Every day, advertising tells us what is normal. What a normal body looks like, what a normal sexuality is and what persons a normal family consists of. But what does it mean when almost every person depicted is young, thin and able-bodied? And who is responsible?

Yes, advertising can shape norms. But advertising can also break norms. The Swedish Association of Communication Agencies – Komm! – wanted to prove that advertising can be a force for good and raised an important question by asking a simple one: ”What is normal in Swedish advertising?”

A research study of 1.364 persons depicted in randomly selected ads proved what norms are being represented today. 94% of the women were slim. 0,0015% of all people had a visible disability. 100% of the families were portrayed as heterosexual.

Subsequently, we transformed the advertising space at Stockholm’s busiest metro station into a photo exhibition challenging what and who is ”normal”. Portraits of real people were mounted on top of real advertising photos, while a live exhibition catalogue on Instagram linked every photograph to statistics from the research study.

The exhibition rendered huge media coverage and sparked a nation wide debate on representation that is still ongoing.

With a recent shift in political power and a new centre-left government in place, voices have been raised to introduce a law that bans sexist advertising entirely. Since such a law would be complicated to formulate and difficult to inforce, it’s imperative that the Swedish advertising industry proves that it can be self-regulating and that it takes gender issues seriously.

Simultaneously, there is a strong political polarisation between a young civil rights movement and growing social conservative forces. The conflict cuts through a large part of the media landscape, alternating demands for everyone’s right to be fairly represented with accusation of anxious political correctness.

The result? A minefield for brands and marketers, enduring harsh criticism no matter the objective nor communication activity. But also a huge PR possibility when handled responsibly.

The research study and exhibition generated a huge interest from the worlds of politics and business as well as in society at large. Journalists started reporting on the exhibition before the photographs were even taken, with the media coverage steadily growing up to the grand opening two months later. The exhibition was visited by the Minister for Gender Equality and sparked a nation wide debate on representation that is still ongoing.

For Komm!, the campaign positioned the organization in the middle of current events and took back the initiative in the gender debate, making the advertising industry a positive force for change. Still, it was only a starting point – a foundation for a very important conversation about the role that our industry has to play in the years to come. Advertising is powerful – and that it’s up to us to use that power responsibly.

Sweden is considered to be one of the most gender equal countries in the world. Still, there is much work left to do. The current discourse goes beyond the traditional gender debate (men vs women) and focuses on the combination of gender, age, weight, sexual orientation, ethnical background, able-bodism and how a multitude of norms or stereotypes affect us.

In this ongoing discussion, advertising is often depicted as a scapegoat and a big part of the problem – never the solution. Digital media make it easy to organize discontent. Crowd-sourced initiatives highlight stereotypical advertising and rightfully criticize gender bias – but unfortunately, the positive examples of advertising that challenges stereotypes is overlooked and the whole industry is labeled as obsolete.

It’s time to take back the initiative.

The advertising industry is plagued with a lack of trust, both from certain politicians in power and the general public. Advertising distrust is soaring high and ad fatigue is spreading wide. But trust is not something you ask for. It’s something that you earn.

The Swedish Association of Communication Agencies – Komm! – has worked hard with gender issues and taken important steps to change the imbalance between men and women in leading positions in the advertising industry. The next step is to change the industry’s role in society at large: from reproducing stereotypical images to breaking norms and becoming more inclusive.

An important part of the strategy was to distance us from individual opinions and various speculations by focusing on hard facts and real statistics. That’s why a research study was conducted, analysing 1 364 persons depicted in randomly selected ads and discovering what norms are being represented in Swedish advertising today. The results where clear – and depressing.

Armed with the rational facts, we set out to create a series of emotionally powerful visuals that could generate interest in the campaign and offer a positive solution to the somewhat negative statistics.

To reach outside the advertising industry and widen the conversation, we decided to use a public space that’s usually filled with stereotypical advertising messages: Stockholm’s busiest metro station.

By transforming the station’s advertising space into a photographic exhibition with portraits of real people were mounted on top of real advertising photos, we openly challenged what and who is ”normal”.

The exhibition catalogue was accessible through Instagram and linked every photograph to statistics from the research study, showing that Komm! understands both the problem and the solution.