Investigating Gen Z Consumers’ Feministic Identities and Gender-Stereotypical Norms on their Attitude Formation towards Femvertising Campaigns, Impacting Purchase Intention ()
1. Introduction
In contemporary times, businesses need to communicate to their consumers their existence in order to create brand awareness, leading to sales [1]. When it comes to communicating with consumers, many businesses choose to advertise; advertising comprises any acts concerned with expressing to a group the oral or visual message about the product, service, or brand itself in an openly sponsored recognized manner [2]. The advertising messages are distributed through one or more media and are funded by a recognized sponsor [3]. Advertising is a very powerful marketing tool as it is reported to have a great impact on convincing consumers to support their brand during their development of their lifestyles, values, attitudes and behaviors in society [4]. It not only informs and persuades potential consumers about a product or service, but also shapes their perceptions and influences their purchasing decisions [5].
Currently, consumers are bombarded with many marketing messages and advertising; thus, in order for consumers to notice a message and consider what they are buying, it must stand out from the crowd [6]. Therefore, many companies are searching for ways to make their advertising distinctive and exceptional [7]. Along with emerged a trend that businesses use social responsibility and brand activism in marketing campaigns to convince consumers to support and purchase their brand; consumers today are being more cautious and wanting to make a difference in their community or in the conservation of the environment. Therefore, research shows that consumers nowadays support brand that make a positive contribution to society (either locally or globally) and boycott brands that are destructive, hurtful, and detrimental to society [8]. This indicates that consumers are becoming activists through what they buy, making businesses lean on this trend [9]. Nevertheless, various companies, have fallen into the trap of female gender stereotyping in their advertisements as a way to capture consumers’ attention and convince them (both the female and male segments) to buy their products accordingly [10]. These ads use females as a symbol of lust, caregivers, beauty icons, weak, and dependent in nature. This advertising approach can sometimes backfire in the current century as women today have evolved in their roles and in their responsibilities in society [11]. Consequently, hindering the ability of such ads to effectively reach and connect with consumers [12].
The criticism of such gender stereotyping evolved from a rise in feminist movements that started in the 1970s and 1980s with an aim to impose progressive change through achieving gender equality within society [13]. This stereotyping has led consumers, especially feminists to frequently criticize sexist advertising through social media platforms [14]. These criticisms have put pressure on companies to reconsider their marketing strategies and promote more gender-neutral and empowering messages. Additionally, organizations such as the Advertising Standards Authority have implemented stricter regulations to combat sexist advertising and ensure a more inclusive representation of women in the media [15]. Thus it became crucial for marketers to recognize the importance of diversity and inclusivity in their advertising campaigns, as well as the need to challenge traditional gender roles and norms, in order to create advertisements that resonate with a wide range of consumers and ultimately drive business success [16].
Due to the controversy of women’s role in society, and how the feminist movement has spread throughout the world, the perception of marketers towards females’ portrayals in advertisements’ has changed dramatically. As more positive, contemporary depictions of women are being used, such as “women are powerful,” “women are strong,” and “women are successful.” [17]. The advertising practice of including women empowerment in advertisements is called Femvertising [11], which is today considered an important element of corporate social responsibility [18] [19] [20]. Femvertising is defined as “advertisements that employ pro-female talent, messages, and imagery to empower women and girls”; the term is formed by combining two words feminism and advertising [21]. Kotler [10], explained that such a form of brand activism would allow companies to engage in solving society’s problems as a way to achieve differentiation. It is proved that through brand activism businesses achieve conscious capitalism that portrays the values they promote as it is proven to have a positive impact on the sales and it creates a positive attitude towards the brand [22]. When brands start to be positioned as advocates for gender equality [23], it allows consumers to see the brand as ethical and humane, leading consumers to start to relate emotionally and develop a positive attitude towards the brand [24].
On the other hand, previous researchers claim that Femvertising is not effective and there are many downturns. For example, some studies say that Femvertising would be irrelevant in impacting consumers if the product has nothing to do with improving certain elements in women’s lives [25]. Other studies say it is insignificant if the company is using it as a marketing appeal and not actually practicing it in the organization [26]; other researchers argue that Femvertising is not appealing to consumers who do not support women’s empowerment and or do not work in a masculine society [27]. While few scholars claim that Femvertising attracts, but does not lead to purchase intention [28]. Accordingly, more research is called for in order to fill in these gaps found in the literature [26] [27].
