Femvertising: How Brands Capitalise on Equality

October 16, 2023

This article is published as a collaboration of Mandonna with BGL Socials, we encourage you to read till the end to know more about their work.

Femvertising is a marketing practice wherein brands promote themselves using feminist messages. Femvertising, as a term, might be unfamiliar to many, but almost everyone has encountered brands that are selling themselves in the name of feminism. This reflects two things about the contemporary mindset: first, the general audience would not tolerate explicit sexism, and second, gender equality has become a commodified concept.

A few decades ago, we could only imagine detergent brands selling themselves to a target audience that was mostly female. “Washing Powder Nirma” was so successful as a campaign that you would hardly encounter a millennial who would not have the Nirma song memorised by heart. A fast transition to today’s day and age would lead us to evaluate brands such as Ariel that have promoted their detergent under the campaign “#ShareTheLoad”, trying to bridge the gender gap in the household sphere. The advent of Femvertising has seen a mixed response.

While many have applauded brands that have tried to build a narrative of inclusivity and equality as opposed to traditional sexism, others have criticised the brands for promoting a culture of hypocrisy through their advertisements and company practices.

In today’s capitalist world, Individuals are always potential customers for one brand or another. Individual interest is constantly quantified and catered to. Thus, advertising plays a key role in advancing or changing people’s mindsets. Against sexist, exclusive advertising campaigns that belittled women and their role in society, the new media’s understanding of women’s rights and inclusion is a fresh change.

The following example of Bournvita’s Ad Campaign illustrates the change brands have adopted towards women’s rights.

This old Bournvita ad can be compared to a recent Bournvita ad released during Women’s Day that centres around the issue of women’s health and the necessity for women to prioritise their well-being.

What's the Issue?

While this positive change in brands’ approach towards feminism and women’s rights can be applauded, it also needs to be critically assessed. Brands that have taken pride in their sexist ads for ages have shown a 180-degree turn in their ideology. This relatively new awareness of inclusivity makes one question whether the brands that are engaging in the practice of Femvertising really believe in the issue. These questions are genuine and important as they help us assess the underlying hypocrisy of the big brands that may talk about equality on Women’s Day but would shun actualising equality in their workspace. Moreover, while these marketing tactics may promote gender equality and women’s empowerment, their products and services may not always guarantee the same. Lastly, even while Femvertising, brands end up promoting messages that do not necessarily empower women and instead subtly contribute to their disempowerment. The problem of Femvertising can be analysed through the following distinct lenses:

Firstly, while brands have opted for a positive re-imaging of their brand with the aid of feminist messages, their practices in their work environment have not always reflected the same. Thus, these brands profit from the very ideology that they do not embed in their work culture. Whether women have equal pay, maternity benefits, or protection against abuse, women in leadership positions are some easy pointers to analyse a company’s dedication to the issue of rights. If they don’t seem to protect women’s rights in their workspace, then their idealistic stand in advertisements comes off as hypocritical. For example, H&M has actively promoted gender equality in their products and their advertisements. The following are examples:

The Advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaDn7LihCkc

The description of the advertisement on Youtube clearly states “ We’re taking a stand for gender equality.”

The product:

Countering this narrative comes a shocking insight into the lives of women workers in the H & M garment industry, who are subjected to violence and other inequalities. The report published by Global Labor Justice sheds light on how a systematic pattern of gender-based abuse survives in the industry: ” The experiences of gender-based violence in H&M garment supplier factories documented in this report are not isolated incidents. Rather, they reflect a convergence of risk factors for gender-based violence in H&M supplier factories that leave women garment workers systematically exposed to violence.” The discrepancy between what a brand preaches and what it practices is important to our social economy.

Secondly, brands may use feminism as a marketing tactic for the sale of products or services that contribute to gender stereotypes and expectations. In doing so, they are not helping tackle the issue of gender inequality but instead perpetuating it under the cloak of feminism. Such campaigns complicate the attitude the audience is supposed to presume and thereby also add further layers to the issue of sexism in the marketing industry.

