October 2023

What was measured

We analyzed the top 1000 Belgian TV, Online, and Print advertisements from October 2023 ranked by media investment. We extracted 1194 faces of talent from these 1000 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 683 1002
Online Ads 81 108
Print 236 143
Total 1000 1194

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 27% and 26% of all talent respectively. The next age group is -18, which accounts for 19% of talent. Age groups 18-24 and 45-54 are 11% and 10% respectively.

Talents looking 45 and above account for only 17% 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

Age representation differs per media. Online Ads feature the youngest talent, closely followed by TV ads. Print ads shift significantly towards older talent. In print ads 31% of talent looks older than 45, while just 12% looks younger than 24. This trend can be observed month after month.

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 44% male talents and 56% female talents.

Visual Gender distribution of talent in Top 1000 Ads

Gender by media

A change in age is also accompanied by a change in gender in different media. 60% of people depicted in online ads are women, 57% in TV ads. In print ads the balance shifts. 48% of print ads feature female talent, compared to 52% for male talent.

Online

Television

Print

Gender x Age

Female talents are younger than male talents when we cross visual age and visual gender.
The 18-24 age group contains trice as many women as men (97 female versus 33 male talents). While the age groups above 45 contain significantly less women than men.

  • Age 45-54: 76 M, 47 F

  • Age 55-64: 42 M, 27 F

  • Age 65+: 10 M, 5 F

We observe this trend month after month.

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

Ethnic representation

According to the analysis, 82% of talents are perceived as White (White + Mediterranean/Middle Eastern) compared to 18% non-White. Black talent makes up 9% of depicted persons, while Asian talent makes up 6%.

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/Middle Eastern (darker), the model detects Black, Asian, South Asian (e.g. India, Pakistan) and Latine/Hispanic looking people.

Visual Gender distribution of talent in Top 1000 Ads

Ethnicity by media

TV ads and especially online ads were significantly more ethnically diverse than print ads in previous months, but we don't see this trend confirmed in October. Print ads have become more diverse, while online and TV ads show less ethnic diversity than in September and August.

Online

Television

Print

Comparing sectors

The representation of diversity 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.

The advertising industry also exhibits seasonality. In the summer, we see advertising for festivals and events, while in the winter, advertising for cough and cold products is prevalent.

Age representation per sector

The government and public sector represent (almost) all age groups, so do Telco and Energy advertisers. As the holiday season approaches, Toy advertising is ramping up. It is logical that they show mostly kids, and hence are not age-diverse. We have few ads in Tourism and General Services, which can lead to disproportionate results.

Sectors showing the most age diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Age diversity score
1. Government and public services 79
2. Telco and energy 75
3. Distribution and retail 74

Sectors showing the least age diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Age diversity score
15. Toys and events 48
16. Tourism and culture 48
17. General services 39

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

Gender representation per sector

There are as many women as men in the ads of Telco and Energy, Construction and Home Improvement. Similarly, in the sector of Cleaning Products, male and female representation has reached equilibrium. We will have to wait and see if this balance results in the same number of men and women cleaning in the household.

Lottery and Gambling show mainly men; Beauty and Hygiene show mostly women. Tourism and Culture had few ads this month, contributing to a skewed result.

Sectors showing the most gender diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Gender diversity score
1. Telco and energy 50
2. Construction and home improvement 50
3. Cleaning products 50

Sectors showing the least gender diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Gender diversity score
15. Beauty and hygiene 27
16. Tourism and culture 27
16. Gambling 25

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

Ethnic representation per sector

Construction and home improvement ads as well as toy ads are dominated by US-produced ads. When it comes to diverse representation, US advertising has long been ahead of Europe. We're surprised to find Finance and Insurance ads at the bottom, as they were much more ethnically diverse before.

Sectors showing the most ethnic diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Ethnic diversity score
1. Construction and home improvement 59
2. Government and public services 52
3. Toys and events 50

Sectors showing the least ethnic diversity in their ads

Rank Sector Ethnic diversity score
15. Health and pharma 27
16. Finance and insurance 27
17. Gambling 22

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.