Women Are Grossly Underrepresented In Super Bowl Ads

A study that co-authors and I recently published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs showed that just 3.4% of Super Bowl ads over a ten-year period featured only female principal characters. While the same study showed growth in overall representation of women in Super Bowl ads, to date females have not been as well represented as males. 

In addition to a realization that nearly half (47%) of Super Bowl viewers are female, recent trends point to an environment poised to see an increase in representation. Results of recent survey by WPP Group’s Berlin Cameron, a full service strategic and creative agency in cooperation with Perksy focused on cultural change underscores some factors that are likely to lead to more women being depicted in major and more nuanced roles going forward.  Some key findings of the survey include: