{"id":1635,"date":"2018-12-05T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-05T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thefreemancompany.com\/sparks\/articles\/metoo-marketing-tips\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T15:49:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T15:49:40","slug":"metoo-marketing-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thefreemancompany.com\/sparks\/articles\/metoo-marketing-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Marketing in the #MeToo Era"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Most marketers understand the significance of women\u2019s purchasing power. The fact that women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing<\/a> doesn\u2019t come as a surprise. But in the wake of the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, strategies for marketing to women are under the microscope. Consumers reject the antiquated approach many brands historically take in their efforts to engage women; they demand a realistic message and a brand culture to match it. As the movement progresses, here are some important things to keep in mind as you market to women in the MeToo age.<\/p>\n

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Sex doesn\u2019t sell<\/h4>\n

Contrary to popular belief, for most women, sex doesn\u2019t sell. Whether it\u2019s at an event or on a screen, MeToo consumers don\u2019t want to see models, but rather role models. They crave authentic representations of themselves<\/a> when it comes to marketing; content and experiences that showcase realistic, inspiring, everyday women. In fact, research finds female consumers are particularly interested in seeing women in traditionally male-dominated fields, like science and engineering. Bottom line: if it\u2019s not relatable, it\u2019s not going to resonate.<\/p>\n

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Messaging and culture must align<\/h4>\n

Businesses that tout women\u2019s empowerment, but, don\u2019t have the company culture to match, lose their credibility. A few years ago, Nike\u2019s CEO expresses that women are crucial to its growth<\/a>, and projects its $50 billion 2020 sales target is dependent on female consumers. But the goal is pushed to 2022 as Nike grapples with the repercussions of promoting itself as a champion of women while its nine-member executive team includes only two women, both of whom hold traditional female roles, rather than operational ones. Regardless of how Nike advertises itself to consumers, its lack of female representation among its decision-makers illustrates how the brand\u2019s culture is inconsistent with its messaging.<\/p>\n

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Understanding your audience is paramount<\/h4>\n

It may sound obvious, but, a deep understanding of what make\u2019s female consumers tick<\/a> is paramount to creating meaningful campaigns that resonate. Belvedere Vodka, for example, relies on three guiding principles in all of its campaigns including \u201cknow your audience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cInternally at Belvedere, we have the benefit of a diverse team. We\u2019re a good example of a team in the Mo\u00ebt Hennessey space that truly has a broad perspective,\u201d says Anu Rao, global director-communications at Belvedere. \u201cThe conversation isn\u2019t just about women. It\u2019s about women of color, people who identify as women and everything in between. Not having a knowledge of those groups and viewpoints will lead to disastrous marketing. We have to understand the conversations that we\u2019re trying to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Technology can be sexist<\/h4>\n

To make progress in efforts to authentically connect with women, marketers must ensure that all aspects of their campaigns are unbiased\u2014including technology. The topic is addressed at this year\u2019s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where presenters discuss the possibility of artificial intelligence emulating human bias, including sexism.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

At the event, Julie Woods-Moss, chief innovation officer at telecom brand Tata Communications, explains that in order to avoid replicating sexism in AI, a vast amount of human-led data is needed. According to Woods-Moss, there should be ways to \u201cconsciously look for this bias\u2014for instance if you start seeing patterns that say \u2018man is the doctor\u2019 or \u2018woman is the nurse.\u2019\u201d The sexist AI issue is not quite solved yet, but as technology continues to advance, smart marketers can do their part and eliminate gender bias in their campaigns.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Ultimately, marketers are obligated to offer more than an empowering tagline or perfectly manicured brand ambassadors to connect with women in this MeToo era. Today\u2019s consumers see through shallow campaigns and tactics. Companies engaging women should dig deeper to genuinely understand and inspire their female target. The fact is, for disingenuous marketing, #TimesUp! <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most marketers understand the significance of women\u2019s purchasing power. The fact that women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing doesn\u2019t come as a surprise. But in the wake of the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, strategies for marketing to women are under the microscope. Consumers reject the antiquated approach many brands historically take in their efforts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trends"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTips for Marketing in the #MeToo Era - Sparks | Your Global Brand Experience Agency<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefreemancompany.com\/sparks\/metoo-marketing-tips\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tips for Marketing in the #MeToo Era - Sparks | Your Global Brand Experience Agency\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most marketers understand the significance of women\u2019s purchasing power. 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