by Nicole Ertas
What started as the Campaign for Real Beauty by Dove, has been growing like a vine and changing many of the ways brands are relating to women. As Millennials continue to exert their spirit and force in recreating the world we live in, modern brands are either stepping up or getting left behind. And nowhere can this be seen more than in how brands are changing the way they relate to women.
Women have been marketed to for decades in ways that have been inauthentic to how we really feel and what we really need. It is only now, as we look back, that we can see how women have had to live within a brand culture that didn’t authentically represent us.
Now, as brands are increasingly held to a higher standard of authenticity, female-targeted brands, as well as more generally targeted brands, are coming out of the woodwork with a whole new way to talk, innovate, connect and interact.
Welcome to the Age of Real.
On this side of the gender divide, a revolution is underway in how brands are now courting us. For over 50 years, consumer product companies directly targeted women, but only now, are women’s real needs and actual points of reference being embraced by modern brands.
The table has been set for authenticity and self-expression, and with that, an unprecedented wave of no-filter, female-centric communications has emerged as a big and welcome change to the way women will be marketed to.
The landscape has shifted so quickly, it’s hard to believe how recently we were still being served up 1950’s-style communication that painted a picture of women that was never really real (even in the ‘50’s!). In fact, the bulk of female-targeted advertising is still talking to a woman who simply doesn’t exist.
What we’re seeing is an ongoing explosion of “real,” including honest emotion, “behind-closed-doors” straight-talk, and a revolutionized portrayal of female power.
Real Solutions
Until now, lingerie for women was more like women’s lingerie for men. Now we’re seeing brands for women that are moving away from selling sex and towards being honest and insightful about what women really need.
Isn’t it amazing to think that even today we use the descriptor “nude” to describe a skin color? Naja lingerie has recognized that what we consider “nude” is singularly appropriate for a narrow portion of women’s skin tone, and has launched a line of bras that offers seven shades of “nude.”
American Eagle’s, Aerie Lingerie line launched its Aerie Real campaign with a commitment to only present models as their natural selves, with no retouching. Me Undies line of underwear for both for men and women, offers a fun, aspirational line of undies, committed to comfort and sustainability.
Real Emotion
Retailer Kit and Ace, founded in 2014 by former Lululemon Athletica lead designer, Shannon Wilson, released a most unexpected, but uniquely compelling holiday ad, linking the retailer to authentic emotions not uncommon for the holiday season: anxiety, stress and depression. An unanticipated but welcome twist for a fashion brand at a time where happy holiday attire might be more in line with conventional advertising wisdom. This ad was not your typical cup of cheer. But the brands that can be open and honest in striking resonant chords will win with consumers who continue to embrace a more raw, honest view of the world around them.
Real Power
Watch out for an avalanche of feminism redefined. The old-school feminist territories are being reimagined. H&M’s “Like a Lady” ad is strong and sexy, yet totally untraditional in the way “sexy” is portrayed. This overdue, re-coding is serving the up-and-coming young woman who simply doesn’t face the same challenges or engage in her world the way her fore-sisters did.
The Real Deal
“Done is better than perfect” is the insight that led to the explosion of Chatbooks, the turnkey photo-book for the mom who doesn’t consider herself the “freak mom,” spending hours toiling over photobooks.
“Making photobooks sucks … designed for moms with free time … imaginary moms.” The brand delightfully demonstrates how hard a mom’s job is, while honestly and hilariously dishing out her real feelings on the matter in a way we all can directly relate to.
When Millennials entered parenthood, a small site called Babble tapped into real, new-mom sentiment. Babble’s mission statement said directly:
“We can’t find a magazine or community that speaks to us as new parents. Every publication we encounter presents procreation as a cute and cuddly experience, all pink and powder blue, at best an interior decorating opportunity, at worst a housekeeping challenge. None of it is true to the experience we are having.”
Babble grew to win major awards as a top website, and was since acquired by Disney. The site exposed what had been hidden sentiments about parenting. Subsequent brand campaigns have seized on this new permission to expose old clichés and question long-held standards and expectations.
