There seems to be a feeling that this is just "advertisers trying to suck you in." Maybe people don't understand that: Even if advertisers are trying to "prey on what you think," changing to reflect your values is a good thing. Advertisers are trying to get as much money as possible. If they think there's a market out there for people who think that gender roles can be abandoned wholesale that means that there is a large population of people who believe gender roles should be abandoned. That is a change I want to see. Changes in advertising, as lil points out, are symptomatic! This is a good thing!
It is a very good thing, yes! AlderaanDuran gave an example of a woman who was anchored in her views toward gender roles. He also mentioned that even young people might very well have these ideas as ingrained in their minds as, say, the older generations. If more commercials like that Tide and Bounty one I saw are being produced, even if the intent is just simply avarice, they have the added effect of engendering new modes of thought into maturing audiences, which in the long run can help to disestablish centuries' old prejudices. I, for one, am very optimistic about that, as you are StephenBuckley.