Reaching Women Effectively and Honestly: How to Convey Your Message in a Meaningful Way

Digital Ads by the Numbers

According to Nielsen, all types of digital ads reach men more effectively than women, even in female dominated areas like retail shopping. In fact, Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings found that UK shopping and retail ads were twice as effective on men than women, clocking in with an 81% targeting accuracy with men compared to a measly 39% with women. When looking at a category that may be a little more gender neutral, like travel, we see the same kind of divide in targeting accuracy. For typically male oriented categories, like automotive campaigns, the divide increases. Nielsen found that in the U.K., automotive campaigns effectively reach three times more men than women. Although digital advertising is a complex topic and has a lot of moving parts, there is a relatively simple explanation to difference in success when targeting men and women online. Simply put, studies conducted by Nielsen show that men spend much more time online than women.

Where are Women spending their time?

As we just learned, on average, women spend less time online browsing then men do. Although this is true, it does not mean that women completely avoid the web. According to Nielsen’s data, there are three types of websites that women generally visit: member community sites, general interest portals, and mass merchandiser sites. Member community sites are the Facebooks, Twitters, and Instagrams of the world. These social media sites dominate the app store and don’t even feel like you’re browsing online because of the ease of the app. General interest portals are websites like Yahoo and Bing. As for mass merchandisers, Amazon is the best example on the web right now. These sites attract the most women in terms of numbers but are still outweighed by men. Pet sites, special occasion webpages, and family related sites have the highest composition of women, which means they can offer greater efficiency when only targeting women. One type of media that sees more women than men is television. According to the U.K.’s Broadcaster Research Board, 57% of women in a given month are heavy tv watchers, compared to just 42% of men. Although we are firmly in the “digital age,” TV still reaches the most people and will continue to be prioritized by advertisers.

How can we Reach Women More Effectively Online?

First and foremost, we must purge the outdated and misguided methods that we often we often see today, like:

• Using pink as a universal symbol of women and women’s products.
• Using flawless, unblemished models that glorify unattainable beauty standards.
• Exploiting women’s insecurities to make the product feel like a necessary addition to their lives.
• Overflowing women with hundreds of options, making it difficult to choose.

After we have done away with these old strategies, what are some ideas for fresh and innovative advertising?

Avoid Stereotyping Women

• Women are multidimensional, and each ad should recognize that different women have different interests and needs.
• Avoid a “one-size fits all” approach. Ensure that all types of women are represented.
• Celebrate our differences.

Avoid Negative Ad Campaigns

• Rather, give women positive reasons to purchase your product, and make them feel empowered, rather than insecure.
• Use statistics to encourage purchases rather than women’s shortcomings.

Be Authentic

• Use people that struggle, are flawed, and aren’t perfect.
• Makes them more relatable.

Use Only First Party Data

Ensures accurate customer profiles and lets the advertisers know the customer as well as they can

The world of advertising is constantly changing, and companies who aren’t adapting will be left in the dust. For more on tips and trends on everything advertising, contact our team at Brawn Media.