According to Cham et al. [29], consumers’ perception of Femvertising will depend on individual’s normative beliefs regarding expectations of important referents, and their motivation to comply with those referents. Thus, it is important to notice whether individuals have a strong gender norm so to be able to determine if using Femvertising will lead to a positive behavior among consumers of not [27]. However, Messner et al., [30], contradicted these researches and explained that if consumers hold feminist identities and/or pro-feminist views, they will favor Femvertising positively regardless of their masculine society.
Given the debate on Femvertising this study seeks to investigate the factors affecting attitude towards Femvertising campaigns and its impact on purchase intention among Gen Z Egyptian consumers. In order to fill the gap in literature by developing an understanding on how gender stereotypical norms and individual’s identification with feminism influence consumers’ attitude towards Femvertised ads [9] [27]. Additionally, this research addresses the controversy among scholars regarding the ability of Femvertising to trigger consumers’ purchase intention [17] [28].
Accordingly, several research objectives are set forth. This study seeks to conduct this research to develop empirical evidence to achieve the following research objectives: (RO1) to identify if consumers of gender-stereotypical norms can develop a positive attitude towards Femvertising; (RO2) to identify if consumers of feministic identities can develop a positive attitude towards Femvertising; (RO3) to recognize that whether Femvertising can lead to purchase intention among consumers in the Egyptian context. Having achieved such objectives further adds to the research significance as it contributes to the knowledge on how three key theories of consumer behavior, which are theory of self-concept, theory of social learning and theory of reasoned action are integrated in one comprehensive research model.
Moreover, this study develops insights on effectiveness of Femvertising in developed countries which needs to be further investigated in the middle east specially Egypt. According to Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Gender Gap Report, Egypt stands out as one of the highest countries in gender inequality, therefore it is believed if marketers managed to utilize values such as feminist’s values that entitle women to empowerment the same way they have been creating campaigns for defending human rights it would lead to effective advertising campaigns [31]. However, the progress of such advertisements may be hindered by the presence of traditional gender norms that oppose the empowerment of women and gender equality. Given that Egypt is a highly masculine country with a MAS index of 52 according to [27] [32]. it proves the presence of conventional gender norms, which endorse stereotypical gender roles [28], Accordingly, it is important to study the impact of such norms on the Femvertising.
1.1. Self-Concept Theory
First, according to scholars, self-concept theory indicates how a person’s view of themselves; it is not their real or existential self. In other words, an individual’s self-concept refers to their “subjective thoughts and perceptions” about themselves rather than an objective assessment of themselves [33]. According to Meddin [34] self-concept is the result of a reflexive activity in which the individual becomes aware of him/herself as a physical, social, and spiritual or moral being. The self-concept theory has been the concern of psychological and sociological academic researchers since the 1960s due to its various implications in marketing research [35]. Feminist self-identification is the decision of an individual to identify oneself as belonging to a movement that strives to eliminate sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression [36] [37]. It is commonly believed that women’s issues are the focus of the feminist movement, and that women make up the majority of feminists. Prior research has demonstrated that exposure to feminists and feminist concepts can foster self-identification and result in a more positive perception of feminists [38].
When it comes to an individual’s feeling supportive of feminism, this does not only reflect female individuals, but male individuals as well [39]. According to many feminist scholars and activists, including more men in the movement could boost feminism’s overall potential for collective action and present chances for men to use their more powerful status to challenge problematic cultural gender roles [40]. Due to the potentially serious repercussions of men participating in feminism, some academics, activists, and even media campaigns have tried to mainstream feminism and make it more approachable for men and men who want to be feminist allies [30] in the hopes that these initiatives may inspire males to support feminism’s goals. For instance, as part of a push to reposition feminism as contemporary and approachable for everyone, Elle UK magazine’s 2014 Feminism Issue had several famous women and men donning t-shirts that said, “This is what a feminist looks like” [41]. Men’s involvement in feminism proponents have praised this campaign for its efforts to present feminist men in a positive light, as studies have shown that doing so increases men’s intentions to participate in feminist action and their sense of solidarity with the cause [42].
