Gender portrayal in food and beverage advertisements in Hong Kong: a content analytic study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine gender portrayal in food and beverage advertisements in Hong Kong. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 45 commercials produced locally in Hong Kong and 45 commercials produced in a Western country were separately coded for ten content categories: time of day, age, mode of presentation, credibility‐basis, role, location, argument, reward type, background and end‐comment.. Findings – Gender‐role effects were non‐significant in a majority of the content categories contrary to findings in other research in this area. This finding is discussed in the context of the changes in Hong Kong culture Research limitations/implications – Sampling was limited to broadcast recording on TVB Jade in December 2007. Practical implications – The absence of gender based content in food and beverage advertising should inform marketing practice in a SE Asian context. Originality/value – This paper modifies a well‐established research procedure and analyses food and beverage advertising in Hong King. This has not been done before.