Society’s Changing, Are You?

We’ve been sharing our taboo research insights for a year now, and it’s clear that change is here. It’s always been here in moments like Courtney Cox saying the word period in a tampon commercial, blue liquid disappearing to make way for red liquid resembling menstrual blood, and ads representing women as more than homemakers and mothers. It’s not a matter of if but what progress we pursue now.

Sure, there are growing pains as revolutionaries and everyday women alike push for a more inclusive, progressive society. Who can forget the “femvertising” pseudo-empowerment of the 2010s? Advertisers certainly have a lot of misses under their collective belts. Women will keep pushing for advertisers to get it right. We’re moving forward with or without brands because, as our research shows, plenty of women are unapologetic about creating the world they want to live in.

We’ve talked about advertising’s many failures (past and present) to represent women accurately, authentically, and with respect. We’ve shared key insights from our attitudinal segmentation research that give brands a front-row seat to what women think and feel about advertising and taboo products and services.

You’ve had the opportunity to see and hear women through our research. What will you do with this knowledge?

We’re on the cusp of a new era for women. Imagine what can unfold when advertisers finally recognize the power women have. Let’s put those ad dollars to good use.

Brands are the new religion.

Religion has been in decline for decades, and more and more brands are becoming part of the fabric of women’s lives, a source of truth in our society. Brands are uniquely positioned to influence society, especially since women are receptive to and seeking support from brands. Like religious organizations, brands have the power to push for new legislation, establish standards of behavior, and facilitate conversations about what matters in life.

Think of the impact a brand can have on a woman. How many women are brought to tears when a brand dares show women in ads that look like them? Inclusion is the new normal, and we’re here for it.

Even the seemingly small act of a sexual health and wellness brand posting a blog about how to use and care for your new sex toy can unlock new forms of pleasure, giving a woman her first orgasm or improving the ones she already has. Imagine if that blog post could be promoted so more women who could benefit from seeing it actually did.

A financial advising company can offer expert advice by and for women that can help countless women achieve their financial goals: wealth building, early retirement, home ownership, charitable giving, legacy building, and more.

A company that makes aging products can be a prominent, assertive presence on social media, reducing stigmas and abolishing shame for women who need to feel a sense of autonomy as their lives change.

Brands today can transcend simple product or service advertising. It can go beyond business. Brands can be changemakers, catalyzing our forward momentum. Your brand can join countless others in sparking meaningful change for the women in your audience.

If you remember anything, remember this.

As we wrap up our taboo research blog series, we want you to take the following top ten insights with you as you continue your advertising work. These core insights illuminate the relationship between women and the advertisers that target them, and they foretell the next era in advertising. The days of pandering, misrepresenting, ignoring, and stereotyping are over.

1. Two in three women (Boundary Pushers and Female Favorers) are highly motivated by equality, social change, and women’s rights. That’s most women. MOST! You’re quickly losing the option to ignore women’s issues in your advertising. Hell, it’s already gone.
2. One in three women (Brand Approvers) believe brands recognize women’s buying and decision-making power, represent a diversity of body shapes and sizes in their marketing, and understand the perspectives of women under 30 and over 40. Younger on average, these women respond positively to women-centered brand marketing. Perhaps brands targeting Gen Z women are changing the tides.
3. One in three women say advertising is always or almost always performative. Another one in two think it’s performative about half the time. You’re not fooling anybody with your misguided ads. Do the work if you want to reach women.
4. Boundary Pushers and Female Favorers are significantly more likely to feel patronized, misunderstood, and minimized by ads targeting women. These are not the feelings you want to evoke in your ads. Time for a pivot.
5. One in two women believe women in midlife are portrayed inaccurately in ads to some extent. Ideally, we’d like that number to be zero, and 50% tells us some advertisers are still getting it wrong. Are you one of them?
6. Brand Approvers are significantly more likely to say women in midlife are “for the most part” portrayed accurately. These younger women might just believe what brands are telling them about women in midlife, setting them up to have misperceptions and misunderstandings. Who is that helping?
7. Women want brands to drive social change. Boundary Pushers, in particular, believe brands carry responsibility for discussing sensitive issues, and both Boundary Pushers and Female Favorers believe brands need to move society forward. You have power. You have responsibility. Now, it’s time for brands to walk the walk.
8. Women want advertising that’s more anatomically and physiologically accurate. They’ve suffered decades of the aforementioned blue liquid, euphemisms, and body shaming at the hands of ads. Show blood in your menstrual product ads—most women are cool with it. Call it a period or menstruation. Be real and show women’s lived experiences. We promise it will get you in their good graces.
9. Women want to support brands that involve women in the process—leadership, product design, and customer feedback. It’s the ONLY way to ensure your product/service will actually resonate with women.
10. One-third of women contribute 100% of their HHI. Women are in a vastly different financial position than a few decades ago, and many brands are missing the spending power half the population holds.

Join us in the new era of woman-forward advertising.

It’s a matter of showing up or being left behind. Try, make mistakes, and work to improve. We’ll admire you for the sometimes messy process since it’s the way forward. When we conduct research again, we’d like to see some of these percentages change. So we can track the progress and report to all of you that we’re walking the walk as an industry. We can show women we listened.

Ask yourself what you stand to gain (or lose). Women have incredible buying power and are willing to be loyal to brands they connect with.

When we recognize women’s inherent power, it’s brighter on the other side for all of us. To our future collaborators, we can’t wait to change society with you. Our research is just a start—imagine what we can do when we harness the power of women’s voices in your ads. Unstoppable. Revolutionary. A new world. For brands. For women. For everyone. Are you ready? Contact us at [email protected] .