1.2. Social Learning Theory
Jayachandran [43] provides examples of how strong norms might hinder women’s employment and the effects of different governmental initiatives. Cultural norms hinder women’s ability to engage in and prosper in the labor market by limiting their freedom of movement, ability to manage their finances, duties in the home, and views regarding gender-based violence. Many societies that hold masculine cultures, practice gender norms, the “ideas about how women and men should be and act. Internalized early in life, gender norms can establish a life cycle of gender socialization and stereotyping” [44]. Social standards that define what constitutes suitable behavior for men and women in a particular group or society are known as gender norms. These norms also contribute to the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes and biases, further marginalizing women and girls in society [45]. Consequently, addressing and challenging these norms is crucial for achieving gender equality and promoting the overall well-being of individuals and communities [46].
The work of Miller and Dollard in 1941 is where the Social Learning Theory first emerged [47]. They attempted “to develop a theory that would encompass psychodynamic theory, learning theory, and the influence of sociocultural factors” [48]. Miller and Dollard (1941) proposed the Hull’s stimulus-response theory of learning to explain how humans may learn specific behaviors through imitation and observation driven by motivation and need. These behaviors are then reinforced in positive social interactions [48]. Theory that focuses on learning by observing, being reinforced, or modelling the behaviors of others [49].
In a marketing context, consumer socialization has been used to explain the gradual development of consumer skills which depends on the external actors/agents and environmental characteristics that influence exposure to marketing messages and their ability to interpret and respond to them. These external factors include family, peers and media, all of which play a crucial role in shaping consumer behavior. Consumer socialization is a lifelong process that continues into adulthood, as individuals continue to learn and adapt their consumer skills based on changing societal norms and market conditions [50]. In the context of Femvertising and female empowerment values among individuals, personal interaction with feminists, such as having friends or relatives who identify as feminists, is another way to become exposed to feminist views. It has been discovered that these exposure factors raise the probability of identifying as a feminist and actively supporting feminist causes [51]. The experience of sexism is another life experience factor that has been linked to feminist self-identification. Additionally, self-described feminists are more likely to say they have encountered sexist prejudice [51]. With sexist prejudice as a norm, it can sometimes trigger individuals to seek to do right on this issue and become activists on this matter [12]. Hence, attitude formation and purchase behaviors are inspired by citizens’ internal and external motives [4]. Thus, this study examines these factors in theory of reasoned actions.
1.3. Theory of Reasoned Action
The theory has various applications in the field of marketing and advertising, for example, Richins and Woods [52] used the theory as method to explain consumer responses to ad campaigns. One of the key aspects of the theory is that the main predictor of consumers’ intention is attitude, “a person is positively or negatively inclined towards specific behavior” [53]. According to Chen and Tung [54], attitude is the psychological feeling channeled via customers’ assessments. Positive attitudes often translate into more positive behavioral intentions and vise versa. In the advertising context, scholars were keen on investigating attitude towards advertising which is the predisposition to respond in a favorable or unfavorable manner to a particular advertising stimulus during a particular exposure situation [55]. Thus, according to Gramazio et al. [56], if consumers develop a positive attitude towards Femvertising, it will allow consumers to become attractive to the marketing message, encouraging their purchase intentions, “decision-making… reason to buy a particular brand by consumer” [57]. Schiffman & Kanuk [58] define purchase intent as a conscious plan and willingness to make a purchase of a specific product/service in the future. It is motivational factors that influence a buyer’s decision to purchase or not purchase the product/service [59].
Based on the literature, and the combined theories of the Theory of self-concept, social learning theory, and the theory of reasoned action in order to develop a proposed research model that is to be tested to identify consumer behaviors towards Femvertising Figure 1. Based on the literature review, it has been concluded that consumers must hold the identity to be wanting to be a feminist, someone who supports equal rights for women; they also seek to comply with gender norms, which is internalized early in life, gender norms can establish a life cycle of gender socialization and stereotyping (the ideas about how women and men should be and act) to be able to develop a positive attitude towards Femvertising, the marketing practice of brands challenging gender norms by building stereotype-busting and pro-female messages. Once they develop a positive attitude, this can lead to the consumers seeking to develop purchase intentions of the promoted brands.
