]
Who ate all the pies?.....the focus group did! [14 Sep 2011]
Revision Presentation - Understanding Customer Needs [7 Sep 2011]
Booming Billboards [27 Apr 2011]
Shawshank Redemption Meets Home and Car Insurance [5 Jan 2011]
Big brands boost their advertising [4 Jan 2011]
Q&A - Describe the main features of advertising as a method of promotion [2 Jan 2011]
Q&A - What is promotion? [2 Jan 2011]
Q&A - Outline how market research can help a business set its prices [2 Jan 2011]
Q&A - What is the role of sampling in market research? [29 Dec 2010]
Q&A - What is qualitative market research? [29 Dec 2010]
Q&A - What is quantitative market research? [29 Dec 2010]
Q&A - What are the main uses of market research? [29 Dec 2010]
Q&A - What are the main ways in which a business can obtain information on a market? [29 Dec 2010]
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Pots of gold - great video resource [8 Dec 2010]
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48 old adverts that would be banned immediately these days [22 Nov 2010]
An Awfully Good start up story [9 Nov 2010]
Revision Crossword - Promotion Basics [6 Nov 2010]
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Insights into the Ice Cream Market [11 Sep 2010]
UK regulators move in to control online advertising [1 Sep 2010]
The links between Physics and Marketing [29 Aug 2010]
Lesson Worksheet - Marketing Mix: Promotion Basics [1 Aug 2010]
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The Marketing Mix Challenge in reaching the Muslim Market [13 Jul 2010]
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A good example to use when explaining what firms do as they come out of a recession [22 Apr 2010]
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A recession looming?  Take a look in the Mirror [30 Jun 2008]
FT Global Brands Survey [24 Apr 2008]
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