Aniket Warty

Director at Atlantis Inc

Money

Never Sleeps

Aniket Warty is a serial entrepreneur with a passion for building businesses from scratch. He specialises in online gaming, e-commerce, and IT, and is the Director and Board Member of Atlantis Inc, a Venture Capital and Private Equity company based out of the US. Aniket has the unique ability to work in proactively diverse and inclusive organisations across industry types, niches, geographic or linguistic variants. He’s always on the lookout to transform the next innovative idea into a sustainable business that has the vision and foundation to make a positive impact on the world.

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IPO or M&A? How Venture Capital Shapes a Startup’s Future

Entrepreneurs have many financial options for their businesses, including funds from venture capital firms. A company can take two main paths in the venture capital world: an initial public offering (IPO) or a merger and acquisition (M&A). Both approaches have their own unique pros and cons, and it’s essential to know which path is best for your business. Let’s explore the differences between IPO and M&A and how venture capital helps shape a startup’s future. ### How does venture capital work? Venture capital is a type of funding provided to startup companies and small businesses, usually by wealthy investors, that are deemed to have long-term growth potential. Venture capital aims to help the business grow and eventually go public or be acquired by a larger company. Venture capital is often the only way a startup company can get the funding it needs to get off the ground. When a company needs financing, a venture capitalist (VC) will consider investing in the business. The VC will thoroughly review the company’s business plan and financials, as well as the founders’ backgrounds and qualifications. A deal will be negotiated if the VC believes the company has a good chance of achieving its goals. This deal may involve the VC providing the startup with capital in exchange for equity in the startup or some other form of compensation. Once the VC has invested in the company, they will work with the founders and management to help it grow and achieve its goals. This may include providing strategic advice, introducing the company to potential partners, and helping to secure additional funding. The VC may also be involved in the company’s day-to-day operations, such as helping to hire key personnel and providing financial guidance. Once the company has achieved its goals, the VC will receive a return on its investment. This can be in the form of a capital gain if the company goes public or is acquired, or through dividends or other forms of compensation. The return on the VC’s investment will depend on the terms of the agreement between the VC and the company. ### What is an IPO? An IPO marks the first time a private company offers shares of its stock to the public, allowing anyone to buy those shares on the open market. A company going through an IPO must register with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which means that potential investors will have access to information about its operations, finances, and management team—all of which must meet specific criteria. This makes it easier for investors to determine whether they want to invest in a particular company. ### The Steps Involved in Going Public Going through an IPO requires several steps, which may take some time depending on the size of your company and the complexity of your operations. The process usually begins months before trading begins on a stock exchange, with registration documents filed with the SEC and marketing materials prepared for potential investors. After that comes pricing negotiations between investment banks, who may offer assistance with underwriting (buying) portions of shares from newly issued stocks from companies going public, followed by finally trading those shares on the stock exchange where they are available for purchase by individual investors. ### The Benefits of an Initial Public Offering Going public has advantages, such as increased visibility, access to more capital, and greater liquidity. An IPO will also give existing shareholders an exit opportunity if they choose to cash out their investment. It provides more options for employees who may be able to purchase stock at a discounted rate through an employee stock option plan (ESOP). Plus, it allows the company founders to remain in control of the company while still being able to raise funds from outside investors. ### What is an M&A? Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involve combining two organizations or businesses. The two companies can merge together to become one entity, or one company can acquire another by buying its assets or stock. In general, M&As occur when a larger company looks to expand into new markets or gain access to further resources. ### How Do M&As Work? The process of an M&A involves many steps a business must take before completion. First, there will be negotiations between the two companies involved to determine the terms of the deal—including price, structure, and other details. Once these negotiations have been finalized, a due diligence process will begin in which all aspects of the deal are thoroughly examined for accuracy and compliance with applicable laws. During this period, contracts will also be drawn up that outline all terms related to the merger or acquisition. Both parties will sign off on the agreement and complete the transaction if everything is satisfactory. ### The Benefits of Merger & Acquisition (M&A) Merging with or getting acquired by another company can be beneficial for startups. Combining with another business gives companies access to new markets and customers they wouldn’t have had before. It also increases efficiency by eliminating redundant processes and departments that help cut costs in the long run. Another perk is that it gives companies access to new technology or intellectual property rights that can help them gain a competitive advantage in their industry. It also provides founders with an exit strategy if they want to sell their shares after the merger or acquisition is completed. ### Thinking long-term If you just started your business, cash from an investor can make or break your company. In fact, it could be the difference between launching a product or going out of business. However, if you don’t scrutinize investors’ relationships, you may have to relinquish control later down the line. It’s not uncommon for founders to hand over their business to a larger acquirer or be subject to a certain level of profit expectations as a publicly traded company. In a recent article, [Harvard Business Review](https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/ipo-or-ma-how-venture-capital-shapes-a-startups-future) published the results of a study conducted by researchers at Harvard, Columbia University, and the University of Washington. This study examined about 71,000 funding rounds for approximately 42,000 new ventures and 20,142 investors between 1982 and 2014. It aimed to identify relationships among venture capitalists in a startup’s first round of funding. The research found that about 16% of the startups were acquired. It also found that, on average, venture capitalist firms usually sold their holdings after about 3.4 years. While these low-profile exits may have some benefits, like recouping backers’ investments, they also come with complications. The company founder may feel pressure to succumb to the plans of an investor group, or even give up control of the startup’s vision. After a larger company takes possession, many founders are forced to step back while a larger company takes over. Out of the companies in this study, about 2.9% went public through “broadcast successes.” On average, venture capitalists who haven’t worked closely together tend to stay on board longer, about four and a half years, before moving on to a high-profile exit. According to the study, becoming a public company can give a business more attention while retaining the original team. Still, the risk of failure is higher for these types of ventures. ### What does this mean for your business? Simply put, this study found that startups funded by a VC who usually works with the same group of partners typically exit faster by selling the company to a larger business. In contrast, if a startup is funded by a VC syndicate with less familiar co-investors, the VCs are more likely to exit through an IPO, allowing founders to retain more control (although these founders may be under the pressure of high expectations). The research on the degree of collaboration of a business’s investors offers several pros and cons. On the one hand, a diverse investor group could give founders more control over decision-making. On the other hand, investors working together could potentially pool resources, have more industry connections, or understand how to find the right opportunity for the business. Either way, being informed about each scenario is a must before committing to venture capital funds. While most business owners hardly ever consider the structure of the relationships of investors, the research shows that this is clearly an important factor. It’s critical to remember that for everyone involved, both founders and funders, the best-case scenario is to make money. Many venture capitalist investments yield no return of any kind. Although venture capital provides many opportunities and benefits, you should also remember that in this day and age, there are several other ways to raise funds for your venture, especially if the cons of VC aren’t so appealing to your business structure. Different forms of acquiring funds include getting capital from private equity firms, angel investors, or crowdfunding. ### Final thoughts Venture capital is integral to the success of many businesses, but entrepreneurs must carefully determine which path is best for their startup. Ultimately, each path has its merits, but only you know what’s best for your business! With careful consideration of both options, you can make an educated decision regarding your company’s future success.

By Aniket Warty

15 March 2023

10 Min Read

Slaying Giants with Great Branding: How to Outmaneuver the Goliaths in Your Industry

