“Feminism,” Despite Its Baggage, Is Worth A Marketer’s Embrace
Coming up with a title for this post was hard. The word “feminist” throws all sorts of people of both genders out of whack, and why would I want to look at how this applies to marketing, anyway?
When I came across Dave Hill’s article in The Guardian, I respected the fact that here was a male with a significant readership who found it worth penning an article to explore how feminist ideals affect and influence both men and women. In it Hill reminds readers that the basic ambitions of feminism were “the release of women from the constraints of gender custom and practice” and that - this is my favorite part:
“…the blurring of boundaries between men’s domain and women’s, between traits we call masculine and those we call feminine, is not a dangerous assault on some sacred natural order but an advance for social justice. It’s about fair play, freedom of choice and enhancing human happiness.”
There are times when I witness in male marketers an underlying resistance to focusing on the women’s segment. It seems to make them a tad uncomfortable. But why? Maybe these men are thinking: “Will going ‘girly’ on this campaign rub off on the rest of the brand’s general marketing?” Or, “Can I, a strong masculine type, really get involved in this discussion of touchy-feely women or should I leave this to the women on my team?” Or, “I don’t get my wife, how can I possibly get women as consumers?
The answers, in case any of you reading this are wondering just those things: 1) Not if you do it well (plus you wouldn’t be going “girly” at all if you did it right; 2) Yes - you need to step in the fray in order to learn and keep the marketing decision-making balanced and honest; and, 3) That’s a cop out on both fronts. You should be fairly motivated to learn more about women - wife and customer both.
Learning more about and serving female consumers need not be a gender polarizing experience. Instead, it can be one that brings the best of all involved to the table. Dave Hill put it nicely near the end of his article: “This is not a matter of asking men to forgo every traditional bond and pursuit in favor of their “feminine side” but of inviting them to see that such distinctions are limiting and largely artificial.”
Opportunity exists when people overcome their personal baggage and face new challenges, such as the women’s market, head on. Feminism as a label certainly carries a heavy load, but what lies therein - “freedom of choice” and “enhancing human happiness” definitely applies to marketing AND can make your jobs a little lighter along the way.