For example, Tommee Tippee (maker of baby products) began telling new moms to take all that unwanted parenting advice they’re getting and wipe their baby’s butt with it. “Take a Deep Breath and Trust Yourself ” #ParentOn. And formula-maker Similac put itself in the explosive mommy crosshairs of the breastfeeding-versus-formula debate, beautifully anesthetizing the conflict and re-opening the door for formula acceptance, a brave move, especially during the climate in which it launched.
More and more, we’re seeing big brands embrace the authentic spirit of what once were taboo topics. THINX, “period underwear,” broke the mold by actually using the word “period.” Even in 2010, when the brand originally launched, it circumvented the word by promising to keep you “covered every day of the month.” Hint, hint.
In a November 5, 2016 interview with Allure Magazine, Thinx cofounder Miki Agrawal spoke of the company’s shift in marketing strategy. “In May of 2015, we brought in a new creative team and decided together that we didn’t want to say ‘time of the month’ or dance around the issue anymore, we decided to say ‘period’ and say it loudly and proudly. If we, who own a period-proof underwear company, can’t talk about periods without a sense of shame, how can anybody?” Now the advertising has done a complete 180, gaining the support among females who no longer want to speak in code around topics that are central to being a woman.
And look at the world of bathroom air fresheners. Rather than continuing the staid and stale communication you might expect from a traditional air freshener, PooPourri gleefully attacked the problem head-on, woman to woman.
Shock value and humor aside, PooPourri understood the female consumer like many of the big brands didn’t want to. And the direct and honest communication led to a huge payoff: overnight the brand rocketed from unknown to topping 6 million views and hasn’t slowed down yet. No more delicate innuendo or cute, kiddie potty talk. This brand knows its world, knows itself, and feels no shame.
The “Real” Backstory:
Where it all Began
Boomers were a generation most known for their activism, fueled by a distaste for war, dirty politics, inequality, and injustice. Then, it was Watergate, civil rights, and women’s liberation. Mini-skirts, burning bras, and the pill: Feminism was born.
It’s no surprise, then, that their children have carried this value forward with a vengeance. As change-makers in the digital age, Millennials are known as the Alpha Influencers. Their protests take a different form than the protests of the past. They are savvy at building communities to generate momentum. They are the Wiki generation.
Working parent Boomers raised their Millennial children in team environments from a very early age. Millennials have been in constant contact with others their whole lives. Even the explosive gaming cohort is often geared toward the team mentality versus the individual. This generation has an enormous capacity to work together across digital channels to mobilize and influence change.
When Millennials came of age, banks were embroiled in scandal, social security headed towards bankruptcy, and the American dream of home ownership began to fade. Growing up, they bridged two centuries and witnessed imploding economies and seemingly never-ending wars. Terrorism flourished and they never really knew life without security lines and cameras.
As a result, Millennials’ trust issues reign supreme. This generation doesn’t want to relinquish financial control to any large institution or government and wants to depend on themselves. Their appetite is piqued for transparency, authenticity, and honesty; these are among the most critical measures of which brands they’ll choose to accept and which they simply won’t.
Millennials are more influential than any generation before them and have demonstrated they will use social media to reshape how the world should work according to their values.
Emboldened by their parents, Millennials are increasingly reinventing everything from workplace culture to parenting. No longer defined by demographics, cultural norms, ethnicity, or physical proximity, Millennials relate by ideals and inspiration. They fully expect to rewrite rules, redefine standards, and drive trends.
So, whether you’re building a personal brand or a business, or simply expressing yourself socially and economically: authentic expression is your most compelling touchstone. Liberate from what should be said or done; it’s now time to go deeper. Find and follow what defines your authenticity.
This is the new, powerful moment for our passion and our voice.
Say “Hello” to the Age of Real.
About the author:
Nicole Ertas is a recognized global brand strategist, author, and speaker who has helped build many of the world’s finest and most powerful brands. Her thinking has been embraced by companies such as Beam Suntory, Wrigley, SC Johnson, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Johnson & Johnson, General Mills, Kraft, and Nestle. Nicole’s success in global innovation and brand leadership gained her recognition in Forbes and The New York Times, as well as selected to be one of Crain’s Chicago 40 Under 40. Her book, Free Range Brands, will be published in January. Follow Nicole on Twitter @freerangebrands or subscribe to her newsletter by visiting http://www.freerangebrands.com/