Words have a powerful effect (more on this here).
What we hear, read, and write influences us, both consciously and unconsciously.
The Gisler Protocol is a cross-agency initiative to rethink gender stereotypes.
The name comes from Doris Gisler Truog. She is a Swiss journalist, editor, and advertising icon who made a significant contribution to the introduction of women's suffrage in Switzerland around 1969.
Table of contents:
1. "With me" is not enough.
The Gisler Protocol states: "We pay attention to inclusive language. Even the Duden dictionary has abolished the generic masculine form. We always use both genders or a neutral form that represents all genders."
This means that language is our most important tool. Messages must be conveyed clearly and unambiguously—and this must also apply when referring to people. We therefore avoid using generic masculine forms wherever possible and use inclusive language instead. This means:
Use a gender colon (doctor, nurse, police officer) or a gender asterisk (overview of gender-neutral writing: underscore, asterisk, or colon? [PDF]).
Words with the gender colon are spoken with a short pause, known as a glottal stop. Examples of how to pronounce them can be found here.
2. Seek and you shall find.
The Gisler Protocol states: "We promote equal opportunities in our collaboration with external individuals. We recommend a balanced selection of cooperation partners to our clients and are committed to diversity of perspectives."
This means that regardless of the field, whether it's statisticians, influencers, or bloggers, there is a great deal of variety and diversity. We support our customers in making this visible.
3. Get out of the 1950s.
Gisler Protocol: "We avoid stereotypical role models and show different ways of life. In this way, we ensure that we do justice to the reality of Switzerland and break down clichés."
This means: Is Jessica portrayed as a soccer player or a ballet dancer? Is Andreas portrayed wearing a blue or pink sweater? Do we talk about doctors and nurses, or do we choose only one gender? Our language has a big influence, and we should be aware of that.
4. Hold up the mirror.
Gisler Protocol: "We raise our customers' awareness of their responsibility in the representation of gender and support them in communicating in a relevant, contemporary, and cliché-free manner."
Why: Society is changing, and change is a process. Images have become ingrained in all our minds over decades – so it's understandable that ideas and perceptions are sometimes still a little dusty. As experts in marketing and communication, it is our job to advise you on diversity and social justice as well.
5. No human being is a potted plant.
Gisler Protocol: "We recognize and change ideas in which no women appear or in which the role of women can be replaced by a potted plant or a dog. The days of decorative co-pilots and caring backdrop mothers are over."
For us, this means that we take a self-critical view of our work, thereby delivering high-quality results and communicating messages that reflect our social responsibility for gender equality.
Conclusion
Stereotypical representations of gender are still widespread and shape our thinking and our society. Marketing and advertising agencies in particular have a greater responsibility than ever to reflect the diversity of society and break down outdated patterns of thinking and behavior.
The Gisler Protocol advocates for the multifaceted representation of genders in communication and marketing, and especially in advertising.
This is not just about equality, but about the equivalence of different lifestyles.
But this constant "they" is actually just annoying!
Words have an enormous impact.
What we hear, read, and write influences us, both consciously and unconsciously.
In her book "Politisches Framing"(Political Framing), author Elisabeth Wehling impressively describes how strongly words shape us.
Would you like an example?
“In a fascinating study , participants first read a list of wordsthat implied either tactfulness or bluntness. They were then shown pictures of strangers and asked to assess their social behavior. Those participants who had read terms implying friendliness rated the people as extremely nice and sociable . However, those who had read words implying unfriendliness rated the same people as rude and unfriendly (SRUL/WYER 1979). The were the same in both cases. It was therefore not external characteristics that determined the test subjects' decisions, but rather the respective framethat had previously been activated in them through language."
This means that what we say and portray has a major influence on our behavior, our values, and also our prejudices.
This also applies to gender stereotypes— that is, ideas and assumptions about how women and men "are" or "should be." This is not necessarily bad or wrong, but it can have negative effects.
The canton of Lucerne writes in its information brochure: "Studies have shown, for example, that girls perform worse in science exams if they have previously been confronted with the stereotype that 'boys are better at science subjects than girls'."
The canton of St. Gallen writes on the subject of role models: "Young people in particular, who are still forming their identities, are influenced by stereotypical role models, which in turn can influence their career choices and life plans."
For us as an agency, this means that we must pay even more attention to the role models and stereotypes we ourselves have in our minds and then courageously question them.
The Gisler Protocol stands for a multifaceted representation of gender in communication and marketing, and especially in advertising. It is not just about equality, but about the equal value of different lifestyles. We immediately joined this new initiative at the beginning of 2022.
