Class & Social Grade
At Channel 4, we’ve been running our award winning ‘Mirror on the Industry’ project for 5 years. This is a study that audits TV advertising to see how diverse and representative it really is.
We are now building on the project with the ‘Mirror on…’ series. A series of individual reports that take a closer look at some of the topics we evaluate in the wider study and dig deeper into the feelings and perceptions our audiences.
The next topic we’re exploring in this series is Class & Social Grade…
In partnership with Republic of Media, we explored how class is portrayed in advertising today, and whether the social grade buying model still serves a purpose in today’s UK.
Do the assumptions made around working class people mean that it’s the last acceptable stereotype in the advertising industry? What are brands are really looking for when they ask for ABC1?
The insight reveals easier and more accurate approaches to identify audiences, provocations that inspire, and recommendations that prompt you to think differently about the topic when it comes to advertising.
Neurodiversity
At Channel 4, we’ve been running our award winning ‘Mirror on the Industry’ project for 5 years. This is a study that audits TV advertising to see how diverse and representative it really is.
We are now building on the project with the ‘Mirror on…’ series. A series of individual reports that take a closer look at some of the topics we evaluate in the wider study and dig deeper into the feelings and perceptions of our audiences.
In 2022 we looked at Body Diversity and Women’s Safety. The next topic we’re exploring in this series is Neurodiversity…
We want to better understand the importance and challenges of representing neurodivergent individuals and explore practical solutions for addressing them.
Key Findings:
- The disabled community is currently under-researched, stigmatised and under-represented, particularly in relation to non-visible disabilities and specifically neurodiversity - highlighting the need for brands to consider disability across a wider spectrum.
Despite positive steps being taken in reframing neurodiversity, discrimination is still rife through societal barriers, stereotyping and lack of understanding. Improving education at all levels of society is essential to making true progress.
- The media is an instrumental tool in raising awareness, shifting perceptions, and increasing understanding of neurodiversity, and we’re not currently doing enough to improve the representation and portrayal of neurodivergent people. There are simple steps ads can take for great commercial and societal benefits.
- Brands need to better design for disability inclusion - not only through accurate representation, but also by achieving accessibility at a holistic level. This should include a consideration for how they can authentically include, represent and engage with the neurodiverse community in other forms outside of advertising.
We hope you find this report interesting, and for those of you who are short on time, you can download a one pager on the ‘Extra Content’ tab, as well as find video interviews from our 4Youth communities talking about their understanding and experiences of neurodiversity.
For more information about this project, or to request one of our team to come and present it to your business, please get in touch!
Sam Cannons
Research Manager, Channel 4
Katya Des-Etages
Senior Research Executive, Channel 4
Rebecca Hollister
Senior Research Executive, Channel 4
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Neuro Extra Content
If you’re short on time and would like a snapshot of our key insights, we’ve put together a one pager to summarise our findings for you to download below:
DOWNLOAD MOTI NEURODIVERSITY ONE PAGERBody Diversity
At Channel 4, we’ve been running our award winning ‘Mirror on the Industry’ project since 2019. Mirror on The Industry is a study that audits TV advertising to see how diverse and representative it really is.
We are building on the project and releasing ‘Mirror on…’, a series of individual reports that take a closer look at some of the topics we evaluate in the wider study and dig deeper into the feelings and perceptions our audiences.
The first topic we’re exploring in this series is Body Diversity. We wanted to understand how people feel about the representation of diverse bodies across the industry, how people feel in their own skin and explore the impact of diet culture and the role media and brands play in this space.
Key Findings:
- Audiences feel that representation in advertising is confined to slim, conventionally attractive, white middle class and cis-gendered bodies and think it’s important that TV advertisers represent all body types
- Mainstream media, brands, celebrities, and social media are believed to uphold diet culture
- Diet culture wraps the notion of health in aesthetics and the prioritisation of thinness
- Diet culture has weaved its way into the lives of many, leading to consistent self-critique and unhealthy, unsustainable dieting practices
- Some are taking control back over their bodies by shifting food habits to make more informed choices, exercising to improve overall wellbeing, and working towards body acceptance
We hope you find this report interesting, and for those of you who are short on time, you can download a one pager on the ‘BD Extra Content’ tab, as well as find video interviews from our Core4 4Youth communities talking about their understanding and experiences of diet culture.
If you need any support or information on eating disorders, please visit www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk
Find out more
For more information about this project, or to request one of our team to come and present it to your business, please get in touch!
Sophia Field
Senior Research Manager, Channel 4
Katya Des-Etages
Research Executive, Channel 4
Lucy Antoniou
Community & Research Manager, Channel 4
Sarah Adewumi
Advertising Research & Development Apprentice, Channel 4
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BD Extra Content
If you need any support or information on eating disorders, please visit www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk
We spoke to members of our Core4 and 4Youth communities to unpack their understanding and experience of diet culture and the role that media and brands play, hit play on the video above to see what they had to say.
If you’re short on time and would like a snapshot of our key insights, we’ve put together a one pager to summarise our findings for you to download below:
DOWNLOAD BODY DIVERSITY ONE PAGERWomen's Safety
At Channel 4, we’ve been running our award winning ‘Mirror on the Industry’ project for 4 years. This is a study that audits TV advertising annually to see how diverse and representative it really is.
We are building on the project and releasing the ‘Mirror on…’ series. These are individual reports that take a closer look at some of the topics we evaluate in the wider study and dig deeper into the experiences, feelings and perceptions of our audiences.
The conversation surrounding the safety of women has been continuously brought to the forefront in recent years following several tragic murders of women, Roe vs Wade being overturned and the Depp vs Heard to name a few serving as a catalyst for the resurgence of this discussion.
To contribute to the conversation, we have created our next report: Mirror on Women’s Safety. We have used this report as a platform to provide our 4Youth and Core4 communities an opportunity to speak about what it means to be a woman. Exploring their experiences as a woman in contemporary society, we highlight where they think the problem stems from and what they believe needs to done to make the world a safer place. We explore the role media and brands can play to educate and raise awareness of this conversation and how to do it authentically.
Key Findings:
1) While being a woman has its challenges, women feel proud of who they are and associate womanhood with being empowered and strong. Women also recognise how intersectionality can play a role in their lived experiences.
2) Women recognise the progress that has been made in women’s rights, however they still feel there is a long way to go and continue to feel fear of judgement, sexualisation, sexism and their safety throughout their day-to-day lives.
3) 54% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in public with many feeling a constant fear of attack. Women feel the need to take extra precautions to stay safe, which while necessary, puts the onus of keeping safe on women themselves rather than addressing the men who perpetrate these issues.
4) To make the world a safer place for women there needs to be an emphasis on better education, better justice for victims, male allyship and accurate portrayals of women in the media.
5) Women need authentic representation and portrayal in the media. Women are often portrayed stereotypically; either being shown as overly sexualised or as a victim. The overuse of gender stereotypes and objectification of woman is compounding the inauthentic portrayal of women. When brands combine representation and authentic and empowering portrayal they land well amongst audiences.
6) Women expect and invite brands to use their platforms to educate people and represent women authentically. By addressing these issues in campaigns, it will not only raise awareness but also encourage viewers to reflect on their own behaviours towards women. Ideally brands should ensure they’re part of the change rather than engaging at surface level.
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