In a world that often feels ruled by mega-brands, what are the qualities—or perhaps even super-powers—that allows some small but burgeoning brands to break through and become mighty? When vast competitors not only already dominate the market but also possess seemingly endless resource pools to draw from, it can be hard to imagine being able to stay at their heels, let alone outmaneuver them altogether. However, today we are going to explore the possibility that such noble stories of triumph require neither super-human capacities nor bottomless budgets, but instead, are actually something that can be tactically replicated. For inspiration, we need to think only of the historic battle of David and Goliath. How was it possible for the hero of this tale to defeat such a gargantuan adversary? After all, as the story goes, Goliath towered over his challenger with a height of six cubits and a span, which roughly equates to a staggering 10 ft 4 inches. The key is that, where other would-be warriors assumed that they could never overpower such a giant, David saw an opportunity to make the terms of engagement asymmetrical and therefore claim an advantage. He could never have defeated his enemy head-to-head with brute strength alone. However, with a simple but carefully targeted strike from his slingshot, he was able to bring his gargantuan adversary right to the ground. What this allegory tells us is that the kind of branding and marketing tactics required to slay corporate giants needn’t be overly flashy or expensive, but they must be dialed in if they’re going to be effective. By the end of this article, we believe that you’ll have a much clearer idea of how to shape those kinds of Goliath-slaying strategies for your own unique enterprise, even when operating with finite resources. So, let’s get you armed up and ready for the challenge. ### Being Smaller Means Being Lighter on Your Feet While that looming big-name competitor of yours might take up a lot of space in the marketplace, it’s important to remember that size and agility rarely go hand in hand. As a newly-launched startup or a smaller brand already navigating the same waters, you possess the major advantage of being more nimble on your feet—and that should be reflected in your agile brand-building strategy. For larger businesses, the effort required for—and the risk involved in—turning the ship in order to jump on of-the-moment opportunities is substantial. In contrast, your light-footed business has less red tape to worry about and, while keeping an ear to the ground, can far more easily innovate in whichever direction the market is currently flowing. Oftentimes, these opportunities will be too small to even register on the radar of more sizable competitors. But for you, they can be an incredible ‘in’ that facilitates vital brand awareness and a deeper audience connection that will later serve as a solid foundation to build upon. ### Leverage Trending Topics to Claim the Center Ground When we talk about opportunities worthy of a nimble pivot, we are of course speaking of trends. It’s easy when brand-building to get too zeroed in on the problem-solving capacity of an original product offering and pay less attention to the evolving narratives that inform what really matters to your audience. Of course, understanding the whats, whys, and whos that originally set you on your journey remains important. But there is wisdom in remembering that new ideas are constantly emerging—and as they do, consumer desires and how your brand slots into them will be evolving too. Before you panic, don’t imagine this means that smaller businesses have to jump onto a constant treadmill of reinvention. Stability of identity is also a must for cultivating market longevity, so you don’t need to become a branding chameleon. But, being in the thick of the current conversation—even if it isn’t directly related to your chosen field or expertise—can work wonders for boosting brand authority and showing audiences that you understand what matters to them right now and what will matter to them tomorrow. One of the best things about positioning towards trends is that it doesn’t require a money mountain. You can keep your brand on the pulse from both a macro and micro perspective, with the former achieved by using tools like [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/) and tracking social media hashtags to see what’s on everyone’s minds. Meanwhile, the latter can be achieved simply by paying attention to your community, listening to your everyday audience, and being sure to let them know that they are truly heard and seen. ### Be More Available to Your Audience Anyone who’s ever taken the time to read up on marketing will have heard the word ‘differentiation’ bounced around a lot. What makes your company unique? How are you communicating those special traits to your customer base? These kinds of questions are powerful when it comes to showcasing innovating within the marketplace, however, there may be another side to the equation that deserves your attention too. Professor Byron Sharp of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute [highlights that](https://www.marketingscience.info/what-causes-the-double-jeopardy-law/) putting all of our energy into differentiation alone might be a flawed strategy. A number of years ago, his research shaped the Double Jeopardy Law, which is now widely accepted as an empirical law of marketing. Sharp found that brands with less market share—so the Davids among us—have not only fewer buyers (the first jeopardy) but also less brand loyalty (the second jeopardy). Simply put, we have to work much harder to make and retain our mark than the companies that have already hoovered up a chunk of the market. While news that market penetration and brand loyalty tend to rise and fall together may be bad news, it does give us an insightful new roadmap to follow. Ultimately, if small brands are to tip the scale in this regard, as Sharp puts it, “mental and physical availability must be a much bigger story than differentiation.” Unquestionably, this aligns with how crucial nimbleness and trend-tracking can be for smaller brands aiming to trump the big fish in their waters. Forging and harnessing