Are You Saying “No” to the Right Brand Message?
Could your personal opinions be keeping your company's brand from communicating the most effective brand message?
We posted this video of physicist Vandana Shiva on our Facebook Page (at the time it already had over 6.5 million Views worldwide on FB alone, since then many many more). The statistics below were from 22 days of the post on our B&H Facebook page.
Her message—which isn’t mainstream, at least not yet—is important, but what is most interesting is who responded to it most is, as this has an impact on brand design, strategy and communications in your marketing.
Shiva’s message in this video is an empowering statement of wisdom, knowledge and living in a more sustainable way in harmony with nature. It is a statement about what people most want, and most need. She expresses values that are more often held by women than men. In fact, Shiva’s message is one that some men in management have a tendency to reject outright.
But the statistics above suggest that giving in to such a "male-oriented" initial reaction to messages such as Shiva’s may be closing off amazing new opportunities for growth, and developing a deeper brand loyalty that comes from imbuing your brand with a higher purpose and goodness. Especially when you look at to whom this message most appealed.
For many more statistics and their sources see the Womenomics B&H blog post.
In regards to brand messaging, it is interesting to note that it was women between the ages of 25 and 54, with even greater numbers of women between 35 and 44 years old, who responded most to this video. And this demographic has the fastest growth in economic buying power world wide.
From “We Need More Women in Tech: The Data Prove It”, The Atlantic
Questions for thought:
What is your brand doing to cater to the cares, needs, wants and pains of this economically powerful demographic that shows great interest in messages such as Vandana Shiva’s?
In your company how many women are involved in making product design, brand and marketing decisions? This has been shown to be an economic issue, not a gender issue. (This article in the Harvard Business Review is older but still relevant.)
When it comes to resistance to shifting product design and brand messaging to a more "female-oriented" perspective, one must ask the question: Is it rational, in a strict bottomline, business sense to ignore this trend?
What we can do for you: Butterflies & Hurricanes is a female led company who has women designing for women, with the purpose of reducing waste and making the world better through design while also keeping brands financially viable and profitable—a message that resonates with the fastest growing economically powerful demographic on the planet. We believe that the preferences and values of women should be among the top considerations when creating products, brands, and marketing. We can help your company and brands, and the world, benefit from these changes. That is what we do. It is our higher purpose.
Michaela Thomas is the owner and design director of Butterflies & Hurricanes. She is married, has three children and a BIG dog.
