390. IJRM. Complexity & Brand Gender in Advertising.
December 4, 2025
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In this episode, Siyun Chen, Associate Professor at the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University, discusses research she and her colleagues published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing (IJRM) on how visual complexity in advertising interacts with brand gender perception to influence consumer response.
Visual complexity describes how busy or clean an ad appears, based on the number of elements, their level of detail, and how regularly they are arranged. Across seven studies, Chen found that masculine brands, those perceived as strong, bold, and powerful, perform better with simple ad designs. Feminine brands, associated with gentleness, grace, and softness, see stronger results with more complex visuals.
Chen cautioned that one of the biggest marketing missteps is following design trends, like minimalism, without considering whether they fit the brand’s identity. The key is aligning visual complexity with how consumers perceive your brand’s gendered traits.
Key insights:
Brand gender reflects consumer perception, not product type. Toughness and power cue masculinity, while softness and care cue femininity.
Facebook field studies showed higher click-through rates when masculine brands used simple ads and feminine brands used complex ads.
The effect operates through conceptual fluency: the smooth, intuitive fit between a brand’s identity and its visual design.
Brand gender can be signaled through names, slogans, colors, and design elements, with names offering the strongest cue.
The effect is especially pronounced among holistic thinkers who process visual information as a whole.
Simple ads include fewer than five regularly arranged elements with minimal detail; complex ads feature more elements and irregular layouts.
Click here for the Research Article
The Up Next podcast’s access to this content is courtesy of the International Journal of Research in Marketing, an international, double-blind peer-reviewed journal for marketing academics and practitioners. IJRM aims to contribute to the marketing discipline by providing high-quality, original research which advances marketing knowledge and techniques. As marketers increasingly draw on diverse and sophisticated methods, IJRM‘s target audience is comprised of marketing scholars, practitioners (e.g., marketing research and consulting professionals) and policymakers.
IJRM aims to be at the forefront of the marketing field with a particular emphasis on bringing timely ideas to market. The journal embraces innovative research with the potential to spur future research and influence practice. Hence, it welcomes contributions in various aspects of marketing. The editors, while accepting a wide array of scholarly contributions from different disciplinary approaches, especially encourage research that is novel, visionary or path breaking.
Interviewee
Siyun Chen is currently an Associate Professor at Sun Yat-sen University. Her research centers on aesthetic marketing and consumption philosophy. She has published in flagship journals such as the International Journal of Research in Marketing (ABS 4), Journal of Business Ethics (FT 50), Tourism Management (ABS 4), and Annals of Tourism Research (ABS 4), among others.
Co-authors
Veronika Ponomarenko is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Bryan School of Business and Economics at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration (Marketing) from University of South Florida, a M.S. in Marketing from University of Cincinnati, and a B.S. in International Business from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine.
Her research interests include consumer behavior, visual perception, and artificial intelligence. She has published articles in Journal of Business Ethics, International Journal of Research in Marketing, Psychology & Marketing, and Journal of Advertising. Her work has also been presented at premier marketing conferences such as Winter AMA, Summer AMA, and AMS conferences.
Linxiang Lv is a lecturer in the Department of Marketing at Northeastern University (Shenyang, China). His work focuses on consumer behavior, AI-driven marketing (especially in tourism and hospitality), prosocial behavior, sustainability, and how marketing communications shape perceptions and decision-making.
David Ahlstrom is currently Associate Dean (Research) at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, after having taught at The Chinese University of Hong Kong for many years. His research centers on international business and managing in Asia. He was the chief editor of the Asia Pacific Journal of Management and is currently a consulting editor there. He has published in journals such as Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (ABS 4*), the International Journal of Research in Marketing (ABS 4), Journal of Business Ethics (FT 50), Annals of Tourism Research (ABS 4), and the Journal of Management Studies (ABS 4), among others.
Follow & Learn More
International Journal of Research in Marketing
Interviewee
Siyun Chen
Co-authors
Veronika Ponomarenko
Linxiang Lv
David Ahlstrom