intelligent opportunities to connect with customers, before in turn becoming a central and trusted voice within your target market, is an impactful approach to building brand loyalty that bucks the assumed outcomes of the Double Jeopardy Law. And what does brand availability look like? It definitely means smooth communication channels through your business website and social media pages, but it might also mean weighing in on Quora discussions or utilizing local media outlets to explore new opportunities for dialog. At times, it is possible to discover spaces where the giants never roam and within which you can strengthen customer bonds on a much more personal level. ### Offer Real Value Right Off the Bat It’s a logical assumption that no business swells to Goliath-like proportions without doing something right. With larger brands, value is generally seen as inherent and so people feel confident to part with their cash faster. However, for a smaller enterprise, demonstrating value immediately is a great way to steal attention away from your oversized rivals and establish evidenced trust. To give a few examples, this might take the form of an e-book, a fun blog, a how-to guide, a digital tool, a calendar, a recipe, or a checklist. Many businesses utilize free offerings like these as ‘lead magnets,’ which is a term that describes asking an audience for contact details in return for access to a freebie. But it isn’t always necessary to mop up information when delivering a taste of your brand’s potential value, and sometimes, avoiding the creation of a barrier can mean creating a far steadier and more sizable flow of traffic. Whichever approach you take, what is key is focusing on quality above all else. Namely, providing a resource or resources that people can actually use and that will genuinely make their lives better in some way. Most importantly, if you get the formulation just right, that free offering will bring your audience back to you time and time again—and ideally, it will encourage them to spread the word too. ### Choose Your Battlegrounds Wisely Earlier in this article, we touched on the importance of asymmetry when battle-planning in order to overcome a larger opponent. We talked about the advantages that come with greater ease in maneuvering, but what about the landscape itself? In fact, for a moment, let’s move from dry land back to the water, because you’re probably familiar with the metaphor of a drop in the ocean. Just a small amount of anything in the ocean—whether it’s a potent substance or a smaller brand’s best-laid marketing presence—is unlikely to make waves. Now, it may be true that your industry’s giants are able to traverse and rule the ocean in question easily, however, this isn’t the place to meet them. Instead, it’s worth looking for the scenic tide pools where the temperature and currents are just right for your brand. These will be just big enough to play a role in sustaining your businesses, while being small enough that your hulking competitors are unlikely to have them covered. Finding these welcoming shallow waters means wading into smaller market niches that are currently underserved by the big market players, and figuring out how to meet the needs within those tide pools head-on. By dominating in these areas, you’ll be able to establish the brand reach that will ultimately allow you to venture out into open waters and confidently claim territory from the giants. ### Cut Bigger Competitors Off at the Finish Line Stepping stealthily back onto solid footing, it’s now time to explore the idea of being just a little bit sly in order to down that Goliath. This tactic might not seem like the most honorable approach in the old-world sense, but in the gritty arena of modern competitive marketing, sometimes fighting dirty is the best way to come out on top. Consider the capacity that huge mega-brands have to drive consumer behavior and even create the trends that will serve them directly. You may not be able to compete with marketing strategies on that scale, but you can certainly leverage the results of their efforts to your advantage. Crucially, by tracking the agendas of the giants within your field, you can illuminate precise consumer data and expand it with the aforementioned search engine and social media data sources. These critical insights will allow you to identify the audiences that big brands have set up for themselves and then target them in the final hour. If you can provide a compelling pitch that makes your offering the more appealing option at the finish line, you may soon discover that you are successfully siphoning sales away from a seemingly herculean competitor. Not to mention, if you can ensure that your customer experiences are absolutely top-dog from there on out, you can likely ensure that you get to keep them too. ### Understand the Power of Being the Underdog From David and Goliath to the beloved 1990s movie Cool Runnings, everyone loves the story of a triumphant underdog. Perhaps more importantly, people will often actively root for the little guy. They’ll draw some satisfaction from supporting small businesses – especially when they feel that their dollar spend is going towards something that reflects their values while also meeting their needs. With so many opportunities to tell powerful stories through branding and marketing in the digital era, today’s underdog success stories are far more likely to be defined by creative tactics and innovative ideas than they ever were. Because, when delivered well, those all-important ideas can soon travel far and wide. It’s important to remember, too, that many of today’s biggest brand names were once the underdog themselves. Netflix was the David to Blockbuster’s Goliath; Ben & Jerry’s was the underdog to Häagen-Dazs, and so on. When it comes to slaying your brand’s giant foe, your biggest asset is your willingness to discover asymmetric opportunities to level the playing field over time. That requires a playful and exploratory approach and a hearty dose of faith that the bigger player never rules forever. With ingenuity and just a little luck, your turn to rise will be just around the corner. Related Read: How to Make Your Brand a Hit With Women (Without Excluding Men

