Let’s Talk About Femvertising
Did you notice something different about this year’s Super Bowl? No, I’m not talking about Left Shark — I’m referring to the seeming influx of female-targeted ads.
Given that it’s the biggest American sporting event of the year, the NFL Super Bowl drew more than 100 million viewers last weekend, many of whom were in not only for the game, but for the fun commercials. (Or, in some cases, only for the fun commercials.)
But, is it just us, or did the league try really hard to win over female viewers/fans this year? From booking Katy Perry as the half-time performer (a whole separate issue) to running Always’ #LikeAGirl campaign during the commercial breaks, it seems 2015 is the year the NFL decided to put more focus on women. (Of course, this could just be its way of compensating for all the recent anti-women scandals its players have been finding themselves in lately.)
To be fair, the Super Bowl doesn’t mark the first time feminism has been used to sell products. “Femvertising” has been an ongoing advertising trend for decades now, ever since tobacco companies decided to sell glamorous cigarettes to young women in the 1920s. Between Ralph Lauren power suits in the ’80s and modern-day girl-power Dove Ogilvy & Mather’s Real Beauty campaign, it’s obvious companies are fully aware that empowering female consumers sells — and they’re taking full advantage of it.
Look, we get it. With celebs like Beyoncé and Emma Watson claiming the title of feminist, it makes sense that #Brands think of feminism as trendy and something they can capitalize on, particularly when you consider the stats.
According to Adweek, a recent SheKnows Fem-vertising Survey found that 52 percent of women admitted to buying a product because they liked how the marketer and its ads presented women. Furthermore, 43 percent said it made them feel good about supporting that brand.
While some may argue that multinational corporations are essentially profiting off feminism ideals, the real issue is how these ads are executed. Take for example, this Snickers Australia commercial that ran last year, showing construction workers “empowering” female passersby by using compliments to cat-call them.
This is just one of many ads that trivializes sexism and other real life issues women face everyday in the name of consumerism. And while we can’t control how corporations advertise to us, we certainly have the right to voice our criticism when it comes to using feminism for their financial advantage.
Samantha Skey, CRO SheKnows Media and advertising veteran, says this sort of female-positive advertising Always’ ad will continue in the coming years.
“I think we’re gonna keep seeing people changing the images they use. To me this is a positive thing. It’s not something I have a problem with, but it’s not just about advertising, it’s what’s beneath. We have to ask, ‘What are your policies within the companies?’ Otherwise, it’s sort of like this fem-washing (which sounds like douching). Some companies are committed to supporting women, and some are using the social message to benefit themselves.”
As for the Always #LikeAGirl campaign, Skey feels it’s the perfect example of using female empowerment to sell products with balance.
“I thought it was interesting that it left boys out of the picture. I think it’s brilliant. It’s great to see a brand use an artist [filmmaker Lauren Greenfield] as the campaign director,” Skey said.
At the end of the day, there’s a huge benefit in allowing brands to use femvertising.
“I know that when you’re conflating a social message with selling a product, it could feel like they can’t co-exist, but companies have so much of the media space, that we have to let them participate. If we could just put the good stories out there in that space, it would be great.”
So the question is: is femvertising helping the conversation surrounding feminism or are brands just being brands?
