Relating Hofstede's masculinity dimension to gender role portrayals in advertising: A cross‐cultural comparison of web advertisements

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine cross‐cultural differences in gender role portrayals in web ads in Korea and the USA on the basis of Hofstede's masculinity dimension.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative content analysis was employed to obtain a numerically‐based summary of different themes and roles portrayed by women and men in 400 web ads.

Findings

A greater percentage of Korean ads featured characters in relationship themes, featured women as a main character, and portrayed them in family and recreational roles. To a large extent, the results validate the use of Hofstede's taxonomy, supporting the application of “masculinity” framework into the determination of appropriate advertising appeals‐related to gender roles.

Practical implications

International advertisers who are planning a global campaign for their gender‐related consumer products can benefit by locating the target country's position on Hofstede's masculinity index and using it as a guideline for creating visual images of main characters in the ads.

Originality/value

This study adds a new contribution to an international account of web advertising in maintaining a comprehensive understanding of contemporary gender role portrayals. It could benefit international advertisers with both practical and theoretical implications, for no systematic studies have ever touched the gender‐role issue with web advertising yet.

Citation

An, D. and Kim, S. (2007), "Relating Hofstede's masculinity dimension to gender role portrayals in advertising: A cross‐cultural comparison of web advertisements", International Marketing Review, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 181-207. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651330710741811