Women Prefer 'Realistic' Models

By Staff

Friday, January 16, 2009, 16:54

According to a latest survey conducted, women respond well to brands that feature models closer to their own 'real' identity. The study involved opinions of 2,000 women in the UK, US, China, India, Canada, Brazil, Kenya and Jordan.

The study imposes a challenge to the reigning trends of the advertisement world and its inclination for young, white and extremely thin models. "In general, people have a more favorable reaction to brands that show models who represent people's age, size and background, says Ben Barry, who is carrying out the research at Cambridge University's Judge business school. He also says that advertisers cannot simply enlist a few full-figured models and get away with it.

"It's not necessarily enough to show one component which is similar - people really wanted to see someone who represents them in all three factors." As reported by Guardian.co.uk, Barry reached to the conclusion by asking the advertising agencies to produce a number of realistic print campaigns for products, including consumer and luxury goods.

Fifty percent of the campaign were made using the 'traditional models' aged 16 to 24, US size zero and white. The other half used "realistically attractive models" of a range of ages, races and shapes.

Maximum women, with the exception of those aged 25 and below and the Chinese, responded positively towards the brands that used the more 'realistic' models.

"It's a slap in the face to show this young woman because she'd never have the money to shop there whereas I do." said a 50 year old participant who mocked at the campaign for a luxury brand using a very young model.

However, the study also shows that, even though women preferred more real women for endorsements, that did not necessarily mean that they were against glamor and beauty.

"The women wanted models who looked like they were part of the fashion industry but also looked like them," Barry says. "It made them feel that they, too, were included in the industry and were considered beautiful. It's not just about taking a plain mugshot of a real woman," the expert added. AGENCIES