Take, for example, the following advertisement by Oriflame:

While the Ad itself is problematic in its attempt to justify the unequal distribution of housework by putting it under the category of “Superwoman”, overall it seems to portray a positive attitude towards gender equality. Interestingly, Oriflame is known for its skin-brightening creams that target women with darker skin tones and perpetuate stereotypes of the standards of beauty expected in society.

This reflects how brand campaigns and brand products are completely different; further highlighting the hypocrisy involved in such campaigns.

Thirdly, while these advertisements, on the face of it, seem to promote gender equality they often end up promoting subtle misogyny. Probably only few ads exist that are void of any gender stereotypes; however, the ads referred to here are far from realising the actual meaning of gender equality. The previous Oriflame advertisement is a point in case wherein the protagonist struggles with her everyday chores and no attempt is made to take the burden off her shoulders. Instead, she is to be satisfied with the glorious title of “superwoman.”

Similarly, another ad is the one by the brand Biba wherein the clothing company challenges the issue of dowry, but not in an entirely healthy way. Of course, the voice to tackle the idea of dowry has to be that of a man, while the woman either propagates dowry or is silent on the same. Moreover, the issue of dowry remains rooted in the fact that women are seen as commodities (or liabilities) to be exchanged in marriage, and that idea remains unchallenged.

The three points demonstrate how brands employ hypocritical practices in order to build a positive image for themselves. They do this because consumers buy it. For example, Swiggy launched a digital campaign with the hashtag “Desi Masala”, aiming to change the results of the Google search “Desi Masala”. The campaign resulted in wide participation among people, leading them to engage with the idea of feminism and the brand Swiggy simultaneously.

Crouse Dick, a communication professor, explains, “This portrayal of independent freedom of choice— a feminist ideal— has been fused with images of sexuality, thus teaching women to see themselves as sexual objects because it accommodates their liberal interests.” Women continue to be commodified under the cloak of feminism. These ideas reflect the interests of capitalist society and therefore force us to evaluate where we stand amidst the many intersections. Women, as individuals with rights and voices, should not be complicated subjects to represent in ads. Campaigns that are able to promote gender equality by inverting the established stereotypes can hugely challenge consumer thinking. The brand Titan’s advertisements, especially the one below, has impressed me. The ad questions the position of women in workspaces and the prejudices attached with it. What particularly interests me is how it addresses something that is common to most workspaces, and the need for it to be changed. The only drawback of the advertisement is the lack of female voice.

So how can a marketing campaign endorse women empowerment without the alleged hypocrisy?

To start with, one could first endorse women empowerment in their workspaces, ensuring equality and representation of women. Secondly, remodel products or services that only perpetuate sexism. Thirdly, think from women’s perspective, include women while planning and implementing your campaign and fourthly, and most importantly, believe in women’s empowerment. It is challenging to put forth a campaign that can have no bearings of our social conditioning. The effort remains in trying.

References

Gupta, Shagun, and Rajeev Anand Kushwah. “Femvertising: How Corporates Co-opt Feminism To Sell Us Things.” Feminism In India, 30 May 2017, https://feminisminindia.com/2017/05/30/femvertising-corporates-feminism/. Accessed 23 June 2023
Herby, Elisa B. “The Rise of Femvertising: Authentically Reaching Female Consumers.” https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/181494/BeckerHerby_%20Final%20Capstone_2016.pdf?sequence=1
“H&M Report.” Global Labor Justice, https://globallaborjustice.org/handm-report/. Accessed 23 June 2023
Iqbal, Nosheen. “Femvertising: how brands are selling #empowerment to women.” The Guardian, 12 October 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/oct/12/femvertising-branded-feminism. Accessed 23 June 2023
Martell, Katie. “#LikeAGirl: the hypocrisy of femvertising | Global Gender Justice.” Global Gender Justice, 28 October 2019, https://globalgenderjustice.wordpress.com/2019/10/28/likeagirl-the-hypocrisy-of-femvertising/. Accessed 23 June 2023

Ragini Kochhar (Editor in-chief, BGL Socials)

We, at BGL Socials, deliver exponential growth to small businesses through innovative and creative marketing solutions. We strive to provide a platform to homegrown brands through various digital platforms.