Draft objectives:

SHE-MAP – Smart Historical Exposure Mapping for Minority Women in Advertising is an interdisciplinary project that explores how women from ethnic, religious, and socio-economic minorities have been represented in European advertising over the past 25 years. The project aims to uncover how visual and narrative representations shape public perceptions and either reinforce exclusion or foster inclusion.

SHE-MAP combines Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) with semiotic, gender-based, and participatory methods. AI and NLP tools will be used to analyze large corpora of TV, print, and online ads, detecting visual and textual patterns such as hypersexualization, maternal stereotypes, or absence from leadership roles. These patterns will be interpreted through feminist and intersectional lenses, and critically validated through workshops with Roma, Muslim, migrant, and low-income women.

The partnership includes researchers in media and communication (UBI), feminist pedagogy and education (UNIZAR), marketing and community-based research (UniTo), and applied communication and NGO engagement (UNITBV) and organizational theory and gender equality (HES-SO). Non-academic actors such as Asociația Femeile se Implică and journalist Daniela Palade Teodorescu will support co-creation, outreach, and dissemination.

The expected results include a typology of biases in advertising, co-produced inclusive narratives, educational materials for teachers, and public policy recommendations, along with scientific research papers. By connecting disciplines, methods, and voices, SHE-MAP will contribute to inclusive storytelling, visual literacy, and more equitable communication practices in Europe.

SHE-MAP addresses a critical gap in academic research by mapping how minority women have been portrayed in European advertising over the past 25 years—a topic largely overlooked outside U.S.-focused studies. By combining AI-powered analysis with feminist and participatory methods, the project advances interdisciplinary knowledge and sets a new standard for ethically grounded, data-driven research on representation.

SHE-MAP – Smart Historical Exposure Mapping for Minority Women in Advertising is an interdisciplinary research project that explores how women from ethnic, religious, and socio-economic minorities have been represented in European advertising over the past 25 years. The project brings together researchers in communication, media studies, gender studies, history, AI, and education to critically explore patterns of exclusion and to promote inclusive narratives.

Objectives:
• To conduct a historical and discursive analysis of the representation of women from ethnic, religious, and socio-economic minorities in European advertising from 1975 to 2025.
• To apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) for identifying recurring stereotypes, forms of symbolic marginalization, and biases in advertising texts and visuals.
• To validate and contextualize these findings through participatory workshops with women from target groups, including Roma, Muslim, migrant, and low-income communities.

SHE-MAP brings together scholars and practitioners from diverse academic traditions—communication sciences, gender studies, education, cultural studies, and management—to jointly address the complex question of how women from marginalized communities are represented in European advertising. The project’s strength lies in its balanced combination of technological tools, critical theory, and community co-research.

Media studies and visual semiotics
Prof. Eduardo Camilo (UBI), a leading expert in advertising semiotics and political communication, will lead the symbolic and historical interpretation of commercial imagery. His work on visual culture and discourse underpins the critical decoding of representation in advertising. Prof. Sónia de Sá (UBI) contributes complementary expertise in gendered media portrayals and narrative construction in TV and print campaigns.

Gender studies and education
Prof. José Antonio Mérida Donoso (UNIZAR), with dual expertise in feminist didactics and social science education, will lead the comparative analysis of visual representation in both commercial media and educational materials. His contribution ensures that research outputs are transformed into educational tools for media literacy and gender awareness in schools and universities.

Business communication and NGO-led education
Assoc.prof. Dana Lupșa (UNITBV), teaching organizational communication, entrepreneurship, and knowledge management, and Fulbright Visiting Professor in entrepreneurial education, brings a unique interdisciplinary profile. As the founder and president of Happy Moms, a non-profit dedicated to women’s empowerment through education and visibility, she bridges academic research with applied communication practice. Her role will include co-coordinating workshops with women from disadvantaged backgrounds and translating, with the team from UNITBV, the findings into educational and public-facing materials.

Business innovation and cultural marketing
Prof. Chiara Giachino (UniTo) contributes a strategic perspective on cultural marketing, sustainability, and digital transformation. Her interdisciplinary research on consumer behavior, brand narratives, and ethical communication will enhance the application of SHE-MAP findings in business and entrepreneurial education. Her expertise ensures that academic outputs are translatable into real-world strategies for inclusive branding and marketing.

Applied research and community-based expertise
PhD. Candidate Mohammad Abu Hanife (UniTo) will conduct participatory research with Rohingya and South Asian migrant women in Italy. With experience as a court interpreter and in refugee support, he brings first-hand access to a vulnerable population often invisible in mainstream research. His input connects empirical analysis with lived experience.

Organizational Theory and Human Resource Management

Prof. Mathias Rossi (Fribourg School of Management, HES-SO) is a senior academic with expertise in organizational theory and human resource management. His research focuses on working conditions, gender equality, and inclusive practices in professional settings. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he leads the Equality and Diversity Office at HES-SO Fribourg, where he oversees institutional strategies aimed at fostering equity and inclusion. Within the framework of this project, he will pay particular attention to the representation and experiences of minority women in professional environments.

Digital methods and critical AI use
Prof. Radu Lixăndroiu (Tranilvania University of Brașov) is a senior academic with expertise in informatics – anayzing large amount of data and using informatic instruments in research and Lect. Nichifor Eliza (Tranilvania University of Brașov) has expertise in using AI/NLP in scientific research. While the project does not aim to develop new digital platforms, it adopts AI/NLP tools critically and responsibly. AI will support pattern detection and assist in structuring data for interpretation, but always in dialogue with qualitative and feminist methodologies. The team will ensure that machine-based insights do not replace, but rather enhance, interpretive and community-centered understandings.

Together, this team weaves together qualitative research, technological insight, grassroots engagement, and pedagogical transformation. SHE-MAP demonstrates how interdisciplinarity can be both a method and a value—essential for inclusive, critical, and impactful research.