Unruly Unveils Stereotype Analysis Tool

Video ad distribution and tracking platform Unruly has launched a stereotype analysis tool, to test whether an ad is sexist or not.

Unruly has tracked 'trillions' of video views using a proprietary measurement platform and analytics dashboard. Its Unruly Pulse tool analyses emotional response to video ads, and the resulting trends, providing marketers with comparative data-driven insight into the cultural, seasonal and demographic drivers of video engagement, and comparing brand metrics with those of their competitors. The firm is owned by Rupert Murdoch's media group News Corp, whose portfolio of newspapers includes The Sun, which previously featured topless models on its 'Page 3'.

Times have changed, and to mark today's International Women's Day, Unruly has created a stereotype analysis as part of its content testing solution UnrulyEQ Max. This evaluates whether an ad's content reinforces gender stereotypes of women and men - its definition includes objectifying people's bodies or showing certain occupations being more suitable for men or for women. Ads are analysed to see whether they feature any of the thirteen different gender stereotypes identified by the Advertising Standards Authority, and they are then scored using a traffic light warning system. The tool also uses facial coding, verbatim and survey responses from both men and women, and if the stereotypical aspects of the ad are causing negative responses from respondents, the ad is given a red in the traffic light system.

A similar system, known as GEM (Gender Equality Measure), is operated by Shelley Zalis' #SeeHer Movement in the US, launched by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), and its subcommittee, the Alliance for Family Entertainment (AFE). As of last year's ESOMAR Congress, this had already been applied to 20,000 ads in the past year.

Unruly's MD AUNZ, Ricky Chanana (pictured), comments: 'The ad industry could be argued to be failing women. How can it hope to engage consumers when what it presents is not an accurate, authentic portrayal of gender roles in the 21st Century? Our new stereotype analysis will help advertisers 'unstereotype' their video campaigns and create content that engages consumers'.

Web site: www.unrulymedia.com .