WOMENKIND

Those of us able to tear our eyes from our smartphones lately may have noticed the latest chuckle-worthy TV commercials for eBay. A mom attempts to give her daughter hand-me-down jeans, celebrity gossip abounds in a nail salon, and an unfortunate businessman gets ribbed by his co-workers. Apart from their humor, these ads are clever in a different way: they are targeting mobile users.

Check out Shout—a brilliant new brainchild from the seasoned Mad Women at SheSays, Alessandra Lariu and Amanda Jaskiewicz. It’s all about female digital advertising professionals collaborating to think up big, game-changing campaign ideas for real clients. This online community enables members to connect virtually and in-person through various events, courses and the occasional happy hour. The best part? Winning concepts are rewarded with cash.

How it works:
•    Register and create a free user profile
•    Scope out current projects and read their briefs
•    Connect with other women to collaborate on a submission
•    Submit an idea and/or explore others’ submissions and provide a rating or feedback
•    Earn prize money for community of client selected ideas or earn credits for participating in the rating process

Pretty neat huh? From our perspective, it’s one of the coolest extracurricular ways for ad gals to express their creativity and meet others who share their passion. So….what are you waiting for? Current projects include Karlsson’s Gold Vodka and Digiday. Let’s go girls!

Bare Escentuals new campaign features women they chose based solely on personality.

Bare Escentuals is planning to shake up the cosmetic industry’s common advertising practices with a new campaign featuring models that were picked in a blind casting through a personality survey. Lucky for Bare Escentuals, the final 5 models in their “Be a Force of Beauty” campaign are attractive, a range of ages, and a variety of ethnicities. Before Dove-lovers get upset over the fact that these aren’t “real” women (the surveys were sent only to models and actresses), let’s look at the promise of the campaign: pretty is what you are, beauty is what you do with it. Bare Escentuals isn’t trying to feature average, everyday women—they are showing that pretty women are everyday women, but beautiful women are women of substance.

Does this image is make you want to buy tampons? Didn't think so.

A new video for Always sanitary pads from Leo Burnett London misses the mark on so many levels it leaves us wondering what in the world they could have been thinking.  We’re assuming they think that they’re clever and humorous.  They aren’t.

Best Friend, Sister, Runner, Dieter, Housekeeper. Could you pick one word to describe yourself? I know I couldn’t. And, we don’t think marketers should either. Women are multidimensional, constantly inhabiting different roles. More often than not, marketers choose to depict one stereotypical version of a woman while neglecting her versatility and multifaceted life.

If you’re not still reeling from last year’s demeaning print ad suggesting that women douche before asking for a raise, Summer’s Eve is back with a new controversial campaign: “Hail to the V.” This campaign is a study in contrasts. One part is inspired, a celebration of the “cradle of life” and homage to the body part that throughout history “men have died for.” It’s beautiful, smart, and looks about as epic as the organ it’s praising. The other part consists of 4 videos featuring talking hand puppet vaginas against an animated background. Let’s put aside the fact that douching is not recommended by doctors because it can lead to vaginal infections and the fact that it suggests that there is something wrong or shameful about the natural state, and yes, smell of the V. These videos manage to be incredibly racist with their stereotypical depiction of the African American and Latina hand puppets/vaginas.

Sexist or Not?

Dear Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and the California Milk Processor Board,

I’d like to thank you for your efforts in making sure that men have the support they need when facing the incredible hardship of dealing with the women in their lives who have PMS. Back in 2005, you ran a “Got Milk” campaign featuring the insight that milk eases symptoms of PMS. That campaign got a lot of criticism, so of course, recycling the same idea this August and hoping that “everybody’s got a sense of humor since then,” is a great plan.

Women have a sense of humor–what could be funnier than debilitating menstrual cramps, backaches, mood swings, hormonal imbalances, fatigue and bloating every month? But, of course, it’s the men that are the real sufferers. Portraying menstruating women as she-beasts is not funny, it’s sexist, and your ads are offensive.

For a while, we were completely on your side. The Got Milk ads with Angie Harmon, Susan Sarandon and Sofia Vergara were great! The classic spot about Aaron Burr—hilarious! But these PMS ads mock women when you could have had them as allies. Why not a campaign targeted at women that shows you care about easing their symptoms instead of making fun of them?

Does the logo make the brand or does the brand make the logo? What are some of your favorites?

At Womenkind we strive to be well-versed in every aspect of a woman’s life.  Throughout the years we’ve read thousands of articles, watched countless videos, and pored over a variety of books.  Over time we have learned a copious amount of facts such as 44% of men vs. 28% of women snore, women’s voices become higher pitched during their most fertile days, and the average social gamer is a 43-year-old woman.

We are thrilled to announce that our Women & Co campaign has just won another award, The Communicator Award of Excellence for the Women & Co. Brand Video.

It's no mystery. Offensive ads = dollars wasted and profits lost.

Congratulations Starbucks.  You’re #3! Impressive, given you occupy a crowded category of competitors who outspend your marketing by 10,000%. So how did Howard Schultz and team leave Burger King in the dust? My hunch is they simply didn’t alienate women.  I admit, I’ve been to a Burger King in the last six months.  I had a strong hankering on a long car drive, one of the only times when french fries are fair game in my dietary scheme. I paid my money and bought their product despite the fact that their advertising completely offends me.