A Wren Says

You know, I’ve seen some commercials that tell you how powerful women are and how they can do anything? And sometimes I wonder something like, “So what does this have to do with chocolate?” It feels like the company wants to jump on the women’s empowerment bandwagon, but it also feels forced and out of place.  I was reading an article about that concept, “femvertising,” as they called it. In the article, there was this quote that resonated with me:

“Don’t be a cause jumper. Pick a lane that feels inherent to who you are as a brand, and not just [something to market to consumers, but also] one that you can honour internally, with the people who work for you, rather than jumping from one topic to another year-over-year. I think that brands forget that internal piece sometimes and it becomes very much an external marketing message.”

Ellie Bamford, chief strategy officer, North America of Wunderman Thompson, as quoted in Vogue Business

The essence of this quote applies broadly to all of the causes out there. It feels jarring to see a cause come up in a marketing campaign that isn’t well connected to a brand. To the eye of a consumer, it looks like a money grab, to be honest. “See, we care so deeply about Issue X, just like you do. Now, buy our product.” But instead of just jumping on causes, Bamford suggests slowing down and determining what resonates not only with the consumer but with your brand identity.

Think of this. Whenever there is an oil spill, there Dawn is. The dish soap brand is known for going in to help clean and care for wildlife after those disasters. As someone who purchases dish soap, I am glad they are supporting the effort, but I am also thinking about how effective the product is. It not only gets grease off dishes, but it gets it off the innocent ducks as well. It makes so much sense.

Or think of the Kodiak Cakes initiative I wrote about a while ago. The brand started with a focus on the outdoors. Their mascot is a bear. Boom, support for the health of the bear population. Or Nike, an athletic apparel brand supporting youth sports and play. Or Bombas giving socks and other items to those in need because that has been part of their brand mission since Day 1.

Yes, it can be a good thing to do what is in your power to provide support and speak out on causes as they come up. I also know that sometimes the temptation comes to publicly jump on causes to preserve your image. If that’s how you’re feeling take a quick pause and reflect before continuing down that road. Think about who you are, your mission and values, and how those can inform a strategy moving forward. It is much more powerful over the long term to fully back causes that resonate with your core identity as a brand.

This is the full source for the article I referenced and pulled the quote from:

Chitrakorn, K. (August 25, 2023). ‘Femvertising’ is sweeping beauty. Should brands back off?. Vogue Business. https://www.voguebusiness.com/beauty/femvertising-is-sweeping-beauty-should-brands-back-off