I had a middle school classmate named David who was a lousy athlete. I remember the first time he took the field to play baseball with us. When he tried to throw the ball across the diamond, Jimmy, the class bully, howled with laughter and said, “You throw like a girl.”
Not nice.
I thought of David and Jimmy when I saw this video, part of a 2015 advertising campaign.
The advertiser invited young women, men and boys into a studio and asked them to demonstrate what it looks like to “throw like a girl” or “run like a girl” or “fight like a girl.”
The portrayals of girls running, throwing and fighting were, as you might expect…
…not nice.
Then they invited young girls into the studio and asked for the same demonstrations.
The girls’ portrayals were different.
Strong throwers. Powerful runners. Brave fighters.
It’s a powerful statement about about how society portrays and perceives girls, about how these portrayals chip away at girls’ self-confidence.
What brand produced this campaign? Always feminine products.
Lots of critics took offense.
In a 2017 Daily Beast article, critic Emily Shire ripped Always for the “shamelessly emotionally exploitative” campaign.
She wrote “The self-righteous tone of Always’ ‘Like a girl’ campaign is irritating, perhaps because the noble message has nothing to do with the product, tampons, panty liners, pads. Yes, I get that Always is attempting to build large, overarching connections between girls getting older and losing self-esteem. But how exactly are the products Always is hawking going to do that? If Always is going to peg a giant message about self-confidence without any actual mention of menstruation in the commercial, it seems somewhat deceptive.”
I understand the reaction. But I disagree.
This is a great campaign — full of valuable lessons for marketers.
Here’s the big idea: Always doesn’t sell feminine products. Always sells self-confidence and empowerment.
If a young woman buys Always products, she will be more confident and empowered. So messages about girl power are right in line with the brand and build connections with those whom Always targets.
Think I’m crazy? Flash back with me to eighth grade. I vividly remember the time Lisa had to leave social studies class because she didn’t have the feminine products she needed. It was too late for her to hide that fact, and as she slinked from the classroom, Jimmy The Bully snickered and made a snide comment.
Devastating for Lisa. I can only imagine how she felt every time she passed Jimmy The Bully in the hall or even when she simply walked into that social studies classroom.
That was a moment of shattered self-confidence that Lisa has certainly never forgotten.
I’m not some shil for the tampon company when I say: If Lisa had the right product, she would have been more confident, she would have avoided this disempowering fate, she wouldn’t have needed to slink off in shame.
So I think it makes sense for Always to proclaim, “Hey, young women, be confident; be powerful; don’t be ashamed.”
That’s a cool message perfectly aligned with what they sell. .
Tom
MarketVolt
p.s. We help businesses figure out what they sell and how. Then we help them identify and connect with their target markets so people will view you as a welcome guest and listen to what you’re saying. If you want to discuss how to make it happen for your business, email me at tom@marketvolt.com. For no charge and no strings attached, we’ll discuss with you how you’re building email lists, generating new leads and generally finding and connecting with prospects.
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