KOM SOM DU ÄR. En semiotisk analys av Försvarsmaktens filmkampanjer utifrån ett genusperspektiv

Abstract

In recent decades, the Swedish Armed Forces have undergone major changes as gender neutral. Men and women must fight side by side for the motherland as equals. This new conscription creates new challenges for the Swedish Armed Forces communication when both men and especially women are desired to join them. The new conscription creates new challenges for the Armed Forces' communication when both women and men are now to be recruited as conscripts. The armed forces today use brand communication with the aim of recruiting more women to the authority, moreover in a time where there are strong norms and values around gender equality. The purpose of the study is to investigate how these new gender values are expressed in the Swedish military’s campaigns. To investigate the purpose of the study, I have with a semiotic method analyzed the communicative and visual messages in the campaigns to examinate the gender equality factors. Earlier studies show how Swedish authorities work with their brand. The strategic branding is in the interest of the communicator, but also for the public values - such as issues related to gender in this case. There are also some studies that deal with issues related to employer branding and women's perceptions of companies that use a more feminist approach. However, this study will not be based on consumer perceptions, nor will it study private or for-profit organizations. This study will examine brand communication from a gender perspective, to see which messages and values can be found in campaigns that are specifically aimed at women. This, in turn, can increase understanding of future communication efforts, especially within authorities. The theoretical framework for this study is covered by genderstereotypes, femvetising and semiotic theory. The result of the study is that the armed forces apply femvertising in their film campaigns and the result shows that they are linking their brand to oppositional gender stereotypes. However, one sees tendencies towards women contributing softer and men harder values. The study is written in Swedish.