5W Public Relations released a report called ‘2020 Consumer Culture Report’ highlighting that 71 percent of consumers prefer to purchase from brands that share the same values as they do.
According to the report, consumers are becoming more politically and socially active as a whole. They purchase goods from companies that share their political and social values.
Hence, on this year’s International Women’s Day, iStock shared tips for other brands on doing just that in their marketing campaigns.
Meanwhile, according to Visual GPS, an in-house iStock research initiative, nearly 1 in 2 female consumers expect a company to demonstrate a consistent commitment to inclusivity and diversity in its advertising and communications. Furthermore, almost 8 in 10 women globally agree; they need to buy from companies that celebrate the diversity of all kinds.
“Our research clearly shows that female customers want to see diversity and inclusion in the visuals and brand communications that surround them,” said Dr Rebecca Swift, Global Head of Creative Insights, iStock. “It also shows that they respond positively and in-kind, supporting brands that emphasize diversity and inclusion via their spending power.”
For brands seeking to build confidence with their audience(s), Swift outlined three tips they should keep in mind when selecting inclusive visuals this International Women’s Day, Women’s History Month and beyond:
Keep It Real and Avoid Tokenism
Demonstrate true intersectionality of experiences and perspectives, drawing inspiration from the audiences you’re targeting.
• Ask yourself: Are you using stereotypes to represent women of non-white ethnicities? Are you avoiding stereotypes in terms of setting, behaviour, clothing, etc.?
Authentically Represent Age and Body Type
Be inclusive of people over the age of 50 by showcasing real depictions of older women living full and meaningful lives. Furthermore, forge more significant connections with your audience by going beyond normative, traditional definitions of body types and abilities.
• Ask yourself: Are you showing women over 50 (up to 100!) as content, active and fulfilled?
• Ask yourself: Are you representing women with larger bodies? Shorter bodies? Women with a physical disability? Furthermore, are you selecting imagery that showcases women living full lives?
Stay Away From Visual Stereotypes Based on Gender
Stereotypes around gender remain ingrained in cultures worldwide and are as damaging today as decades ago. Ensure you are proactively taking steps to counteract them by choosing visuals that buck gender clichés and represent the nuanced, varied realities of women and female-identifying individuals everywhere.
• Ask yourself: Are the roles depicted in the imagery you choose equally attributable to women and men? (i.e. who is serving as the caregiver, who holds the perceived “power” in the image, what jobs or functions are they doing?)
The importance of developing a strong brand marketing plan cannot be overstated. Having common values with consumers is one sure way to accomplish this. This assists them in comprehending the purpose of the brand. It also fosters openness and confidence, which leads to increased brand loyalty.
