Traditionally, brand owners only directly targeted women in the sectors in which they knew they were interested: beauty, fashion and—as gatekeepers of family health and well-being—in sectors such as food, household cleaning, pharmaceuticals. With women not just earning more but having more of a say in all the major household and lifestyle purchasing decisions, brands from every sector need to meet the needs, wants and desires of women. So, what do women want? And, are we really giving them what they want?
FUNCTIONAL FEMININITY
In terms of product design, previously male-dominated sectors such as automotive and technology are pulling out all the stops to attract the female consumer. Car brands are definitely acknowledging a more functional femininity with sleeker designs and more ergonomic shapes. For the Saturn Aura, a former North American Car of the Year winner, a higher ratio of women to men was engaged in the design of the model; Saturn actively marketed its feminine look and feel. Communicating proportions was deemed to be of great importance, but what about performance? It’s great to see brands acknowledging a functional femininity, but only if good functionality is not sidelined in favor of more superfluous feminine touches.
Technology is another huge growth area. Following on the success of “Brain Training” (with leading ladies of stage and screen gracing its advertising), Nintendo DS has just launched its new “Face Training,” a game based on facial yoga and specifically aimed at women. The DS console “becomes” a compact mirror, helping to improve muscle tone and facial appearance. A gimmick or gadget that girls will really make use of? Just launched, so the jury’s pretty much still out on this one.
Cell phones also seem to be trying as hard with female consumers as with their male counterparts. Orange has always been a true pioneer in this field. The name alone initially encouraged women to buy into technology by not using techno-babble/numbers-and-symbols but by giving us a warmer and brighter association—a more personal connection—and a sentiment borne out by people-populated and “touchy feely” marketing and ad campaigns.
Color is—and always has been—highly significant where the female consumer is concerned. And while pink power in the right context should not be underestimated, women are not dumbly looking for pink offerings as a way of telling them that the product is “for girls.” In fact, more and more research has shown that women really don’t want pink gadgets, as they find them patronizing and offensive. Maybe surprising then that Orange is so heavily promoting its new pink LG Shine phone.
No one can criticize the consideration and effort shown by these sectors (and the brands within them) when it comes to targeting women. But women do have very different needs from men in both products and packaging. And, while brands need to find ways to be more expressive in their presentation for women, there is a fine balance to be struck between using stereotypical feminine design cues and traditional cues relating to the specific brand sector.
NO FRILLS PACKAGING?
Similarly, we need to remember that one size does not fit all, and it is vital to take regional differences into account. Beer is gaining popularity with the female drinker, but in a very developed and sophisticated market such as the U.K., an overtly female beer would bomb. In markets like Russia, however, women are more open to beer as an accessory. Russia’s Redds is packaged in a way that takes women’s needs into account at every stage (the brand favors bottles to cans, as nails can get broken on ring pulls).
Packaging design, like product design, is taking big steps forward in addressing functional femininity. But packaging is hard to get right. Probably just as important—if not more so—is the aesthetic association. Emotive aesthetics are more open to individual interpretation and appreciation and can target and attract a wider audience than some of the more gimmicky and blatant messaging.
We can no longer stereotype. Today’s woman is very visually driven and looks for visually creative solutions to problems. And, to connect with today’s woman with all her complexities, a new visual brand design language based on character and style is essential.
STYLE AND SUBSTANCE VS. STEREOTYPING
As we indicated at the top of the article, food and household cleaning are two of the more established female domains. And these are actually two sectors tuning into what today’s woman wants. We are seeing some fantastically stylish and forward-thinking packaging designs hitting the shelves in these categories.
With the influence of the organic movement, food is more about function and no frills, but we all—and maybe women in particular—still want quality and attractive options. Daylesford Organic is about texture and color, with minimal yet stylish packaging and beautifully designed details—such as the myriad uses of the heart motif—instead of more stereotypical and overused female design devices.
Brands such as Daylesford recognize the power of color, but use the color of the food itself—rather than label color—to communicate the value of the product. Similarly, chocolate brand Askinosie’s tonal colors, combined with vintage-style packaging and novel design details such as stamping, ensure this brand stands out on shelf and has a more tactile and personal communication with the consumer.
Cleaning-product queen Mrs. Meyer’s is a great example of U.S. homespun values being modernized in an engaging way through fun copy and almost cosmetic-like packaging—girly, yes, but in an ironic yet friendly and reassuring way. And how could we not mention the marvelous Method once again—some of the best “green clean” products you can buy, in bottles crying out to be seen and not hidden under the kitchen sink.
The brands that continue to succeed in creating desire will be the ones that hold deep understanding of the attitudes, aspirations, emotions and behaviors of women. It’s about being real and authentic; taking ownership of the brand and the audience it is trying to attract; de-cluttering design and finding new creative routes to offer diversity and levels of meaning. Think style and substance, not stereotyping.
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