Social Media Marketing of Cosmetic Services in the United States: Examining Gender Disparities

Abstract

IntroductionCosmetic surgery and other elective noninvasive aesthetic procedures have become significantly more popular throughout the 21st century. As these procedures have grown in popularity, more and more Americans have begun to research potential procedures via social media. However, it is unclear whether plastic surgery practices have done an adequate job advertising these services via social media to men. Materials and MethodsA systematic search was conducted Google, Facebook, and Instagram in order to examine potential gender disparities in social media plastic surgery marketing in America. Each practice's Facebook and Instagram profile were analyzed in two separate fashions: the presence or absence of advertisement for male services in the last ten posts, and the proportion of specific procedures advertised.. Two Pearson chi-squared analyses comparing the statistical significance of differences in the Facebook and Instagram data were then performed. ResultsA total of 242 Facebook and 231 Instagram profiles were selected and subsequently analyzed. The number of both Facebook and Instagram profiles that advertised to male patients varied widely from state to state. Additionally, there was substantial disparity in the procedures most heavily marketed toward men and their actual popularity amongst the male demographic. ConclusionsPlastic surgery practices have not done an effective job in capitalizing upon the increased popularity of cosmetic procedures among men with their social media advertising. Although the industry has improved its presence on Instagram, the marketing efforts of plastic surgery practices geared toward capturing the interest and demand of the male demographic remain lacking.