Beginner’s Guide to Feminist Marketing: Feminism & Marketing

In this article, we will understand what feminist marketing entails. Why is it an important phenomenon these days and how important it is for a brand?

“Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it” – George Carlin

 

Where Do We Begin?

Let’s begin where most of us can remember. The strong impactful #MeToo moment.

When one woman stood up for the wrongdoings, many others came forward and put forth their views.

As a result, justice was served.

There was much limelight put on how women were always targeted, exploited, and discriminated against by those who were in powerful positions.

This marked one of the most powerful, impactful, and revolutionary feminist moments in the history of feminism and changed the face of not only the entertainment and media industry but all over the world.

So what exactly is feminism anyway? Many have a strong misconception about this word and many choose to ignore what it means.

So, let’s begin by throwing a little light on what it actually means.

 

 

What is Feminism?

A lot of people have a very strong repulsion against this word.

Do you know why? Because they have a misconception about what it means.

So let me make it clear once and for all.Feminism in no way implies women are meant to be treated superior to men, but it means women deserve to be treated equally as men. Click To Tweet

This concept isn’t about which gender is supreme. It’s about all genders being equal.

Equal rights, equal treatment, and equal respect and consideration. That is what feminism is. 

 

 

How Feminism is Shaping the Marketing World?

feminist ads

It’s no surprise that various marketing and ad campaigns are very seriously considering the feminist factor.

Be it social media, website, google ads, or anywhere else, #Feminism has been successfully viral across all channels.

However, it is indeed a sensitive matter, and companies that aren’t getting the concept of feminism right may face backlash.

For instance, one of the Pampers stores in the US ran a campaign where they sent a Thankyou mail to every parent on Mother’s Day.

However, one of the dads always used to go buy diapers for his kids and his name was registered in pampers directory.

So what did they do?

They sent him a Happy Mother’s Day card too. And they also stated that they saluted him as a mom.

This backfired since talking of equality entailed him to also be treated with respect.

It sent out a wrong message which seemed like they were stereotyping women’s role in buying diapers for their kids.

Naturally, they issued an apology but the issue was brought to the limelight.

Similarly, let’s look at some examples of famous feminism-oriented marketing campaigns and get an idea of what worked for these brands.

 

Examples of Feminist Marketing

 

Example 1. Dove Self-Image Marketing Campaign

When we talk of feminism, one of my favorite winners of all time is Dove.

I’m always left smiling and feeling a little more empowered when I see their ad campaigns.

And one of the ad campaigns that really got to me was the self-love campaign back in 2016.

The ad campaign posted a series of tweets where women mentioned what they disliked about themselves.

So what did Dove do? It showed a simple way to change this.

By merely loving yourself and knowing your worth.

By encouraging each other and lifting each other up.

Full points to dove!

 

Example 2) The “Slap Her” Advertising Campaign

This is another of my absolute favorites. And I think most of you will remember this one.

So this simple ad campaign was a feminist movement to highlight the nature of violence against women.

What did it entail? Simple stuff. A bunch of little boys was asked to slap a little girl.

The reaction? Priceless. All of these boys didn’t go on to slap the girl but were shocked and baffled at the statement.

They proved that violence against women could not be justified as something natural but something that is learned from others.

 

Example 3) The “throw like a girl” advertising campaign

Another amazing campaign by Always shattered stereotypes by the phrase “Throwing Like a Girl”

Here everyone was asked to throw like a girl and guess what? It rocked! (Sorry for the lingo I get excited when an amazing campaign with a great cause shows up.)

Just amazing.

 

 

How Important is Feminist Marketing for a Brand Today?

feminist ads

Today is a different world.

A world where diversity and inclusion reign supreme.

Everyone wants an emotional connection with the brand, and a brand that is inclusive and equal to every customer regardless of gender will win. This is why Feminist marketing is gaining worldwide importance.

More and more brands are now opting to target the feminist audience to become their potential and permanent customers.

