We can discuss the realities of feminism in the advertising world, but I think this article below will explain it far
better than myself.
The title tells you everything. These are suggested new rules to lure customers to a product, not original rules.
Which means the perception of making the customer believe a preferred brand enhances their lifestyle can
-and does, change.
The currents of the markets need to be monitored and harnessed, hence the vast investments that are made to
take advantage of rising opportunities. The customer must never be made aware that they mean little to the seller
and that the true interest is in the contents of their wallets and purses.
This is why to that cynical space between the seller and the buyer must never be breached, companies want
to be seen as your friend and to be trusted. When in reality, they're simply taking money for their wares.
But if a business virtue-signals a belief system, supports a social movement and ideology that doesn't remove
dandruff or make your underwear sparkle, then they have moved from their comfort zone into an area where
for-and-against opinions reside, opinions that divide people that are also customers.
Today -just as the corporate elite in the futuristic movie 'Robocop' boasted, "good business is where you find it!"
any advertising is good advertising. However it's short-term and when a company announces it's drank the Kool
-Aid of an '-ism', it has to be prepared to go all the way.
Or at least until their product is updated.
better than myself.
The title tells you everything. These are suggested new rules to lure customers to a product, not original rules.
Which means the perception of making the customer believe a preferred brand enhances their lifestyle can
-and does, change.
The currents of the markets need to be monitored and harnessed, hence the vast investments that are made to
take advantage of rising opportunities. The customer must never be made aware that they mean little to the seller
and that the true interest is in the contents of their wallets and purses.
This is why to that cynical space between the seller and the buyer must never be breached, companies want
to be seen as your friend and to be trusted. When in reality, they're simply taking money for their wares.
But if a business virtue-signals a belief system, supports a social movement and ideology that doesn't remove
dandruff or make your underwear sparkle, then they have moved from their comfort zone into an area where
for-and-against opinions reside, opinions that divide people that are also customers.
Today -just as the corporate elite in the futuristic movie 'Robocop' boasted, "good business is where you find it!"
any advertising is good advertising. However it's short-term and when a company announces it's drank the Kool
-Aid of an '-ism', it has to be prepared to go all the way.
Or at least until their product is updated.
Quote:THE NEW RULES OF USING FEMINISM IN MARKETING.SOURCE:
'The international movement against sexual harassment and assault, #MeToo, has increased visibility for the
challenges women face around the world. It’s also raised the stakes for brands who want to engage female
consumers.
In the past two decades, the use of “femvertising”—marketing to women with themes of feminism—has risen
sharply as the modern-day women’s rights movement gains huge popularity. Watershed moments like the
Women’s March have left brands eager to capitalise on the supercharged consumer sentiment surrounding
this topic.
However, feminism (the belief that women should be treated equally to men) isn’t a tagline. It’s a mindset that
has sustained an ongoing and very real battle for women’s equality since the first-wave feminists of the 19th
and early 20th century.
Profiting from these ideals while embodying the opposite is not clever, it’s exploitation.
An early example of femvertising is Dove’s “Evolution” spot, which earned millions of views for the provocative
and unexpected way it used advertising to question society’s standards of beauty. The sentiment became the
basis for Dove’s “Campaign for Real Beauty,” garnering buzz that provided 30X the exposure compared to the
paid-for media space, and helping to sharply increase sales at Dove in the decade after the campaign launched.
Perhaps hoping for a similar outcome, many brands have since jumped on the femvertising bandwagon, seeking
to attract not only female buyers, but Millennial consumers (and their $30T of spending power). More than nine in
10 Millennials would switch brands to one associated with a cause, according to research conducted at the HaaS
School of Business at Berkeley.
Brands also seek the added exposure offered by these feel-good campaigns, which have the right formula to be
shared widely on social channels (they’re often highly emotional and contain messages and stories empowering to
women.)
The sobering side of femvertising
To date, many brands have pumped millions of marketing budget dollars into femvertising campaigns.
On the positive side, they’ve helped to insert positive, empowering messages into the public narrative.
Whereas, historically, many ads have created new insecurities, these reflect ideals of equality.
However, these story arcs are often only used when convenient, and are too frequently only deployed as lip-service by
companies who exhibit less-than-ideal behavior internally.
Some examples:
Dove’s parent company, Unilever, also owns Axe body spray, a brand known for a history of wildly misogynistic
campaigns. The disconnect between intention and action becomes clear when a consumer considers brands
with such conflicting messages (Dove and Axe) side by side.
Fearless Girl, commissioned by State Street Global Advisors, was intended to raise awareness about gender
diversity in corporate leadership. A noble cause! However, State Street recently settled allegations to the tune
of $5M that it paid female and black executives at the firm less than their white, male counterparts.
KPMG’s uplifting video spot about women breaking the glass ceiling stands in stark contrast to its $400M class-action
lawsuit alleging a pattern of gender discrimination, including denying promotions to women and penalizing them for
taking maternity leave.
On the surface, Pantene’s ad encouraging women to stop apologising should be celebrated for its empowering message.
