There are many campaigns that still speak to them from a male perspective, but… spoiler alert! Women do not expect to see specifically female communications. In fact, according to the same Havas Group study, only 10 percent want advertising directed directly and explicitly at them. In reality, the study maintains, what women expect is inclusive communication in which gender roles do not exist and, not least, betting on this perspective away from stereotypes would allow brands to improve their image to by more than 80 percent.
Little by little, companies are becoming more aware of the need for more inclusive and integrated communication, and those that are not capable of reflecting this reality will lose relevance, will tend to disappear, because today it is not just about product/price. , the consumer needs brands with purposes and values that are relevant and of interest to their lives.
So, it is worth asking: is support for issues such as diversity or gender equality, by brands, a real commitment? The reality is that any firm can have its own discourse in favor of equality between women and men, but it is necessary to go further. It requires a concrete and active commitment that, in many cases, creates discomfort because it forces you to leave your comfort zone. But if brands, and even us as communication professionals, do not feel uncomfortable with what we do, it is possible that we are not questioning things as we should.
In this sense, as explained Cintia Gonzalez Oviedo CEO of the agency Bridge The Gap “A huge risk today is to treat diversity or gender issues as if they were a staging (…) Managing gender issues as ‘political correctness’ leads nowhere (…) let’s not forget that (…) always it is about people and their dignity. Let’s not lose focus (…) “.
Social networks, for their part, have also proven to be useful in cases such as sexist advertisements, since many unfortunate campaigns have been withdrawn due to pressure on networks from audiences that show no mercy to brands that join the cause of gender for reasons cosmetic or femiwashing.
An example of this was that of Brahma beer, which a few years ago, in Argentina, was accused of being “machista” for the advertising of its Brahma Lime product, receiving strong criticism on social networks that forced the company to apologize and remove the part.
Today is not about update old formulas and continue standing still in marketing campaigns for women, but to begin to travel communication in feminine, a communication that does not exclude men but, on the contrary, includes them in this journey. It is a way of communicating, making visible and opening femininity to multiple meanings; and this type of communication benefits brands because it builds loyalty and attracts the attention of potential consumers. As the report explains “femvertising”, prepared by the platform she knows52 percent of those surveyed said they bought a product because they like how the brand reflects the female figure.
In short, times have changed and the role of women too. As I told you in a previous column, today consumers are paying more and more attention to what companies say and do, therefore, the challenge will be to understand and adapt with honesty and commitment to this new reality: that of working for communication inclusive and without stereotypes.