2. Research Methodology
2.1. Research Framework and Hypothesis
Based on the proposed research model, there are three main hypotheses that are to be tested. H1: there is a positive relationship between Feminist self-identification and attitude towards Femvertising. This hypothesis emerged as studies show that individuals with a stronger feminist self-identification are more likely to have a positive attitude towards Femvertising; claim that when a consumer is part of the feminist movement, they will appreciate advertising that focuses on empowering women in their marketing messages [23] [60]. H2: there is a significant relation between gender norm and attitude towards Femvertising. This hypothesis emerged as studies show that if a society is of masculine culture, they will not support or view Femvertising as constructive, encouraging, and positive [27]. Some studies debate this perspective and claim Femvertising is part of the modern development of society [31] [61]. Even if a consumer lives in a masculine society, if they are exposed to women empowerment advertising, they can develop hope that it changes mind-sets of the current society [12]. H3: there is a positive relationship between attitude towards Femvertising and purchase intention. This hypothesis emerged as attitude toward advertisements has a direct relationship with purchase intention [55]. Karulkar et al. [62] claim that when consumers have a positive attitude towards advertising, it leads to their purchase intentions.
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Figure 1. Proposed research model.
2.2. Research Design
The researcher used a quantitative approach by distributing questionnaires to the target population, later the responses were analyzed statistically, in order to find patterns, make predictions, test the proposed relationships, and generalize results to the wider population. The study is correlational since it aims to analysis the significance of the associations between the independent variable and the dependent variable [63]. The data was collected through online questionnaire distributed among a representative sample. The research used Google form for the distribution; the link of the form was placed on various social media platforms of various brands that support and have created Femvertising campaigns in the past, such as the brand Sun-silk (Unilever social media pages), Breadast, Juhayna and Shulfix. The link was publicly posted so that consumers who visit the page can press the link and participate in the study.
2.3. Measures
The questionnaire contained various Likert scales to measure the variables found in this study, ranging from 1 = “Strongly Disagree’’ to 5 = “Strongly Agree”. The scale that measures feminism identity was taken from and adapted form Siegel et.al, [64], which included 4 items. The researcher used the G-Norm Scale developed by Sedlander et al. [46] which measures both descriptive and injunctive norms using 18 items. Attitude towards Femvertising scale was taken from Wells [66]. Finally, the scale that assessed purchase intentions was taken and adopted from Putrevu et al., [67]; this scale had three items. In the questionnaire, the researcher also requested to know the participants’ socio-demographic traits, such as age, gender, income, occupation, etc.
2.4. Sampling and Data Collection
The researcher followed ethical procedures as it presented to the participants before answering the online questionnaire a paragraph explaining the purpose of the study, how to accurately participate in the study. It also mentioned that participation is voluntary and that the respondents can withdraw at any point of time if they felt uncomfortable. The paragraph also confirmed confidentiality.
The target population of the study is members of the Generation Z population living in metropolitan cities in Egypt, their ages ranged from 16 to 27 years. Based on prior studies, these are the consumers who are believed to be fans of Femvertising; these consumers are also known to be high supporters of women empowerment in various masculine societies [61]. The sampling method utilized is non probability convenience sampling which allows the researcher to efficiently gather data form population who were interested and available to participate in the study. By administering online questionnaires, the researcher ensured data collection with minimal interference. The researcher collected 429 questionnaires; however, only 408 were valid as they were the gen-z participants, making the response rate 95%. Once the data collection was finalized, the researcher used statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 22 to begin the analysis.
3. Data Analysis
3.1. Scale Reliability and Validity
A reliability analysis is conducted on the scales used to assess the variables of interest for the purpose of determining the consistency and stability of the measurements. This analysis helps researchers evaluate if the scales are producing reliable and accurate results, which is very important so the researcher can evaluate whether these measurements are producing reliable results so that legitimate conclusions can be drawn from the data. The validity analysis determines if the scale measures the intended variable accurately. Also, assess the extent to which the scale captures all relevant aspects of the construct, which ensures the establishment of a comprehensive representation of phenomena. In this study, factor loading is utilized in order to emphasize the association between the item and the factor; a factor loading of higher than 0.30 signifies a moderate correlation between the item and the factor [68]. With reference to Table 1, the results show that all results are above 0.30 which means that these items successfully represent the variables. The average variance extracted (AVE) was examined in this research to evaluate construct validity. Thus the value of average variance shows how well a hidden latent construct contributes to variation in its indicators. Since all values of AVE were equal above 0.50 consequently the results have strong convergent validity. By taking into consideration factor loading and the AVE values it is suggested that discriminant validity was achieved in this study which is the extent to which a construct is distinct from other constructs in the research model.
