Strong is the New Sexy: A Case Study Analysis of Gender Stereotypes in the Instagram Marketing of Nike

Abstract

Gender stereotypes are frequently used as a marketing tool in advertising and substantially contribute to the distribution of ideal images of masculinity and femininity. Since marketing continually develops and has recently undergone a trend towards online and social media marketing, the target audience increasingly includes younger people who are still in the process of their identity formation. Furthermore, online platforms, such as Instagram, provide a larger and more open base for discussion and therefore also demand a more modern portrayal of social categories, such as gender. The present text aims to investigate whether social media marketing still makes use of traditional gender stereotypes and thus influences the process of identity formation of its younger audience.Thereby, the author provides an updated level of knowledge about the circulation of gender stereotypes through online marketing channels. This was investigated with the use of the official Nike Instagram account as a case study. The sample, consisting of all publications on the account in the year 2018, was analysed through a combination of semiotic and content analysis, with a variablesystem proposed by Bell and Milc (2002). The system provides eight different variables, which each give an implication about potential stereotypical gender depictions. The findings of this research are in line with the outcomes of similar studies, conducted about traditional marketing channels. Regardless of its modern surroundings, Nike’s Instagram marketing does not correspond with standards of contemporary gender equality and still portrays the male participants in a more diverse fashion and higher frequency than their female counterparts.