A Study on the Deviation of Female Athletes’ Advertising Images: An Empirical Analysis Based on Stereotypes and Value Shift
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61173/ef4pyy93Keywords:
Female athletes, Advertising image, stereotype, Gender, Advertising effect, Social mediaAbstract
This research looks at how female athletes are shown in advertisements and tries to point out the possible bias and problems in such portrayals. By analyzing 36 advertisement samples in the past three years featuring five well-known athletes: Guo Jingjing, Fu Yuanhui, Eileen Gu, Zheng Qinwen and Wu Yanni, and also using 89 valid questionnaires, the study found that the ads often lean towards feminine and daily-life styles. They focus too much on family, appearance, and health, while less attention is given to the athletes’ professional spirit and career identity. The results show that the public mainly expects female athletes to appear “strong, confident, and professional” in the ads, and people highly recognize their fighting spirit and professional ability. However, the ads presented do not match well with what the audience hopes to see. This mismatch not only narrows the diversity of how athletes can be represented but also weakens the persuasive effect of the ads and lowers consumers’ willingness to buy. In the end, the ads tend to lock female athletes into a single identity. Based on these findings, this paper suggests that advertisers should pay more attention to athletes’ professional role and social value. By combining creative ideas and social media, they can shape a more independent, healthy, and diverse image of female athletes, and help close the gap between advertising practice and public expectation.
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[7] Liu Guangzhao. The Influence of Political Negative Information, Perceived Sports Performance and Celebrity Identification on Athlete Endorsement of Sports Brands [D]. Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 2020. Appendix: Questionnaire Survey on Public Perception of Female Athletes’ Advertising Images Introduction: This questionnaire aims to understand how middle school students view sports stars in advertisements. Please answer according to your true thoughts. All data will be collected anonymously. Part I. Basic Information 1. Gender: □ Male □ Female 2. Education level: □ High school □ University □ Postgraduate 3. Age: □ 15–18 □ 18–30 □ Above 30 4. Do you follow sports events? □ Often □ Sometimes □ Hardly ever 5.City: A. First-tier cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen) B. Provincial capitals, other municipalities, regional centres (second-tier cities) C. Third-tier cities 6. Main source of athlete information: □ Social media (Douyin/TikTok, Weibo, etc.) □ News reports □ Watching games offline Part II. Advertising Impressions (Single Choice Questions) 7. Have you seen any ads endorsed by female athletes? 8. Which female athletes’ ads have you seen? (Multiple choice) 9. Which female athlete ad impressed you the most? Dean&Francis ISSN 2959-6149 10. Why? 11. When thinking of female athlete endorsements, what do you first think of? □ A. Competition scenes □ B. Family scenes (e.g. parenting, housework) □ C. Appearance/fashion □ D. Product function demonstration 12. In your view, female athletes in ads are usually (multiple choice): □ A. Strong and confident professionals □ B. Gentle, family-oriented women □ C. Fashionable and diverse □ D. Internet influencers 13. Do you think this image is reasonable? 14. Why? 15. Does endorsement make you more willing to buy? Part III. Athlete Value Perception (Multiple Choice Questions) 16. What traits of female athletes deserve the most attention? □ A. World-champion level skills □ B. Tough and persistent sports spirit □ C. Healthy and energetic appearance □ D. Responsibility in family life 17. What kind of products do you think female athletes are suitable to endorse? 18. What should ads mainly highlight? □ A. Competition achievements (e.g. Olympic gold medal) □ B. Stories of hard training □ C. Positive and confident life attitude □ D. Others: ________ 19. What kind of female athlete ads would make you want to buy? 20. Do you think athletes like Gong Lijiao (shot put champion) are suitable as endorsers? 21. If yes, what kind of products? (If no, why not?) 22. What should be the main standards for choosing female athletes as endorsers? Part IV. Social Views (Single Choice Questions) 23. Do you agree that “female athletes endorsing household products may strengthen gender stereotypes”? □ A. Strongly agree □ B. Partly agree □ C. Disagree 24. When you see female athletes often appearing in beauty or home ads, how do you feel? □ A. Normal, it follows business logic □ B. Regretful, their value as athletes is narrowed □ C. No special feeling 25. Should there be differences between products endorsed by female athletes and those endorsed by female celebrities? If yes, what differences? Part V. Open Question 26. In your opinion, what should an ideal female athlete advertisement look like? (Optional)
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