Feminism and its influence are visible on many brands these days as more and more people are understanding what it actually means: Focusing on the equality of every being on this planet. Click To Tweet

Moreover, many corporations have a market research team in place just to figure out which section of the women are facing oppression and lack of confidence.

What is done next? The mighty creative advertisers design a campaign that is not only appealing to the masses but also appealing to that segment and the concept of feminism.

 

Best Practices for Feminism Marketing

By now, I am sure your brand is all charged up to bring the element of feminism into your marketing plan of action.

However, before moving forward you need to understand some of the best practices of feminism and marketing you can incorporate.

So, let’s have a look at the points below.

 

Understand About Feminism

Before moving towards the concept of feminism with marketing, you need to first understand what feminism really is.

A lot of people have great misconceptions about the concept of feminism. When they collaborate with this misunderstood notion of feminism in their marketing campaign, the result is disastrous.

If you don’t have a clear understanding of what feminism actually is, you will never be able to effectively incorporate it into your marketing plan to get the attraction of your target audiences.

So, first, take a pause and develop an understanding of this concept.

 

Don’t Just Say It for the Sake of It

Practice what you preach. A lot of times I personally have seen that brands talk too much about their belief in feminism.

They would even go ahead and design a campaign about it. However, their actions prove otherwise.

This is one of the reasons audiences get incredibly put off and switch to brands whose actions match the claims they make.

So, don’t be here and there. Feminism is a very sensitive topic. If you are not matching your actions with your marketing campaigns, you are not going to succeed.

 

Think Again and Again

When we are dealing with sensitive topics like feminism, we have to be very careful about the message that we are sending out to the audience.

This message needs to be uplifting, inspiring, and something that encourages other people to stand up for the equality of men and women.

Similarly, you also need to act responsibly and be vigilant as to the message you are sending out to the audience.

So, think once before making a feminist marketing plan and then work accordingly. How is the audience going to perceive it? What message am I sending out? Is this uplifting or degrading? Answer it all.

This way, you will never run out of targeting the right audience in the right way.

 

Keep it Simple, Compelling, and Relatable

The key to including feminism in marketing is to keep it simple, compelling, and relatable.

You need to inspire the audience with the marketing message you are sending out. However, to inspire you need to understand the actual message that you want to give then target your ideal audiences.

Therefore, you need to keep the tone simple so that people who do not have any idea about feminism also understand and relate to it.

This way you will not only shine amongst the feminist audience but spark a conversation about it in general as well.

 

 

The Growing Concept of FemVertising

femvertising ads

With the growing awareness of feminism, femvertising is growing too.

More and more brands want to relate to their customers and believe it or not, women are constituting a lot of customer base.

The divine feminine energy is rising and thriving.

Thus it is imperative for brands to keep up and be inclusive of women and their perception in their marketing campaigns.

Moreover, inclusive brands will not only spread positivity, awareness, and empowerment to women, they’ll also leave a lasting impact on the world if they play their cards right.

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But Where Does a Brand Draw a Line?

Now, this is a tricky part.

Many brands claim that their ideologies are highly feminist and empowering on paper, but when the execution comes, it’s a sad sight to see.

They often do not live up to the expectations of the target audience and it backfires.

This is called faux feminism. And trust me you don’t want to be the one to preach this.

So brands need to be very careful. They need to decide whether they’re actually believing in the concept of feminism or just creating marketing campaigns for the sake of it.

Moreover, if they’re really the latter one then it won’t last long and you’ll be losing customers rather than gaining any.

 

Key Takeaway: Feminist Marketing

Feminism is here to stay. It’s thriving and the reach is increasing.

More and more people are now believing deeply in the concept of feminism and are passionate about the concept.

This is why strong brands need to design specific and positive marketing ad campaigns.

This will not only empower women but also increase the goodwill of your brand.

Wondering how to make the most of the feminist marketing for your brand? Feel free to reach out to us.  We are a Brooklyn, New York-based marketing and advertising agency.

Till then, love and respect each other. We are all projections of the same higher self. Let’s treat each other like that.

 


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