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This article written by Annalise Nielsen, Head of Podcast Strategy & Development, is a part of a series celebrating Women in Branded Content and Native Advertising.
On International Women's Day, we often cast the spotlight on women in the workplace by promoting women into leadership positions, applauding achievements, and offering professional advancement advice. And these conversations are totally important!
But today, I want to use this space to focus on the other side of the equation. Let’s talk about women consumers - and how we’ve been failing them.
Why should brands focus on women consumers?
It’s no secret that women are powerful consumers for brands.
For decades, women have been driving purchasing decisions on consumer goods like groceries and household items. But they also take on the majority of gift buying in most families and make decisions on big-ticket items, like healthcare, insurance or car purchases. Overall, women make up 85% of all consumer purchasing decisions and identify as their household’s primary shopper.
Millennial women, in particular, are a crucial demographic. As part of the “Sandwich Generation” Millennial women are juggling the caregiving demands of raising children and caring for ageing parents, whilst making buying decisions for everyone in their household. In addition, Millennial women are increasingly becoming the breadwinners in their families, making their economic influence even more significant.
But the story doesn’t end with Millennial women. Older women present another incredibly important, yet underserved consumer group. While Millennial women are making decisions regarding the necessities of a household, older women in today’s economic climate actually have more disposable income. Many have seen their children leave the nest, they own their own homes, and they have the financial freedom to make purchasing decisions free of the caregiving pressures of the Sandwich Generation.
And yet, brands continue to overlook or underestimate women of all ages. The result? A missed opportunity that leaves significant revenue on the table.
- Women purchase over 50% of products that are traditionally marketed towards men (cars, home improvement products, consumer electronics, etc).
- Only 7% of women aged 49-64 feel brands and retailers cater well to their needs.
- Nearly half of women aged 35-60 feel advertising doesn’t reflect their lives or feel relatable.
- Only 29% of women feel they are accurately represented in advertising.
- 60% say that marketing continues to portray outdated views of women.
Despite their outsized economic impact, many brands continue to miss the mark when it comes to serving women consumers.
The disconnect
You might be surprised to hear me criticise brands for not paying enough attention to women consumers. After all, just scroll through my Instagram or TikTok feeds, and you’ll see no shortage of ads for beauty products, fitness gear or parenting products targeting women. However, the vast majority of this brand activity is concentrated in performance marketing and influencer partnerships - strategies that often focus on short-term sales conversions rather than building deep, lasting connections.
Performance marketing does what it’s designed to do: drive traffic. But on its own, it doesn’t create long-term business results. It doesn’t foster community around your brand, or lead to customer loyalty (85% of women indicate that if they like a brand, they will remain loyal to it).
To mimic word-of-mouth marketing and generate a sort of social proof, influencer marketing has become a favourite among brands targeting women (77% of influencers monetising their content are women). The problem is that consumers are catching on. A new push towards "deinfluencing" reflects a real fatigue with artificial influencer recommendations.
Here’s the truth: if you build a real community around your brand, you can create genuine social proof. Women are influential in their communities, sharing recommendations for brands and products they love with friends, neighbours, and family members as well as on social media. These are real “influencers”, with no risk of accusations of promoting bad products solely for the paycheck.
Women are increasingly looking for brands that offer something more than just a product pitch. They want genuine, relatable content that speaks to their real needs. They’re sick of the hard sell. Brands spend so much time pumping dollars into the bottom of the funnel, they’ve failed to really get to know the women they’re trying to reach.
Why brand storytelling is the perfect way to connect with women
Brand storytelling is the key to unlocking authentic connections with women consumers. It allows brands to engage on a deeper, more emotional level, allowing them to build lasting relationships. The solution here isn’t just “representation”, as slotting women into your billboard or display ads won’t fix the problems listed above. It won’t make women feel understood, nor will it demonstrate that your brand genuinely grasps what matters to them.
Long-form storytelling allows brands to dive deeper into their customers’ needs, concerns, aspirations and values, fostering a stronger emotional connection. Storytelling also builds community. It’s not just about selling products; it’s about creating content that invites women to connect with your brand on a personal level. This level of engagement builds trust - something vital to keeping women loyal to your brand, even when they have other options.
Brands also have an opportunity to fill programming gaps for women. This means not just creating content that replicates what you might see from non-branded media outlets, but actually providing more than what’s already out there. For example, despite making up a large portion of our female population, menopausal women are often overlooked or not represented in mainstream media. This presents a huge opportunity for brands to create spaces for women to share their stories, offer educational content and validate their experiences. A brand that shows it understands the menopausal journey can become a trusted voice in women’s lives, forging a connection that goes beyond the product.
Tips for brands wanting to reach women effectively
If your brand is ready to rebuild its relationship with women consumers, here are some key tips to ensure your content lands the right way and drives long-term success:
Make sure you really know your audience
This should go without saying, but women are not a monolith. Before embarking on producing brand storytelling content, take the time to understand the specific women you’re speaking to. Relying on stereotypes or oversimplified ideas will quickly backfire, so make sure your content reflects the true diversity and complexity of women’s lives.
Keep content non-judgemental
Women are already inundated with messages about what they should or should not be doing - whether it’s parenting advice, beauty tips or wellness trends. Instead of pushing an agenda, create content that validates women’s experiences and provides real value, without dictating how women should live their lives. Empower women with information that helps them make their own informed decisions.
Ensure content is research-based and thoughtful
Women are well-informed consumers who expect credible, well-researched content. If your brand gets caught out sharing advice or insights that aren’t based on solid research, you risk eroding any trust you may have already built. Be transparent and make sure your content has been carefully vetted. The goal is to provide value to women, not just push a product. And, in turn, women will reward you with their purchasing decisions.
Avoid overemphasizing appearance
Women are often bombarded with content focused on their appearance. While this content may perform well on social media, content that preys on women’s insecurities will not lead to long-lasting brand loyalty. Women already report feeling that brands overestimate their preoccupation with their physical appearance. Instead, focus on celebrating women’s accomplishments, ideas and experiences. Empower women through thoughtful, inspiring content that demonstrates how your brand sees women as multi-dimensional individuals, valuing them for more than just their appearance.
Hire women into decision-making roles
It should be obvious, but if you want to create authentic content that demonstrates you truly understand your consumers, you probably need people on the team who reflect that target audience. It’s not enough to simply put women in front of the camera - women need to be leading your content strategy, production and decision-making. Their insights will ensure your content truly resonates with your audience on a deeper level.
Call to action
For International Women’s Day, I didn’t want to write a post just pushing for more women in leadership, or greater representation in media. I mean, yes, that is the call to action here. But don’t do it just because it’s the “right” thing to do - do it because it’s good for business. (And it’s the right thing to do.) By investing in content that reflects women’s real lives and experiences, brands can build trust and loyalty, while also tapping into massive opportunities for long-term growth.