3.2. Frequency Analysis
For the researcher to analyze the demographic traits of the respondents, a frequency analysis was utilized which allowed for the examination of the distribution and occurrences of various demographic variables within the dataset, thereby providing valuable insights into the characteristics of the sample population. The majority of the respondents to the questionnaire were female accounting for 59.8% of the sample while males were 40.2%. The ages of the participants fall within the age range of Generation Z who are the population of interest in the study. 76.5% of the respondents are between 20 and 27 years old, 23% are aged between 16 and 20. Only 0.5% are less than 16. The great percentage of participants have completed their high school education measuring at 61%, while 31.4% have a bachelor’s degree and 7.4% have a master’s degree. One participant who contributes to 0.2% of the sample has an elementary school degree. 90.2% of the sample is single while only 9.1% of participants are married and 0.7% are divorced. While 89.2% of the respondents don’t have children and only 2% have only one child and 5.1% have two children. While a very small of 3.7% have
Table 1. Reliability and validity analysis.
Variable |
F.L |
AVC % |
Cronbach alpha |
Feminist
self-identification |
FS1 |
0.720 |
76.01 |
0.894 |
FS2 |
0.780 |
FS3 |
0.788 |
FS4 |
0.752 |
Gender Norms |
GN1 |
0.468 |
61.37 |
0.906 |
GN2 |
0.583 |
GN3 |
0.423 |
GN4 |
0.601 |
GN5 |
0.654 |
GN6 |
0.459 |
GN7 |
0.685 |
GN8 |
0.724 |
GN9 |
0.691 |
GN10 |
.0564 |
GN11 |
0.545 |
GN12 |
0.474 |
GN13 |
.0648 |
GN14 |
0.629 |
GN15 |
0.554 |
GN16 |
0.797 |
GN17 |
0.777 |
GN18 |
0.771 |
Attitude towards Femvertising |
ATF1 |
0.605 |
55.97 |
0.794 |
ATF2 |
0.640 |
ATF3 |
0.505 |
ATF4 |
0.691 |
ATF5 |
0.357 |
Purchase intention |
PI1 |
0.778 |
79.59 |
0.871 |
PI2 |
0.798 |
PI3 |
0.812 |
more than two children. Most of the participants live in Alexandria they account for 93.9% of the total sample and 6.1% reside in Cairo. There were no respondents from other cities in Egypt. The majority of respondents are still students who contribute to 73.5% of the sample. The percentage of full-time, part-time, self-employed and unemployed are 12.5%, 6.6%, 3.2% and 4.2 respectively. As for the monthly household income of respondents, most of the respondents’ income ranges between 30,000 less than 50,000 which is 30.9% of the sample. Individuals with an income over 50,000 were the minority measuring 17.4% of the respondents. Followed by 24.3% who claim to have an income of 10,000 less than 30,000. Finally, 27.5 %of the respondents claim a value of less than 10,000 per month.
3.3. Correlational Analysis
The correlation analysis has been used here to test the strength, direction and significance between the independent variables and the dependent variable. This statistical technique allows the researcher to decide if there is a relationship between the variables and to what extent they are related [64]. By looking at the correlation coefficient, the strength and direction of the relationship are assessed while also considering the significance level to determine if it is statistically meaningful. Additionally, this analysis allows for anticipating potential predictors or factors that may influence the dependent variable. The results are shown in Table 2 and Table 3.
H1: there is a positive relationship between Feminist self-identification and attitude towards Femvertising is supported The correlation analysis has been used in Table 3 to test the relationship between feminist self-identification and gender norms with attitude towards Femvertising. The results of the analysis for the variable feminist self-identification, show the value of r Person is (0.370**) which implies a significant, positive and moderate relationship with attitude towards Femvertising that is due to the positive value of the correlation coefficient. Since the r Person value is between 0.3 and 0.5 thus the strength of the relationship is said to be moderate. Thus supporting the proposed hypothesis.
