We all know the statistics: women control roughly 80% of retail purchases and have enormous buying influence over others. Most marketers are acutely aware of this fact and target women accordingly. Yet many brands still use tired stereotypes and clichés. If we ask the question, ‘Have brands shown more insight into reaching women this year?’ the answer is yes. And no.
The key to effectively marketing to women is intelligence. Women are intelligent creatures, they know what they want and how to get it. Here, we’ll look at three brands and their level of intelligence in reaching women.
Not long ago I saw a commercial for the Swiffer brand floor sweeper. This example promotes an archaic stereotype. In this ad, a female restaurant patron feels impelled to sweep the floor of the establishment after another patron treks through the place wearing muddy shoes. I would absolutely, positively never start cleaning a floor in a public place. The whole premise is preposterous. I can honestly say that as a woman I found the ad condescending and didn’t appreciate its ‘stereotypical’ portrayal of women as the keepers of cleanliness throughout the world.
On the other end of the spectrum is the Huggies Ultratrim brand of diapers (‘no leak is a good leak’). Typically, advertising for this category revolves around a smiling mom who takes care of her nuclear family by ensuring that baby’s diapers are snug, clean and dry. Huggies Ultratrim, on the other hand, doesn’t even refer to the smiling mom. Instead in one spot we see a baby doing laundry, contemplating a nearby leaky pipe. He ends up using his own diaper to quell the leak. How creative! There’s no smiling mom cooking and cleaning for her family; the focus is purely on the benefits of the diaper. Of course it’s far fetched, but the premise is so different from the stereotypical mother imagery that it truly stands out.
In the middle of the spectrum though, are recent ads for Campbell’s soup (starring that less than happy, young, dark-haired lad). The latest spot has mom sporting a pair of her daughter’s jeans because all of her own are in the wash. Here, mom is still in the traditional role of nurturer but she’s an individual; sexy and in control. She’s not defined by household chores, nor burdened by the constraints of labouring over a hot stove or a heavy vacuum. One might even say she’s cool.
Although there are some brands that insist on using the same tired, mother imagery to appeal to women, there appears to be a shift towards portraying women as sexy, intelligent and in control. Truly unique advertising avoids relying on the tired, mother imagery altogether and finds other creative ways to appeal to women.
Kelly Frances is sales and marketing manager for Toronto-based brand and corporate identity consultant Strategies International.
