The Potential Pitfalls of Women's History Month

As part of concerted effort to demonstrate inclusiveness, many brands have?incorporated?the celebration of various days, weeks, months and even hours honoring the heritage, awareness, and/or history of various populations into their social media calendar planning . And so besides marking the?start of spring ,?the month of March has become one of these “cultural moments” during which many brands are eager to pay homage to women.?

First celebrated as Women’s History Week by Jimmy Carter in 1980, the celebration grew into Women’s History Month in 1987. That means that for 37 years, women’s contributions have been fêted for just 1/12th of the year. How do women feel about that?

The answer is not so simple, as this month-long celebration of?just over half ?of the U.S. population has drawn?criticism ?over the years for its controversial beginnings (and lingering effects) as a movement?exclusive to white women. Others have pointed out that its existence seemingly positions women?as a mere subset in history . With reproductive rights?set to become?a wedge issue during a fraught election year ,?women today are?wary of the campaigns that brands tend to launch , conscious of the fine line between genuine intent and performativity, which brands often?run the risk of crossing .?

To kick off 2024’s time-boxed month of discourse, Wolverine Boots?launched a campaign ?to add the word?"woman-made" into the dictionary ?with a brand-created?Change.org petition ?to gather signatures in support of the change. [BL1]?The?campaign’s?hero video ?celebrates the contributions of women in the male-dominated fields of construction trades, builders, and makers. But?intent does not always equal impact ,?and so while Wolverine seeks to empower women and perhaps encourage more to enter the skilled trades, the campaign can come off as a rather lukewarm effort, where the messaging takes priority over creating meaningful change for women in the industry and beyond.

Alternatively, another campaign that has generated social media conversations is Reformation's "You've Got Power" ?with none other than?activist and speaker Monica Lewinsky . (The?sustainable fashion brand ?for?"it” girls ?enlisted Lewinsky as the cover woman for their workwear campaign.) In addition to adorning her in their latest collection, Reformation offers a concrete and impactful course of action for consumers to take,?teaming up with Vote.org ?to remind people, and especially women, of their?very real voting power this election year . Alongside the campaign,?Elle 's exclusive story with Lewinsky ?showcases an authentic story of a woman reclaiming her power after being publicly demonized, and?consumers are loving it .

Why it matters:?It all circles back to an age-old question: How can brands genuinely connect with consumers through their audience’s passion points? A brand like Wolverine can launch multiple campaigns championing inclusivity across various social issues, but it will never mean anything to the consumer if the company's messaging doesn’t mirror its own internal practices. After all, studies and polls repeatedly reinforce the notion that female consumers can be?very careful ?about choosing their loyalties, seeking out brands that prioritize representation and actionable moments whenever possible rather than through a cultural-moment post or campaign.

Other news and trends

• Super Tuesday results.?The?saga of the 2024 election year ?came to a pivotal point on?Super Tuesday , when the largest number of states (15 total ) held either their primary elections or their caucuses. Yesterday's results prompted Nikki Haley’s exit from the race, setting up an election rematch between President Biden and Donald Trump. Haley's campaign had? been struggling against Donald Trump's momentum , especially after?the Supreme Court unanimously ruled Monday ?that his name is to remain on the ballot in the states of Colorado and Maine.?
• Meta's global outage.?Tuesday morning, users everywhere woke up to their Instagram, Facebook, and Threads accounts malfunctioning, with?reports spiking on Down Detector ?for all three platforms at approximately 10 a.m. EST. Minutes later,?Meta confirmed the issue ?with a post on its status page assuring people that it was actively working to resolve the problem. The incident brings back flashbacks of?a similar outage taking place back in 2021 , which had disrupted Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for several hours. Meta was quicker to resolve today's interruption, as confirmed by?the company's communications head, Andy Stone, on X ?a couple hours later, though?some commented under the post ?that they were still experiencing lingering errors.
• Gaming and music promotion.?When Universal Music Group?removed nearly its entire catalog ?from the TikTok platform,?it claimed its actions were meant to ?"help our artists and songwriters attain their greatest creative and commercial potential." However,?the decision has only hurt artists so far , preventing them from marketing their music to arguably the largest and most influential social media audience today. Since then, musicians have had to find alternate methods to promote their art, and they have?resorted to the gaming industry ?as an unlikely avenue. Games have been an optimal platform for musicians?in recent years , and they will likely continue being a strong medium for artists to channel.

Contributors: Head of Social Content and Engagement Strategy Cristina Lawrence , Senior Vice President Jerry Lawrence , Group Vice President Andrew McKernan , and Senior Vice President Tammy Pepito .

At Razorfish, we help brands define their higher purpose—the emotional reason why they belong in people’s lives. Ready to find your purpose? Learn more here .