H2: there is a significant relation between gender norm and attitude towards Femvertising as for inequitable gender norms the value of the correlation coefficient is (−0.196**), while the significance value is (0.000). Indicating a significant, negative and weak relationship, as the value of r Person is less than 0.3. Consequently, the hypothesis is accepted and also the inverse direction of the relationship is discovered. As shown in Table 3.
Table 2. Attitude towards Femvertising and independent variables.
Variable |
r Person |
Significance |
Feminist self-identification |
0.370** |
0.000 |
Gender norms |
−0.196** |
0.000 |
Table 3. Attitude towards femvertising and purchase intention.
Variable |
r Person |
Significance |
Attitude towards Femvertising |
0.613** |
0.000 |
H3: there is a positive relationship between attitude towards Femvertising and purchase intention. Table 3 shows The value of the Person correlation alpha is (0.613**) indicates that there is a positive relationship between attitude towards Femvertising and purchase intention. Since the value of alpha is above 0.5 thus suggesting a strong relationship, while the value of (p = 0.00) signifies that the proposed relationship is statistically significant.
4. Research Conclusion and Discussion
As previously stated this study is aimed to understand what factors affecting attitude towards Femvertising and its impact on purchase intention. In order to investigate the research problem, the researcher examined several hypotheses. Firstly, H1: there is a positive relationship between Feminist self-identification and attitude towards Femvertising. Secondly, H2: there is a significant relationship gender norm and attitude towards Femvertising. Thirdly, H3: there is a positive relationship between attitude towards Femvertising and purchase intention. The results of the analysis showed the all the proposed hypotheses in the study were supported.
4.1. Theoretical Contribution
This study supports that when consumers have developed an identity that supports feminism, they will support the practice of Femvertising. These results coincide with the investigations of previous scholars such as Forehand and Deshpande [69] as well as Sparks and Shephard [70], who emphasized that consumers develop a favorable attitude towards advertisements that align with their self-concept and more specifically their social identity. Since this research, self-concept has been illustrated in terms of feminist self-identification, which is a person’s willingness to identify himself/herself as part of the feminists’ movement that strives to end sexism and advocates for gender equality [36].
Given that Femvertising emphasizes women’s empowerment and breaking free from stereotypical gender expectations. Therefore, by portraying the characters in advertisements in a manner that is consistent with individuals’ identity and matches their feminists’ ideals and beliefs a positive attitude is developed further supporting the conclusions of Kareklas and Polonsky, [71]. Also, the positive results explain that not only women of Generation Z have pleasant attitudes towards Femvertising because of Feminist self-identification but also Egyptian men have feminist identities or feminist views as well which elicit such pleasant reactions to these advertisements [41] [71]. Therefore, this study’s results are also aligned with those conducted by Ekman Vråmo and Castillo Haglund, in 2017 [37], which found that both men and women in Sweden had positive attitudes towards Femvertising due to their adherence to the values of feminism and their ability to identify as feminist who advocate for gender equality. Consequently, the findings of this investigation as well as the Swedish study convey that the positive reception of Femvertising is not limited to specific demographics or cultural contexts, but rather reflects a broader societal shift towards gender equality. Additionally, the findings of this study further support the conclusions made by Elhajjar, [61] in the Femvertising study conducted in Lebanon within which it was proven that there is a direct significant link between feminist self-identification and attitude towards Femvertising. Thus this variable has proven its effectiveness in influencing consumers’ attitudes in both Western and Middle Eastern countries.
This study supports the social learning theory in which, gender norms play a role in attitude towards Femvertising. Accordingly, the results resonate with the findings of Bush, Smith and Martin in 1999 [72], which emphasizes that through social learning individuals learn specific consumer skills such as attitude towards advertisements, as it is considered the outcome of social learning that is achieved through the socialization process that occurs when the socialization agents within the individuals’ community interact with the person. The social norms such as inequitable gender norms as per Sedlander et al. [47], are learnt through the socialization process and eventually the consumer’s decision making was affected in terms of their attitude towards the advertisements. A study conducted by Amir et al. (2023) in Pakistan also conveyed conclusions that support the findings of this research [24]. The research also supports other studies done by Gregory & Munch, 1997 [72] and Windels, 2016 [73] which imply that the presence of inequitable gender norms makes individuals favor stereotypical ads compared the non-traditional ads including Femvertising which portray women in roles that opposed to gender norms are seen as unfamiliar so they develop negative attitude towards it. Since the hypothesis is non-directional it suggests that studies that imply a positive relationship between gender norms and attitude towards Femvertising of still resonate with the findings of this investigation. Such studies include Akestam et al., 2017 [22] and also Abitbol and Sternadori, 2020 [23] which explain that since Femvertising breaks gender stereotypes and roles thus this prevalence of inequitable gender norms creates a more favorable attitude towards femvertised ads as consumers perceive as novel and more original. However, it’s important to note these studies were done in cultures where gender equality is wide spreading which explains why the direction of the relationship was different.
