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Why Casting Older Female Models Is Good for Advertising

The Positive Effects of Challenging The Underrepresentation of Older Women in Ads

Hanna Berg, Karina T. Liljedal
DOI: 10.2501/JAR-2023-001 Published 1 March 2023
Hanna Berg
Stockholm School of Economics,
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
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  • For correspondence: Hanna.Berg@hhs.se
Karina T. Liljedal
Stockholm School of Economics,
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  • For correspondence: karina.liljedal@hhs.se
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Abstract

Older people—particularly women—continue to be underrepresented in advertising. Some companies, however, have recently begun featuring more older women as decorative models in their advertisements. That practice goes against earlier research dating back to the late 1980s, which recommended that advertisers should avoid featuring older women in advertisements. The purpose of this article is to examine consumer responses to advertising featuring older female decorative models. In four experiments, the effects of advertisements of mostly female-gendered products, featuring older and younger female decorative models, are compared. The findings indicate positive effects of advertisements featuring older female decorative models for both younger and older female consumers, and that these effects can be explained by increased social connectedness with the decorative models.

Keywords:
  • Older people in advertising
  • older women in advertising
  • underrepresentation, decorative models
  • social effects of advertising
  • Received September 3, 2021.
  • Received (in revised form) October 14, 2022.
  • Accepted October 18, 2022.
  • Copyright © 2023 ARF. All rights reserved.
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Vol 63 Issue 1

Journal of Advertising Research: 63 (1)
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Why Casting Older Female Models Is Good for Advertising
Hanna Berg, Karina T. Liljedal
Journal of Advertising Research Mar 2023, 63 (1) 61-80; DOI: 10.2501/JAR-2023-001

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Why Casting Older Female Models Is Good for Advertising
Hanna Berg, Karina T. Liljedal
Journal of Advertising Research Mar 2023, 63 (1) 61-80; DOI: 10.2501/JAR-2023-001
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  • Article
    • Abstract
    • MANAGEMENT SLANT
    • INTRODUCTION
    • OVERVIEW OF THE STUDIES
    • STUDY 1
    • STUDY 2
    • STUDY 3
    • STUDY 4
    • GENERAL DISCUSSION
    • Theoretical Implications
    • Managerial Implications
    • Limitations and Further Research
    • ABOUT THE AUTHORS
    • Appendix A Overview of Previous Research about the Effects of Featuring Older People in Advertising on Attitudes toward the Advertisements
    • Appendix B Measures, Reliability, and Items
    • REFERENCES
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Keywords

Older people in advertising
older women in advertising
underrepresentation, decorative models
social effects of advertising
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