January 2024

What was measured

We analysed the top 1000 Belgian TV, Online, and Print advertisements from January 2024 ranked by media investment. We extracted 1047 faces of talent from these ads and mapped the representation of age, gender, and ethnicity using an image analysis algorithm and human quality control. "Talents" refer to actors, models, and depicted persons in advertisements.

Channel Number of assets Number of talents
Television 626 807
Online Ads 93 144
Print 281 179
Total 1000 1047

Remark: Some talents will appear in ads on multiple channels, therefore the total of all channels is not the sum. The total of all channels is the number unique talents across all channels.

Age representation

In this chart we see the visual age distribution of talents featured in the Top 1000 ads, compared to the age of the Belgian population (green area),

The visual age distribution is centered around age groups 25-34 and 35-44 , good for 29% and 25% of all talent respectively. The next age group is -18, which accounts for 15% of talent. Age groups 18-24 and 45-54 are 11% and 12% respectively.

Talents looking 45 and above account for only 19% of talents, while they represent 46% of the population and 53,5% of buying power.

Age distribution of casting in Top 1000 Ads compared to Belgian Population

Age by media

TV ads show the most children. But if we consider adults only, then online Ads feature the youngest talent, closely followed by TV ads. As in previous months, Print Ads shift significantly towards older talent. In Print Ads 34% of talent looks older than 45 - in line with December (32%) and an increase compared to October (26%).

Online

Television

Print

Gender representation

Gender isn't simply a binary attribute determined by visual appearance. Our model, however, uses facial features to determine whether a person looks male or female.

Across the Top 1000 ads, we find 46% male talents and 54% female talents.

Visual Gender distribution of talent in Top 1000 Ads

Gender by media

In addition to a change in age, we also see a shift in gender in different media. In online ads 57% of depicted persons are women, in TV ads 55% and in print ads 45%. This is consistent with previous months.

Online

Television

Print

Gender x Age

Female talents are younger than male talents when we cross visual age and visual gender. Under the age of 35 we see more female talent, over the age of 45 we see less female talent in the Ads. We observe this trend month after month.

Age Male Female Difference F-M/F+M
65+ 1% 1% 0%
55-64 4% 2% -33%
45-54 8% 5% -23%
35-44 12% 11% -4%
25-34 11% 16% 19%
18-24 4% 7% 27%
-18 7% 11% 22%

Visual Gender crossed with visual age of talent in Top 1000 Ads

Ethnic representation

According to the analysis, 84% of talents are perceived as White (56% White + 28% Mediterranean White/Middle Eastern) compared to 16% non-White. Black talent makes up 8% of depicted persons, while Asian talent makes up 4%. This is in line with the previous month.

Based on facial features, the data model predicts the likelihood that a talent belongs to one of the ethnic/race groups. Due to the fact that there are no hard boundaries between ethnic/race groups, a talent can be perceived as having a dominant and a secondary ethnicity/race.

In addition to White (lighter) and Mediterranean White/Middle Eastern (darker), the model detects Black, Asian, South Asian (e.g. India, Pakistan) and Latine/Hispanic looking people.

Visual Ethnicity distribution of talent in Top 1000 Ads

Ethnicity by media

We see the most ethnic diversity in TV Ads, followed by Online Ads. Print Ads show the least - almost no - ethnic diversity. In previous months Online Ads would be more ethnically diverse than TV Ads. Print Ads portraying the least ethnic diversity can be observed month after month.

Online

Television

Print

Representation of Disability

As of January, our image analysis algorithm detects visually detectable disabilities, including wheelchairs, mobility aids, canes, and prosthetic limbs.

There were four brands that portrayed people with disabilities. Jez, Vlaamse Gemeenschap, Disney+ and Brussels Airlines. Jez shows a print ad featuring a wheelchair athlete. Vlaamse Gemeenschap shows prosthetic legs as an innovation. Disney+ promotes a show Echo featuring a deaf actress with a prothetic leg. And Brussels Airlines shows a talent in a wheelchair in the airport.

Comparing sectors

The advertising industry exhibits seasonality. In December Distribution and Retail (Supermarkets and Online Retailers) were the biggest advertisers, followed by Media and Publishing and Food and Drinks. In January the top advertisers are Automotive brands (with the traditional auto deals in January because of the Brussels Motor Show), followed by Media and Publishing and Distribution and Retail.

The representation of diversity also varies across sectors. In some sectors, specific age groups or genders are targeted. Beauty products, for example, are typically marketed to women. Targeting cannot explain all differences, however.

Age representation per sector

Media and Publishing (media brands, TV stations, magazines, …) and Events show the most age diversity, this means representing a wide range of ages.

As in previous months, the Beauty and Hygiene sector seems to stick to the notion that young is beautiful and aspirational for older audiences. But in January Ads for Cleaning Products show the leas age diversity.

Sectors showing the most age diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Diversity score % 45+
1. media and publishing 76 32%
2. toys and events 76 26%
3. food and drinks 74 16%

Sectors showing the least age diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Diversity score % 45+
11. finance and insurance 66 28%
12. beauty and hygiene 62 9%
13. cleaning products 61 13%

Charts comparing age diversity in the most and least age diverse sector

Gender representation per sector

Events Ads, followed by Cleaning Products and Media and Publishing are the most female - male balanced. Beauty and Hygiene show mostly women, this is not surprising.

Finance and Insurance Ads in January skew female. This may surprise considering Finance and Insurance were traditionally male-dominated industries. Nevertheless, if we look beyond stereotypes and consider who is actually involved in family administration, we find a balanced picture. In the Gezinsenquête, 40.2% of parents (with one or more children under 25 years old) indicated that the father always or usually handles the bills in the family, while in 36.7% of cases, the mother always or usually pays bills. 22,9% of parents state they both pay bills equally often.

Sectors showing the most gender diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Diversity score % Female
1. toys and events 50 51%
2. cleaning products 50 47%
3. media and publishing 50 46%

Sectors showing the least gender diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Diversity score % Female
11. distribution and retail 47 60%
12. finance and insurance 44 64%
13. beauty and hygiene 27 81%

Charts comparing gender diversity in the most and least gender diverse sector

Ethnic representation per sector

The most ethnic diversity is shown in Automotive and Transportation Ads (mostly car brands but also airlines and public transportation). Ads from Car brands are usually internationally produced campaigns, and we know that international campaigns are often more diverse than locally produced campaigns.

In line with previous months, we see Finance and Insurance ads and Hospitality (mainly fast food and food delivery) in the top again.

Media and Publishing Ads are the least ethnically diverse. They typically feature a lot of “Bekende Vlamingen“ and “Wallons célèbres“, but they tend not to be ethnically diverse.

Sectors showing the most ethnic diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Diversity score
1. automotive and transportation 62
2. hospitality 61
3. finance and insurance, telco and energy 58

Sectors showing the least ethnic diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Diversity score
10. toys and events, health and pharma 48
12. appliances and electronics 42
13. media and publishing 35

Charts comparing ethnic diversity in the most and least ethnic diverse sector

Methodology

If you have questions about the methodology or the technology used to creat the Belgian Ad Diversity Barometer, check our methodology page.