Gender reactions to charity ads & Direct mail - 28-11-08

Different genders respond to different parts of adverts because of the way each brain works. In research, a group of people were brought into a room and later asked to name various items in the room. The men remembered the big picture of an office, like chair, placing of desk. Where as the women remembered more intimate details vase of flowers, photo of children on desk. This shows that when advertising to each sex understanding what the main things they will notice and remember is vital.

Schiebe and Condry (1984) examined advertisements according to product type and found major gender differences in the values promoted in advertisements. Advertisements aimed at women look at stressed beauty and youth where as with men these adverts look at ambition and physical strength.

Advertisers have huge problems when advertising for men and women having to have complete different adverts for them both to notice it. For women adverts will be:
More detailed
Finely distinctions – women appreciate the different types of each individual.
The adverts for men will be:
Less complicated
Easy to see some sort of free-bee
Shown the whole picture
These simple differences show the way in which men remember adverts and women remember.

When advertising for charities they will normal aim at women as they are stereotypically more sensitive than men. When looking at a group of adverts, conclusions were gathered that women will look at them in more detailed e.g. the way the child looks and says something making the viewer think how lucky they are. Where as the men will just look at it at face value.

Male and females have different responds to direct mail. Females will respond to an emotional style and charities used this in their fund-raising mail-shots. Males respond to a factual style of direct mail. Females like conversational language where as men would prefer chatty language and factual statements. Women prefer strong colours where as men prefer neutral colours. So when advertising it is best to choose what gender you are target rather than trying to aim at both.

Young boys and girls have different advertising needs as when advertising for a boy, they are normally fast paced with action where as girls adverts are more feminine. This can be reflected on the way in which the adverts are portrayed as adults.

This week I found an advert which shows the way men and women can miscommunicated. McDonalds, to me, is a children’s place to eat but this advert aims at the teenage/young adult generation.