Consumer Responses to Male Same-Sex Couples in Advertising: The Influence of Gender Role Attitudes and Perceived Ad Intrusiveness

This research examines whether gender role attitudes shape reactions to advertisements depicting male same-sex couples. Across three studies using different products and advertising stimuli, we find that individuals with more traditional gender role attitudes perceive these advertisements as more intrusive, which in turn is associated with lower purchase intention. Thus, resistance to inclusive advertising may not necessarily appear as explicit rejection, but rather as the perception that the advertisement is inappropriate or disruptive. Contrary to our expectations, the explicitness of the portrayal did not significantly moderate these effects. This suggests that audience characteristics may play a more central role than the intensity of the representation itself. Overall, the findings highlight perceived ad intrusiveness as an important mechanism in consumer responses to inclusive advertising.