Gender equality in advertising has long been a complex issue, especially concerning products related to female, transgender or gender-diverse sexual health. Unbound, a sexual wellness brand focused on feminine and gender-diverse individuals, gained attention for launching Thunderthrust, a fake advertising campaign tailored for the male demographic. This bold move aimed to test Meta's advertising policies and highlight the double standards in promoting sexual wellness products across different genders.
Creating Thunderthrust: A Mission for Equality
Unbound embarked on a daring venture by creating Thunderthrust, a fake, hyper-masculine brand. This initiative sought to expose the biases in advertising policies that censor women-centric sexual wellness brands. By rebranding Unbound's products with a male-oriented strategy, the goal was to reveal the inequality in Meta's flagging system. And it worked, successfully highlighting the deeply rooted double standards that remain rampant in the digital advertising industry.
Revealing Meta's Double Standards
The Thunderthrust campaign exposed the biases in Meta's advertising policies. Products under the Thunderthrust brand, which were aimed at men, quickly got approved. In contrast, Unbound's feminine-focused ads were consistently blocked. This discrepancy highlights how Meta's rules are unfairly influenced by traditional gender norms rather than the content's nature or compliance with standards.
As Polly Rodriguez, founder of Unbound, points out, “There’s so much sexuality in advertising in general. Is it really the products that are offensive, or is it just the notion of women, femme, nonbinary people, anybody but a cis man owning their own body and using pleasure on their own terms? That is ultimately what we were trying to hit the nail on the head of. That’s the problem for these platforms.”
Ads directed towards cis men, such as those for erectile dysfunction, face little scrutiny. It's hypocritical that Meta flags female sexual health ads that have no suggestive sexual marketing while advertisements for erectile dysfunction, which often sexualize women in their photos, are acceptable. The double standards this campaign revealed sparked a conversation about the necessity of transparent and fair advertising policies that do not discriminate based on gender.
Impact on Sexual Health and Related Brands
Biased advertising regulations significantly impact feminine and gender-diverse-focused sexual health brands. These policies result in financial losses, potentially in the tens of millions, and limit these brands' ability to educate and engage with a broader audience on vital health topics.
The lack of exposure to feminine-focused sexual health brands affects both the companies and their clients. In February 2023, the Alberta Women's Health Foundation (2023) in Canada released a report indicating that societal taboos surrounding women's health issues lead to worse health outcomes. They found that primarily, these taboos cause women to neglect or downplay their sexual health concerns.
Additionally, these restrictions perpetuate misinformation surrounding female and gender-diverse sexual health, hindering societal progress toward gender equality in health communication. The challenge goes beyond policy adherence, questioning the equitable treatment of brands. It also brings to light the equality of health-focused discussions for all genders in Meta's policies.
Community Response and Future Directions
The Thunderthrust campaign received overwhelming support from the community, including men. This broad endorsement highlights the urgent need for fair and unbiased advertising standards. The campaign calls on everyone, from consumers to policymakers, to advocate for an inclusive advertising system. The goal is to create a future where advertising platforms recognize and correct their policy problems. It's about fostering an environment that celebrates diversity and allows all brands to share their message freely and fairly.
According to IPSOS (2022), gender-inclusive ads are 20% more likely to score high on choice impact, influencing both male and female consumers at the point of purchase. Additionally, these inclusive ads can result in an 81% lift in sales from men. This data underscores the value of promoting inclusivity in advertising, benefiting not just marginalized brands but also driving better business outcomes.
Broader Implications for Gender Equality in Advertising
The Thunderthrust experiment highlights the gender biases in the advertising industry and the need for change. This initiative brings attention to the unfair treatment of sexual wellness products based on their target audience. By showing the different treatment of products, Thunderthrust challenges the biases in advertising standards and prompts a rethink of how ads are judged. This case represents the larger fight for gender equality in advertising, pushing for a fair and inclusive marketplace.
Unbound's Thunderthrust initiative represents a significant stride towards achieving fair treatment in digital advertising. Unbound is paving the way for change by shedding light on gender biases and sparking important discussions about policy reform. By taking a stand against unfair practices, Unbound is drawing attention to the obstacles encountered by feminine, trans, and gender-diverse-focused sexual health brands, emphasizing the necessity for gender equality in advertising.
Take Action: Support Unbound and Champion Inclusive Advertising
If you're driven to make a difference, now is the time to act. Start by supporting trailblazing brands like Unbound; visit their website and explore their blog to deepen your understanding of these pressing issues. We can create meaningful change by becoming more intentional about where we shop and the brands we support. Every action, no matter how small, contributes to a larger movement.
Together, we can demand fairer advertising practices and champion a more inclusive future. Share this blog and Unbound's Thunderthrust campaign to raise awareness and challenge the policies that silence marginalized voices. Everyone deserves to be heard, no matter their gender or sexual orientation.
References
AlbertaWomensHealthFoundation. (n.d.). Surveying the Silence. AlbertaWomensHealthFoundation.org. https://www.albertawomenshealthfoundation.org/public/download/files/224896
IPSOS. (2022, October). October 2022 - ipsos. https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2022- 10/SeeHer%20Ipsos%20Whitepaper%20100522_0.pdf
Unbound Babes [@unboundbabes]. (2023, October 26). “FAKE BRAND, REAL ISSUES 😤 We decided to dress up as a hypermasuline brand for BROS this Halloween. Our treat? [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy4EOgpLd1q/?img_index=1
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