Female empowerment is a growing topic among young adults today. Millennial women between the age of 18 and 34 have taken a movement that was started generations ago and given it new life in a modern age. As social media has expanded networks and granted access to more resources, information and education, young women today are more informed and more invested in their own consumer and cultural behavior.
As women are gaining more power, there are few key thoughts to keep in mind when targeting this powerhouse of a generation:
– Women account for 85 percentof all consumer purchases in the United States and Millennial mothers are the youngest generation of mothers and are making household decisions about what products to buy for their families.
– A huge amount of wealth is being generated within the female millennial demographic. Sixty four percent of the affluent millennial population, young adults between 18 and 34 making an annual household income of more than $100k, are female.
– Millennial women are brand influencers and share their opinions with friends, family and their online communities. A majority of social media outlets are predominantly female users.
– Women value trusting relationships and seek out brands that allow them to connect with each other. When marketing to millennial women, it is important to realize that they value inspirational messages, interesting visuals and the opportunity to voice their opinions.
Give her the tools she needs to be powerful
Millennial women want to be inspired by the products and brands they are using and align with brands that stand for more than their bottom line. Vanity Fair’s campaign “Women who Do” is a reflection of how a brand is creating something more than just a product.
“The Women Who Do campaign is about recognizing the universal truth that women do,” said JoAnna Beddingfield, Vice President for Vanity Fair Brand Management.
We are seeing a cultural shift as a byproduct of increasing female influence among those that do. Overwhelmingly, females have a stronger desire to support and build a community. “It’s more than just the clothes we wear, or our looks, or our houses, or our cars,” said Beddingfield. “We all have those moments when every day feels like a Monday and there is nothing more powerful than the support women can give to each other. We all need that extra lift now and then.”
As a result of the campaign and a partnership with Dress for Success, more than 5,000 bras have been donated to women who need that extra lift to get them back on their feet and Vanity Fair has become a loved millennial brand synonymous with empowerment and inspiration. Since the activation of the campaign, Vanity Fair has increased its brand fans on social from 8,000 to 340,000.
Millennial women connect with brands they can trust
Women are more likely to influence the purchase decisions of their family and friends and millennial women are more likely to pass on their brand loyalties to their children. This allows brands to expand up or down the age spectrum. Clif Bar & Company has successfully implemented this model of engagement in their marketing strategies for Z Bars for kids. By appealing to the brand ambassador of the household, Clif Bar has successfully tapped into the family and child market. Clif Bar & Company has also created a brand that millennial women can trust.
According to a new study from 22Squared, women value brand character more than men, citing it as a major factor of whether or not a brand can be trusted. “Men are more dominated by expectation of a brand while women have a more empathetic view,” said Brandon Murphy, Chief Strategy Officer of 22Squared. “They ask questions like are you a good company, do you have strong morals and where is your story coming from?”
Clif Bar has successfully created a brand that embraces authenticity and transparency and created a product that millennial moms can feel good about because they trust the company.
Overwhelmingly, millennial women are becoming a powerhouse in the consumer market. The increase in buying power as millennial women are gaining more affluence and influence and are becoming mothers and major family decision makers cannot be ignored. The most inspired brands know to tap into this audience by not just creating connections between the brand and the consumer but embracing her, inspiring her and driving real interactions with each other.
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