When Marketing is Detrimental to Women and Girls

When Marketing is Detrimental to Women and Girls

We often look critically at marketing that objectifies or stereotypes women and girls.  It’s tough to keep helping girls and women “unlearn” all that the marketing industry teaches – that a girl must be pretty, thin, sexy, and deferential to be successful in life.

But it’s been refreshing to see that many companies like Proctor and Gamble are taking a different approach – recognizing that strength, resilience, and empowerment are critical lessons for girls as they mature.  New campaigns have followed Dove’s “Real Beauty” (https://youtu.be/Q5qZedMTkkE) and Pantene’s “Shine Strong” (https://youtu.be/p73-30lE-XE) to help the public better understand the real lessons important to girls and  women, as well as those they know, work with, respect, and love.

Proctor and Gamble recently released a remarkable commercial in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (https://youtu.be/MQ3k6BFX2uw?list=PLRyQfUYbMgkcH2fb3dGh2AW9XbS-HXQkj) that pays tribute to the importance of strong women in the lives of successful athletes.

Although there remains much marketing detrimental to women, including the failed beer can quotes, for which the company quickly apologized and pulled from the market, there is a new move toward dispelling the stereotypes society has perpetrated on women (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/29/business/bud-light-withdraws-slogan-after-it-draws-ire-online.html?_r=0)

Check out the just-released Dove campaign “My Beauty, My Say” – https://youtu.be/_XOa7zVqxA4……and know that there is hope for a revolution in advertising.