INSIGHTS
- Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London and a proud feminist, launched a marketing campaign called #BehindEveryGreatCity highlighting the contributions and achievements of women in defining cites and making it great.
- Johnnie Walker will donate $1 to nonprofit campaigns for each bottle of "Jane Walker" produced.
- According to a 2018 online survey commissioned by Mattel, 86% of U.S. moms are "worried about the kind of role models their daughters are exposed to".
OVERVIEW
For the past 12 months, there have been many marketing campaigns from distinguished companies that focus on themes such as women's empowerment, ending gender-based violence, women’s contribution to society, and other topics related to gender equality. Below is a list of ten of these campaigns.
1. #ORANGETHEWORLD
Date: November 2017
Market: Global
United Nations (UN) launched the #OrangeTheWorld campaign with the aim of ending violence against women and girls. Gender-based and sexual violence prevents women from attaining their full potential. The color orange is used to symbolize calling attention to various forms of violence. Participating agencies within the UN included the HeForShe campaign and the United Nations Development Program. Some of the campaign's videos and imagery here.
2. #BEHINDEVERYGREATCITY
Date: December 2017
Market: London
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London and a proud feminist, launched a marketing campaign called #BehindEveryGreatCity with the theme that champions the contributions and achievements of women defining cities like London and making it great. The campaign features a video with London women from all walks of life that contribute to the city. The campaign celebrates London's history of women's equality, regardless of age, ethnicity, faith, and background, and calls on the city of London to continue to fight for gender equality.
3. CINDERELLA IN A RALLY CAR
Date: January 2018
Market: Spain
In Spain, Audi released a new campaign that puts a touch of gender equality on a "Cinderella in a Rally Car" theme. It used the storyline of Cinderella and added some new twists: instead of a carriage, she drives a red Audi, and faces Prince Charming in a car race instead of a dance. The campaign was inspired by female role model Michele Mouton, who won the World Rally Championship in 1981, the first woman to ever do so. The campaign challenges gender stereotypes.
4. JANE WALKER
Date: February 2018
Market: Global
The iconic brand Johnnie Walker added a female counterpart to its packaging, logo and advertising campaign. Here's a "toast" honoring the achievements of women towards gender equality. In addition, the company will donate $1 to nonprofit campaigns (like Monumental Women and She Should Run) for each bottle of "Jane Walker" produced. You can see creative from the campaign here.
5. #TOGETHERWEMARCHON
Date: March 2018
Market: Global
This March On campaign, #TogetherWeMarchOn, from Elizabeth Arden focused on celebrating the accomplishments of women and empowering them to continue being forces of change in the world. With this campaign, Elizabeth Arden's "fearless female founder's legacy of advocating for women" continues. The campaign featured a limited edition lipstick, with 100% of the proceeds donated to UN Women to support initiatives for women's empowerment. You can see a campaign video here.
6. JILL OF ALL TRADES
Date: March 2018
Market: Global
For International Women's Day, Etsy released an integrating marketing campaign Jill of All Trades. This campaign includes "digital messaging" where they replaced "man" with "woman" in compound words such as "manmade". 87% of the company's marketplace sellers are women, therefore, the website also added a landing page highlighting female-owned shops in the marketplace.
7. THIS IS OFF THE WALL
Date: March 2018
Market: Global
Focused in India, this campaign from Vans highlights the oppression of girls. It features a 60-second video spot in which young girls in India are taught how to skateboard. In addition, the company hosted skateboarding clinics for women and girls around the world.
8. PARO
Date: March 2018
Market: Global
Coinciding with International Women's Day, HP released a short film about a young Indian girl who realizes her dream of being a writer. It depicts that no matter the background, everyone must dream big and "help every child to follow her dreams". The ad was shot in Calcutta by a female director and was produced by mostly female team. In addition to the ad, HP is partnering with organizations like Girls Rising, Black Girls Code, and Women Deliver in a series of gender equality and girls empowerment initiatives.
9. ROLE MODEL BARBIES
Date: March 2018
Market: Global
Barbie is releasing a new line of dolls, each based on female historical role models, with characters such as Frida Kahlo and Amelia Earhart. According to a 2018 online survey commissioned by Mattel, 86% of U.S. moms are "worried about the kind of role models their daughters are exposed to". This initiative aims to inspire young girls to know and explore their limitless potential through empowering role models that will inspire them. To advertise the new line, Barbie produced a video campaign explaining the purpose of the new dolls.
10. EQUALITY IN ADVERTISING
Date: April 2018
Market: Global
AT&T, a telecom and entertainment company, has made a pledge to include more realistic portrayals of women in its advertising to push gender equality in ads. The company's progress will be measured by the Gender Equality Measure (GEM), which was developed by the Association of National Advertisers to assess portrayals of women and girls in television ads. GEM checks whether portrayals are respectful, appropriate, and depicts positive role model.
CONCLUSION
To wrap up, we have provided ten marketing campaigns from the last twelve months focusing on gender equality and women empowerment, including campaigns from brands such as Barbie, HP, AT&T, and Etsy.