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Using their platforms: What These Brands Did to Celebrate International Women’s Day



As we are all (or at I least hope!) aware, we celebrated March 8th International Women’s Day in honor of past and ongoing fights for gender parity in all aspects of our society. In choosing to pay tribute to women, brands can simultaneously participate in the talk of equality, as well as boost their sales in turn. It’s always a hit or miss; some companies send out remarkably tone-deaf messages that receive a large amount of backlash from media outlets, whilst other campaigns can send out the right message. With that being said, here are a few positive and sustainable marketing strategies that stood out to me from this year’s International Women’s Day


As an avid lover of ice cream, my head was turned when I heard of Haagen-Daz's multiple initiatives. On March 8th, they did their annual free scoop giveaway of the now renamed Vanilla ice cream, the ‘Founder’s Favourite’, to celebrate IWD in over 100 ice cream shops across several continents. Furthermore, the launching of ‘The Rose Project’, in honor of Rose Mattus, is a $100,000 bursary that helps further the progress in equality.


When it comes to the vehicle industry, Ford put out a satirical commercial advertisement that showed just how much women have contributed to the modern automobile. The video featured their ‘new’ Ford Explorer Men’s Only Edition, which voided many crucial features that women have developed in this industry, such as windshield wipers, heaters, rearview mirrors, GPS navigation, etc turn signals, and so much more. The ad can make the audience think; in a world without women, would we have these important car features? Beyond that, however, having equitable representation in the automobile industry is crucial on and off the roads, as it has been found that vehicle crash test dummies used to mimic a real-life human are predominantly male figures, which can pose a great safety concern for women.


Last but not least, the ‘Totally Awesome’ marketing company has a greatly supportive policy that offers its employees who may be struggling with infertility a $5,000 bursary towards fertility treatment. By providing financial support for fertility treatments, the company is aiding in removing a significant barrier to accessing such services, which are very expensive and oftentimes not covered by insurance. Additionally, they will provide counselling services and extra leave for employees undergoing these treatments, which is a thoughtful way to support their mental and physical health during what many consider a challenging time. All in all, this ‘Awesome’ implementation demonstrates how they value the well-being and personal lives of its employees and is willing to invest in their health and happiness, which is truly refreshing.

 

Contributors: Charolette Swane

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