However, in context, there’s inherent conflict in a beauty product’s use of femvertising: women spend $426B a year on
beauty products designed to conceal blemishes, stop aging, lighten their skin tone, and in so many ways change
appearances to fit ideals. And, in a business context, they spend $141B more than their male colleagues, while earning
less—an average of 79 cents to their dollar (if they’re white.)
Audi’s Superbowl ad focused on daughters (an expensive bet on femvertising) centered on the importance of gender
equality as it relates to our daughters. But, consumers responded with criticism, many arguing that this was a
disingenuous move as the brand hadn’t taken a public stance on the issue of gender equality previously in its
marketing. In addition, Audi has no female board members to stand behind its rallying cry.
All this is not to say that these organisations must be perfect examples of gender equality in order to continue to be
successful, however they invite criticism when they leverage ideals of feminism to profit without consideration for
the responsibility they adopt by doing so.
When their own behavior does not stand up to feminism’s ideals, it creates a disconnect between a brand’s intentions,
and its actions–and consumers are increasingly wary of that gap. It’s lip service, and nothing more.
High-risk of exploiting the women’s rights movement
Perhaps most importantly, when brands claim to be stewards of feminist ideals in their advertising, but do not live up
to those ideals in practice, it has a direct impact on the women’s rights movement. There is a very real danger in
companies exploiting feminism’s message without taking action to further the movement by diminishing feminism
to a tagline, or a hashtag, instead of a mechanism to engage in the real, hard work of promoting true equality.
I call this trend in marketing to women “faux-feminism” and it contributes to an illusion of progress. It allows the millions
of consumers who see these ads to believe equality is closer than it actually is, creating a diversity blind spot and
obstructing the progress being made.
When those who have not experienced sexism see these ads, they mistakenly believe the challenges facing women
in the workplace are fixed (or not real in the first place.) A study by McKinsey & Co. found that men are more likely to
think the workplace is equitable; women see a workplace that is less fair and offers less support.
We cannot solve problems we cannot see clearly.
The new rules of marketing to women on a feminist platform
So, in this new era of #metoo and femvertising, there are new rules for marketing to women using the ideals of feminism.
The reasons are two-fold: first, to avoid creating disillusioned consumers who will react strongly against a brand for acts
of faux-feminism, and second, to protect the progress made to-date in the feminist movement, in a time when women’s
rights remain under attack.
I’m not an advocate for all brands to use feminism in their advertising. But, if you’re going to capitalise on the movement,
consider your responsibility first. There are three preliminary guidelines:
1. Think twice–Taking any stance as an organisation on a politically charged or hot button issue is a risk,
which will invite criticism from both supporters and opponents of the issue.
But, it’s more common than ever, as many CEOs are adopting their platform as activists.
As content marketing expert Doug Kessler said, “Think hard about attaching your brand to things that matter
way more than your brand ever could.” There are many avenues your marketing can take.
Think twice, maybe three times, as to whether gender equality is the direction that makes the most sense for you.
Is your product is truly prepared to be a steward for the message you’re promoting? One recent example is Lean
Cuisine, whose campaign surrounding women “having it all” invited loads of social media backlash due to the
history of the brand’s low-fat frozen meal products perpetuating beauty standards.
Ironically, it’s those standards that contribute to the pressure on women to, indeed, “have it all” in the first place.
2. Practice what you preach–Don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk.
Ask the hard questions about how your organisation manifests feminism’s ideals before you stand on this platform.
That means transparently pay women equally to men, demonstrate women leadership at the highest levels of the
organisation and throughout the ranks, mandate supplier diversity, make unconscious bias training available t
employees, provide strong family leave programs, deploy inclusive hiring practices, and most importantly,
stop objectifying women in the marketing of other product lines or business units.
Before you approve this risky move to join the red-hot topic of women’s rights, honestly hold your company up to the
ideals of feminism for scrutiny before you exploit the narrative for your own publicity.
3. Think beyond the hashtag–If you determine that your organisation practices what it preaches, consider what else
you can do to support women beyond the feel-good message of your hashtag. One recent example is Jane Walker,
a campaign from Diageo on International Women’s Day that temporarily changed the Johnnie Walker icon to a
female version (Jane).
On the surface it first seemed like lip-service (like McDonalds flipping its Golden Arches,) but digging deeper, the
company’s dedication to women went far beyond Jane. The company donated portions of the sales to organisations
supporting women’s progress, they joined the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, they boast a vocal, female CFO
who is clear about the importance of inclusion at the organisation, and the makeup of both their board and blenders
is nearly half female.
Final word to marketers
The onslaught of femvertising has created a sense of disillusionment among consumers who are rightfully holding brands
up to the standards of the feminism movement they claim to be part of.
If we can’t hold our organisations up to the scrutiny of true equality, we should never cheapen the movement by exploiting
the narrative. It’s too reckless and there are real consequences. Our society, and our consumers, deserve more.
We can and must do better. Marketing is a powerful force: one with the potential to change ideas and create positive action.
Use that power thoughtfully...'
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.