Advertising change: How the Saudi Vision 2030 strategy has influenced gender representation in SAUDIA advertising between 2012 and 2021

In 2016 the government of Saudi Arabia announced the Saudi Vision 2030 programme, a blueprint for the country’s economic and social transformation. This research was conducted between 2020 and 2024, during a period of rapid change and the build-up to Vision 2030, situating the research within a key moment of national transformation. While Saudi Arabia was likely known for being culturally and socially conservative - characteristics that were often reflected in its advertising - the programme’s announcement has led to noticeable change in Saudi society, and a growing reliance on soft power strategies to globally communicate the strategic change promised by Vision 2030. Academic research has paid great attention to ways in which advertising and culture influence each other, and to how advertising might work to reflect or shape behaviours and cultural norms across society. From this, the research aims to study the redefinition of gender stereotypes in Saudi advertising, in particular of females, in light of the announcement and application of Saudi Vision 2030 programme and its desire for positive impact on female empowerment.
From a sample of advertising images between 2012 to 2021, this research makes use of qualitative content and semiotic analyses to identify ways in which SAUDIA advertising has adjusted or developed methods for visualising females in ways which reflect Vision 2030. A novel framework has been developed which builds upon established scholars of gender representation and social semiotics, such as Goffman, Kress and Van Leeuwen, and integrates Saudi cultural perspectives (e.g. the dress code for women). This framework is utilised both as a model for data analysis and critical lens through which the research results are interpreted. Using a triangulation of methods - integrating semi-structured interviews with professionals in the Saudi advertising industry - allows for a reflection on key research insights, and a perspective from the advertising industry which provides some clarification as to how social change and advertising practices are currently interrelated. The research also makes use of an approach to qualitative trend analysis through the identification of trends within key results, which sheds new light on patterns that can influence future communication strategies.
Through analysis and interpretation of the uses of certain visual symbols, the study has identified evidence of significant changes in SAUDIA advertising, which has resulted in four main thematic insights, each one aligning with a specific goal of Saudi Vision 2030. Advertising images analysed in the research exhibited a range of approaches when representing women in non-traditional roles, which aligns to the vision’s objective of creating new opportunities. Within the research, women are shown in a variety of ways in what I term ‘balanced representations’, which reflects notions of equality and the vision’s objective for equal contribution of genders. Images from the analysis also convey a notable balance of strength and softness, which works to highlight a potential for the dual capabilities of social and economic contribution. Lastly, the research reveals an emerging balance in how female appearance is represented, suggesting a need to consider traditions of a moderate society while reflecting the programme’s objective for a tolerant country.
The study’s conclusions suggest ways that these results can perhaps be considered as a tool for demonstrating internal soft power applied inwards to demonstrate ways in which advertising can play a dual role in a complex process which both mirrors and promotes social change. Since the Saudi Vision 2030 is an ongoing project, this thesis sets a foundation for future studies to explore ways in which contemporary advertising can effectively capture and communicate social change.