Search shines a light on women’s untold stories
untold stories
Female professor showing the class a piece of paper with tally marks on it.
Stories can often misrepresent reality
Since marketers connect by storytelling, we must be careful not to perpetuate harmful assumptions or stigmas.
Men speak almost 2X as much as women in advertising.2
Instead, sharing untold stories can change the norm and connect your brand to more people
For example, Vaseline told the story of Madam Lee. She uses their product on her cuts so she can keep working all day
and stay competitive in the blade-sharpening industry, which is typically dominated by men.
Woman works with a grindstone.
Many products were designed for the average man.
Examples of search queries “for women” include: “safety glasses for women,” “scrub suits for women,” and “women’s diving mask.”
When brands are aware of women’s needs, everybody wins
Volvo found women were more likely to get injured in car crashes.
Knowing seat belts were designed for male crash test dummies, the company tested with dummies of all sizes,
ultimately keeping people of all body types safer.
Women don’t have the same freedom of safety as men.
In India, searches for “self defence for women” are 30X higher than “self defence for men”.4
Examples of search queries include: “self defence classes for women,” “missing woman,” and “taser for women.”
To help close this gap, consider opportunities to expand your definition of the products and services you offer
Vodafone created a free service in India that lets women register 10 emergency contacts
Women are less likely to be working. They earn less money and are underserved by financial institutions.5
Last year, searches for “loans for women” grew by over 70% year over year in India, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.6
Examples of search queries include: “online jobs for women at home,” “equal pay for women,” and “women entrepreneur grant.”
Serving all your customers might mean considering the specific needs of women
A challenger bank in Latin America is focusing on solving the problems women face when opening and managing bank accounts.7
Disproportionate expectations are placed on women regarding their bodies to:
Have an attractive appearance
Have children
Searches for “weight loss app for women” have grown by 130% in India, and as women try to take more control of their bodies, we see a similar rise in searches for “female condoms”.8
Disproportionate expectations are placed on women regarding their bodies to:
Have an attractive appearance
Have children
Searches for “weight loss app for women” have grown by 130% in India, and as women try to take more control of their bodies, we see a similar rise in searches for “female condoms”.8
An understanding of what makes your customers unique can help you connect to new ones
In Japan, clothing brands usually make clothes with idealistic images of beauty and size in mind.
Punyus by Naomi Watanabe offers larger sizes — catering to all customers, not shaming them.
By SAPNA CHADHA
Senior Country Marketing Director, Southeast Asia & India
Credits
Story: Jess Duarte; Design & Animation: PHQ (Agency); Product Lead: Casey Fictum; Production Lead: Jenny Maughan.