Gender portrayals in food commercials: a content analysis of Spanish television advertisements

Content analysis of media messages from a gender perspective has a long tradition. In the particular field of advertising, most of the researches have been focused on generic samples of advertisements or on the advertising traditionally associated to a masculine or a feminine audience. However, few authors have analyzed gender contents in food advertising, in spite of the close relationship between gender structures and the social processes of food purchase and preparation. Thus, gender representations in food advertising broadcast in Spanish television are analyzed in this article. The main results obtained show clear gender differences. For example, there is a clear predominance of masculine voices over and a more balanced situation regarding protagonists. Besides, feminine protagonists are more frequently located indoors, portrayed as attractive women and connected to advertising claims related to beauty or to the healthy qualities of the product.

Valores sociales en los spots publicitarios de bebidas emitidos en España en 2006

El objetivo principal de este artículo es señalar los valores sociales presentes en los spots de bebidas emitidos por televisión, en España, durante el año 2006. Se estudian los valores sociales que transmiten los anuncios al margen de su función comercial. En total, se han analizado 191 spots; para los que se detallan los valores atribuidos al producto y al consumidor. La salud, la juventud, la importancia de las relaciones sociales o de construirse una personalidad genuina son algunos de los principales valores e ideales transmitidos a través de los spots sometidos a estudio.