The marketing minefield of International Women's Day
This week we can expect to see a lot of marketing messages around feminism, female empowerment and #EmbraceEquity - the theme of International Women’s Day 2023 on Wednesday.
I’ll be travelling down to London for afternoon tea at the House of Lords with Small Business Britain, as I have been named as one of the UK’s 100 inspiring female entrepreneurs on the #iAlso2023 list by f:entrepreneur. The irony of spending this special day in such a patriarchal environment isn’t lost on me, but that’s a post for another day.
As always with big days like these, lots of brands are rubbing their hands together trying to out-feminist each other in their marketing. This has resulted in some seriously embarrassing campaigns over the years, and in this post I want to share some thoughts on what to watch out for if you’re planning to embrace the spirit of IWD in your marketing this week.
WTF is woke washing
You may have heard of greenwashing - when companies claim to be environmentally friendly in their comms but in actual fact they are contributing to the problem of climate devastation (think pretty much any fast fashion brand selling t-shirts with token slogans like ‘there is no Planet B’).
Woke washing is when a business appropriates a social movement - like feminism or Black Lives Matter - in their marketing to cash in on people’s idealism but take no real action to drive those agendas forward. It means they look good without really doing any good.
And shoppers are cottoning on to these dodgy tactics, particularly in health and beauty. Research by Pull Agency shows 2 in 5 UK consumers think the amount of specifically woke washing and greenwashing is becoming noticeable. Over half think guilty brands appear inauthentic as a result, and 1 in 7 won’t buy from brands that appear to behave in this way.
5 ways to do authentic marketing for International Women’s Day
If you genuinely feel strongly about feminist issues, it’s important to put your head above the parapet even if it feels like you’re painting a target on your back. Because responsible and authentic marketing requires us to be brave.
Here are some ways to ensure your marketing around IWD - or any other cause about which you feel strongly - remains genuine.
Shut up if you’re a man
That sounds harsh, and I’m not saying be quiet if you are an ally speaking in support of women. However, it is important for any marketing activities to centre the voices and experiences of women when putting on events or campaigns for IWD. And when women talk, shhhh, listen, and believe.
Deeds not words
Let the focus be on meaningful actions, rather than selling. This means giving money and support to causes and organisations who work towards women’s rights and gender equity. It might mean looking at your supply chain and seeing where things can be improved. And it definitely means making sure you pay women in your organisation properly - just see how the Gender Pay Gap Bot on Twitter rips apart those that don’t…
Be honest, transparent and accountable
No business is perfect, but your attempts can be. This is where it falls down for so many organisations: when they exaggerate their efforts or make empty promises and they get called out. It’s embarrassing and erodes trust. Instead, be honest and be willing to be held accountable - to hold your hands up and admit you need to do better. Being committed to real change will be what builds trust.
Not all feminism is created equal
This is especially true for white, able-bodied, cis-hetero women like me. Be aware of your own privilege and what intersectional feminism means, and recognise that your experiences are not the same as disabled women, Black women, etc.
Be gentle on people but hard on systems
Kyle 'Guante' Tran Myhre said about white supremacy that it is not the shark; it is the waters. And the same is true of all oppressive systems, including the patriarchy. It is everywhere. It’s in PPE equipment that doesn’t protect women as much as men. It’s in extortionate childcare costs, low-paid care jobs, and in “boys don’t cry” - yes, the patriarchy has a detrimental effect on people of all genders.
How do you as a business address systemic oppression? What are you doing to dismantle these systems of oppression? Where is your activism and advocacy?
This is where most efforts should go - not in what design will look the nicest on a business’s IWD Instagram post or whether to give female employees chocolates or flowers on Wednesday.
Make your feminist voice heard
I appreciate this sounds terrifying, especially in today’s cancel culture.
However, as people who care about others and the world we have a responsibility to use our voices to speak up for change. Maybe you’ve never spoken about this before, but that’s ok. We all had a first time we spoke up about this topic in public. But don’t leave it at that.
Otherwise it’s like the black squares with Black Lives Matter. Those stuck out like a sore thumb on Instagram accounts of brands with a reputation for having all white men in leadership roles and for exploiting supply chains where women aren’t paid fairly. Especially when it was back to business as usual after they made themselves look good on social.
Feminist acts cannot be a one-time thing. Change won’t happen because a handful of people took enormous and bold actions, but because millions of us took small but consistent actions over a period of time.
#EmbraceEquity
The theme for International Women’s Day 2023 is #EmbraceEquity, and if you take just one action for it I urge you to make it this: to understand the difference between equality and equity.
Take it one step further and share what you’ve learned on your social media, ideally alongside an image of you in the #EmbraceEquity pose. You can also submit your image on the IWD website with a message of support.
Like what you’ve read here? There are often feminist rants in my weekly newsletter, out every Sunday. I promise it’s mainly marketing though!