Five years have passed since the Audi advertisement, which compared finding a vehicle to finding the perfect woman, and Protein World asked women “Are you ready for the beach?”. This question earned them severe backlash for body shame.
In the years that followed, a steady stream of similar messages was placed in advertisements. This has helped to raise even more alarm.
Elespacio thinks of three things when brands put out fancy ads. Either they care about change, believe that businesses can succeed by doing right, or they just want to make a buck.
The advertising industry still faces the same problems. Our curious minds (which are 63% female-identifying) couldn’t help wondering about the many brands that still need to clean up before they launch pro-feminist campaigns.
Bias: Don’t fake it, break it
Elespacio set out to find brands that can drive advertising in a positive way for gender equality. Others were quick to grab the purple banner for women’s empowerment and then put it down as well.
Elespacio is not one to be ashamed of, but she loves to dig into ads to find out the truth.
Brands that have responded to the #BreaktheBias call for action are those who invest in feminist campaigns outside of March to support a world where gender equality reigns supreme.
Elespacio collected some campaigns worth sharing that move the needle toward diversity and equity.
Lego isn’t playing when it comes to breaking stereotypes
Lego, a long-standing champion of imagination and creativity, has created a platform that they can use to break gender stereotypes and encourage girls to follow careers in male-oriented industries.
The brand launched “Ready for Girls” last year. This empowering campaign calls on society to change the way they see the world for girls and encourages them to re-make themselves to be more like the world.
The brand celebrated International Women’s Day this year by recognizing the significant contribution women have made to design with their LEGO Developer Stories.
The brand is more than just lip service to female empowerment. They have joined forces with organizations that support the next generation in women’s design.
Hershey’s offers something sweet and simple
Hershey’s has had a difficult time with diversity. However, the brand recently launched initiatives to break down barriers and create a more inclusive workplace that pays equal wages for all genders.
The Celebrate She campaign by the brand highlights three letters at the center of its iconic name: SHE.
Although it’s a fun, colorful reminder about the impact women have, Elespacio cannot help but feel that it fails to reflect Hershey’s “goodness”, which is more than delicious products. A stronger strategy and a brand that packs more punch would have been better for the brand.
Dove dives into the real beauty of diversity
Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign was launched in 2004. Dove is well-known for breaking down bias through advertisements that show all kinds of bodies and ethnicities.
To break the bias, the brand launched its #StopTheBeautyTest campaign this year. It was a call to women to share their stories, and celebrate all forms, colors, sizes, and shapes of beauty.
Elespacio likes the way that the brand advocates for change, but also provides quantifiable measures of its success. Its #DoveSelfEsteemProject is committed to empowering 8 million young people by 2024 by providing a host of evidence-based resources on self-esteem, and its #NoDigitalDistortion pledge also takes action to reverse the damage of retouching apps.
Realize the truth
Likely, female empowerment is not something brands would invest in in a world where money is king.
Did Elespacio hear someone scream “not all brands” Maybe, but it’s admirable that brands want to make a difference?
Brands are aware that advertisements that portray women in non-stereotypical roles significantly outperform those that consumers perceive as less progressive.
Unilever, Dove’s owner, found that forward-thinking advertising results in 37% greater brand impact and 28% more purchase intent. Kantar research found that brands with a gender balance in the UK are worth on average PS1 billion more than brands that are skewed towards men.
Women want to be reflected in advertisements as authentically as possible, so they spend their money accordingly.
Money talks and women talk back
Advertising needs to catch up. Women control the purse strings of $31.8 Trillion in global spending. However, only 29% of women believe that advertising accurately portrays women.
Brands live in fear of making mistakes, but it’s this healthy fear that drives people and brands to be better.
Join The SeeHer movement to help brands make their values a reality.
This unprecedented alliance of media companies, marketers, agencies, and media companies aims to harness the collective power and influence of the entire media and marketing in the New York ecosystem. It is “business people on a business mission to create a better world”.
GEM(r) is the core of the movement. It is the first data-driven method for identifying gender biases in media. It is now the global standard for gender bias measurement, having been used to quantify 180,000+ ads.
Brands see huge results from positive GEM (r) scores. This means that ads with positive GEM (r) scores increase purchase intent by 42% in total and female consumers. While positive ROI linked to high GEM (r) scores increases sales by two to five folds.
These metrics provide a way for brands to navigate the world of cancel culture and avoid potential marketing pitfalls by providing measurable metrics.
