International Women’s Day: Brands Making a Difference in the Lives of Women

To commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8, and as part of The Marketing Makes a World of Difference™ collaboration between The Internationalist and the ANA, we are sharing resources, articles, and case studies from around the world to highlight how brands have made a difference in a range of issues affecting women.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. IWD has occurred for over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere.

RESOURCES YOU CAN USE… TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Girl Power in Prime Time

Which of Super Bowl LIX’s ads resonated most with women? From Nike to Novartis, Lay’s, and the always-iconic Dove, the girl power shone through the screen more so than in previous years. Read the Analysis

Accurate Representation 3.0: The Pathway to Growth

Women control over 70% of consumer spending, roughly $18 trillion globally. Their marketplace influence is undeniable.

On Wednesday, March 19, in New York City, SeeHer invites thought leaders, industry stakeholders, and advocates to explore the critical theme of accurate representation in the media and marketing ecosystems and its profound impact on business growth and society. The event explores the dual opportunity for brands and creators to foster authentic representation.

Register for the Conference

Women Athletes are Significant Influencers

Women athletes are trusted more as influencers than male athletes and other influencers.

In partnership with SurveyMonkey, Parity, a sports marketing platform that creates high-impact collaborations between brands, professional women athletes, and their fans, surveyed 14,000+ consumers in 7 countries to find out who’s watching women’s sports, why, and what they think of women athletes.

The research is terrific: From Moment to Mainstream: What Consumers in 7 Countries Really Think About Women’s Sports.

The vast majority of respondents (88%) agree that professional women athletes are “somewhat” or “highly” impactful role models for young women.
Respondents who watch women’s sports daily or weekly are 3.5 more likely to buy a product promoted by a female athlete than another type of influencer.
Respondents overall are more than twice as likely to buy a product promoted by a woman athlete over another influencer.

INSPIRATIONAL CASE STUDIES WORLDWIDE

All case studies or discussions have won various Internationalist Awards or have been cited as part of the Marketing Makes a World of Difference™ initiative.

PERU: Mibanco – The Emancipation Loan

See the Mibanco Case Study from Peru

In Peru, machismo reigns supreme. Women are expected to fulfill their roles as mother and wife, before considering their own dreams. All banks in Peru require the signatures of both a husband and wife for a loan, so women face a cultural roadblock to a life of independence. Mibanco decided to break national banking policies and take on the country’s patriarchal mindset – giving women a chance to pursue their aspirations.

MEXICO: WeCapital – Data Tienda (Data Shop)

Watch the WeCapital Case Study from Mexico

WeCapital, a financial institution that works to promote the financial inclusion of low-income women in Mexico, launched an initiative to restore the credit histories of thousands of women. Called Data Tienda (Data Shop), WeCapital tapped into the accounting records of local shopkeepers, collecting information from neighborhood businesses through monthly store payment records to build credit histories.

ISRAEL: Laisha – Helpline on the Cover

Two hundred women were murdered in Israel by their intimate partner during the past decade – 5 times more than in England, Italy, or France. Today, there are still over 200,000 women living with abusive partners. Israel’s most popular women’s magazine, ‘Laisha’ (‘For Women’ in Hebrew) changed its traditional front cover for the first time in 75 years- using it to announce a woman’s helpline against violence.

View the Video Results from Israel

CANADA: Dove (Unilever) – Toxic Influence

Visit the Toxic Influence Website for Dove Canada

Dove set out to improve the self-esteem of 3.5 Million Canadian girls and end toxic beauty advice on social media. The goal is to empower parents and teens to come together regularly to #DetoxYourFeed by talking about toxic beauty and hitting the unfollow button when identified.

ARGENTINA: DDL & CO – The Equality Bill

DDL & Co is a chain of dessert stores which caters to Argentina’s passion for dulce de leche (hence the chain’s name of DDL), which is a confection made by slowly heating sweetened milk. And 81% of women there eat dulce de leche daily. Argentina has two different 100 peso bills: one portraying a man (Julio Roca), the other portraying a woman– Evita Perón, who is remembered for fighting against inequality.

As International Women’s Day was approaching, DDL & Co decided to raise awareness about the gender pay gap by making the bill with a woman’s face worth 27% more than the one featuring a man’s face– meaning that Roca’s bills were worth 100 pesos, while Evita’s bills were worth 127. Not only did March (Women’s History Month) become DDL’s most successful month to date, but 86% of costumers paid with bills that portrayed a woman.

US: Microsoft – #MakeWhat’sNext

View Girls’ Interest in STEM

Only 7% of US patents are held by women, which means it would take 140 years to reach gender parity. Microsoft’s #MakeWhat’sNext program sparked a new curiosity about women inventors, while igniting girls’ desires to learn more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).

UK: Women’s Aid – Blind Eye

Watch How an Interactive Billboard Can Help End Domestic Violence

These extraordinary outdoor installations from Women’s Aid present a way to end domestic violence in a world where it is often easy to turn a blind eye to domestic abuse. Through facial recognition technology and interactive screens in key public places, we literally watch how beaten and bruised women can heal when they are not ignored, and one refuses to turn a blind eye.

INDIA: Ariel (P&G) – #ShareTheLoad

View Ariel India’s Video

When this Ariel campaign began in 2015, 2 out of every 3 women in India felt there was inequality between men and women in the home. And 76% of men believed that laundry was a woman’s job. As a result of Ariel’s initial #ShareTheLoad ad, over 1.5 million Indian men pledged to Share The Load– paving the way for many millions more toward a world where laundry duty isn’t dependent on gender.

The Internationalist created the concept of MARKETING MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE™ in 2012— before the word “purpose” became part of marketing vernacular. This is now one of marketing’s most significant callings. Making a world of difference occurs through a deeper understanding of the complex dynamics of “purposeful marketing” strategies, while demonstrating the importance of the marketing function within an organization.