This study supports that consumers’ positive attitude toward Femvertising leads to purchasing intentions, which backs up the theory of reasoned action. The positive value person correlation alpha signifies a positive strong relationship between the attitude towards Femvertising and purchase intention. This relationship has been validated by many studies as it is also a part of the theory of reasoned action which has been established by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980) [62]. Stating that attitude impacts the person’s behavioral intention which is illustrated in this research as intention to purchase the product. Also, implications of the theory included Gresham and Shimp, [74]; Mitchell and Olson, 1981 [75] Studies which highlighted a positive impact of attitudes that consumers have towards the advertisement and their purchase intention. The research investigation supports the claims both Michaelidou et al., [76] and Drake [17], whose findings proved that Femvertising which showcases the company as advocating for the social cause of gender equality, is in fact able to elicit people’s intention to purchase the advertised product or service. However, the study rejects the claims of Kapoor and Munjal, 2017 [28] which state that Femvertising doesn’t generate purchase intention, and only encourages consumers to forward the message to others.
4.2. Managerial Implications
This study clarifies that Femvertising is a marketing and communication strategy used by businesses to enthuse and inspire women of any age with pro-female messages (so to deliver a positive social impact) while breeding brand engagement, which can be good for the bottom line. Thus, in the Egyptian context, companies should leverage on the fact that feminist self-identification has a positive relationship with attitude towards Femvertising, the researcher recommends that companies incorporate feminist values and messaging into their advertising campaigns. Also, the company needs to make sure that they are able to relate to Egyptian feminists. Moreover, given that Gen Z is well known to be highly influenced by influencers [77], it is crucial for companies to tap into this trend and engage with influencers as this would make the brand more relatable to the consumer’s identity and eventually resonate with their target audience. Businesses are advised to embrace the social cause of gender equality which can be achieved it is through corporate social responsibility initiatives such as donating for women’s education as well as embracing gender inequality as a part of their corporate culture. So that consumers’ start to view the company as Feminism activist with whom they share similar values thus they would have not only positive response towards the ads but eventually generating brand love and brand loyalty. Businesses can leverage form Gen Z’s strong sense of self-concept make them part of interactive Femvertising campaigns through giving them the opportunity to create user-generated content on social media for instance. This method will not only create a positive consumer attitude towards the Femvertised ad but also make Gen Z identify with the brand even more as for them the brand would be a platform for them to voice their opinions on gender equality.
5. Research Limitations
This research offers valuable insights into the attitudes of Gen Z individuals in Egypt towards Femvertising and its ability to elicit purchase intention. However, it is crucial to recognize certain limitations that may affect the generalizability and comprehensiveness of the findings. The first notable limitation is the use of a convenience sample even though it is practical given the research circumstances yet it introduces potential biases. Given the usage of this non-probability sampling technique, it hinders the ability of the researcher to ensure the representativeness of the selected sample to the population thus making it challenging to calculate a margin of error. Also the chosen sample of participants in the study was limited to individuals from specific metropolitan areas which restricts the applicability of the findings to more rural regions of Egypt. The study’s focus on the Generation Z population adds another layer of limitation, as the findings may not be fully generalizable to other generational cohorts, such as Generation X and Y, who might exhibit divergent attitudes towards Femvertising.
Another limitation relates to the narrow scope of the respondents’ attitudes towards the ads. Since the study results are based on specific ads presented in the questionnaire. Suggest that different Femvertising ads, for example, those employing varied formats such as video content, might elicit varied consumer attitudes. The study’s exclusive dependence on questionnaire responses limits the investigation of participants’ reactions to other types of advertisements that are more dynamic and immersive. This narrow focus of the investigation might not fully capture the refined responses that could arise from respondents’’ exposure to a broader range of Femvertising campaigns.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.