Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s advice to “Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you” resonates deeply with Professor Linda Tuncay Zayer, John F. Smith Chair at Loyola University Chicago, and Professor Catherine A. Coleman, Professor of Strategic Communication at Texas Christian University. With nearly two decades of research on gender representation in advertising, Zayer and Coleman’s work focuses on consumer identities and vulnerabilities, particularly gender, both aiming to transform academic research on advertising stereotypes into impactful action. Their research has been published in notable journals, including the Journal of Macromarketing and the Journal of Advertising. As Sut Jhally notes in The Codes of Advertising (1987), “In modern advertising, gender is probably the social resource that is used most by advertisers. Thousands of images surround us every day of our lives that address us along gender lines. Advertising seems to be obsessed with gender and sexuality.” Zayer and Coleman argued that this underlines the need to drive positive change through inclusive advertising. Since 2022, Zayer and Coleman have contributed to the Education Advisory Board of SeeHer, an initiative by the Association for National Advertisers that promotes the accurate portrayal of women and girls in media and marketing. Zayer and Coleman who spoke at Sasin Research Seminar on July 5, aligned their research agenda to examining cultural changes and opportunities for societal impact. Their involvement with SeeHer exemplifies their commitment to increasing the representation of women and girls in advertising and media. Their transformative agenda in advertising research aims to address complex societal issues through inclusive and representative storytelling. They also advocate for a transformative approach in advertising scholarship and practice through Transformative Advertising Research, a perspective they discuss in their 2022 Journal of Advertising publication with co-author Dr. Lauren Gurrieri. “Transformative Advertising Research is a new subfield of advertising presenting a framework that reveals the complexities within the advertising ecosystem and allows for a clear vision of potential transformative outcomes,” said Zayer. The seminar emphasized the importance of engaging with stakeholders and using research to drive social change. For instance, the SeeHer Education initiative promotes gender equity as a core component of effective marketing. This effort supports accurate portrayals of women and girls and encourages brands to drive social change. Zayer and Coleman also shared their co-authored work with Gurrieri on the Inclusive Advertising Spectrum, which offers a framework for authentic and diverse representation in advertising, aiming for social impact. Recent award-winning campaigns such as Lacta’s “Don’t Ever Leave Me” and P&G’s “Share the Load,” which address issues ranging from gender stereotypes to societal norms, illustrate the different types of impact inclusive advertising can facilitate. Specifically, their research identified four categories of impact: Perceptual: Advertising that involves changes resulting from the way an issue is presented, exposed, and attended to. For instance, Lacta’s “Don’t Ever Leave Me” campaign from Greece in 2021 conveys how the presentation of a campaign can shift perceptions of domestic violence. The advertising campaign became viral on YouTube in Greece and TV channels, raising awareness for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Conceptual: Advertising that changes how individuals think about an issue. This can be seen in efforts like the child marriage prevention loan campaign in Bangladesh and P&G’s “Share the Load” campaign in India, which addresses the traditional roles of women in household work and challenges conventional thinking. Instrumental: Advertising that focuses on influencing consumer or organizational actions toward an issue. An example is the “Breaking the Silence” campaign aimed at ending menstrual cycle discrimination in India, which seeks to drive tangible change. Political: These efforts involve activism or support for legislative action related to an issue. For instance, Dove’s campaign against race-based hair discrimination exemplifies how advertising can drive political and social advocacy. The seminar conveys the potential of advertising research to foster social change. By focusing on inclusive advertising and engaging with societal issues, researchers and practitioners can drive impactful outcomes and contribute to a more equitable and representative media landscape.