Nothing brand new as companies pitch Women's Day marketing campaign

Special shows, freebies, discounts, and ads espousing empowerment, but is there more that brands can do for women?

Liberating women or celebrating them? Commending them for their multi-tasking skills and empathy or for being bold to choose what they do and wear? Pick your theme this Women’s Day, as advertisers scramble to get their messages across. 

Alpana Parida, MD of brand consultancy DY Works says, “In category after category, we see a lot of lip service in terms of campaigns or initiatives. However, I do not see a genuine design of products and services, which are around women.” 

While there have been stray attempts, it has not moved beyond a single feature or a video communication for most brands. Srija Chatterjee, MD, Publicis Worldwide says, “It is important that brands move beyond just video content. How do you have impactful communication that changes mindsets, I think that will be key in this age of #Metoo.”

Kantar group, a global consulting firm finds in its report on gender (Adreaction: Getting gender right) that marketers, globally, think they are avoiding gender stereotypes. But more female marketers think the industry is still missing a beat. And marketers in India appear to be targeting women led more by stereotypes.

Most experts said that there ought to be a deeper dive into the subject. There is a need to call out mindsets and attitudes and think beyond words. Parida says that it is worth marketers’ time to give thought to this cohort, which is a powerful one and also one that is deciding not just for the family, but also for themselves. 

Gender targeting is a nuanced walk and most brands are unable to strike the right balance. Take the traditional views on decision making that advertisers work with, typically women are believed to hold sway for household products and men for financial services and automobiles. These are porous walls and in many homes, couples look at big purchases together. The Kantar study says, “It should not be an either/ or decision. Even  categories which are perceived to be female dominated, males do play a key role in decision making and vice-versa. The same should be reflected in media plans and creative.” 

Brands also struggle to get the tone right for women. Discounts and sales or adding a shade of pink to the packaging are what most campaigns are  about. And this ends up turning women off rather than gaining their buy-in. Consumers are averse to stereotypical portrayals of women finds the study by Kantar. Yet marketers tend to think inside pre-fabricated boxes when it comes to advertising. For instance, the study found that globally ads featuring women tend to be more serious than those with men although humour is equally appreciated by all genders. 

(With inputs from T E Narasimhan in Chennai)