By Aniket Warty

14 March 2023

7 Min Read

How to Make Your Brand a Hit With Women (Without Excluding Men)

Is your branding as attuned to female audience members as it should be? As a growing number of businesses embrace the reality that women pack a real punch when it comes to purchasing power, it’s a good time to raise the question. Because recent research tells us that the contemporary woman steers a mighty [80 percent of purchases](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescontentmarketing/2019/05/13/20-facts-and-figures-to-know-when-marketing-to-women/%20/?sh=1e3bd33f7c58), making marketing to women a must for the majority of brands seeking to build their momentum. However, there is a great deal of nuance to explore when striving to connect with the minds of modern consumers, not least because [men are also shopping more](https://www.junglescout.com/blog/men-vs-women-shopping/), particularly online. Meanwhile, traditional notions of what men and women might be more likely to buy are proving redundant as women [purchase over 50 percent](https://www.askingsmarterquestions.com/marketing-to-women-surprising-stats-show-purchasing-power-influence/) of historically male-associated products, including cars and gadgets. Without a doubt, we can all celebrate that the days of pink for girls and blue for boys are finally receding into our collective rearview, and strides into the realm of gender-inclusive branding are increasingly being taken. But, what does all of this mean for brands trying to maximize their audience reach? Crucially, it represents a call to action—specifically, a call to delve into the psychology of not only branding for women, but ultimately innovative gender-inclusivity and creatively branding towards people rather than preconceived notions. If shoppers are actively erasing the old divisions between tired tropes, then it’s time for businesses to do the same, and here are some great launch points to get started from. ### Marketing to Women Doesn’t Mean Going “Girly” While there may be plenty of shoppers out there who adore a rosey-hued or feminine aesthetic, that doesn’t make these qualities the benchmarks for appealing to female consumers. Sure, it may seem easy to fall back into the convenient arms of an audience segmented by gender and targeted with traditional ideals, but there is much more power to be found in providing consumers with a range of functional and great-looking choices—catering to personal preferences with relevant styles, sizes, or color options—based on time spent listening to their wants and needs in the now. Yes, there is no escaping that marketing assumptions tend to be a turn-off for modern female consumers. Plus, as marketing expert Gaby Barrios pointed out so succinctly in her Ted Talk, “because gender is such an easy thing to find in the market, to target, and to talk about, it actually distracts you from the fun things that could be driving growth for your brands.” She makes a good point, you’ll probably agree. So, rather than tripping into the pitfall of gendered design and marketing, we can tap greater wisdom and focus instead on delivering features that will fulfill the heeded needs of today’s female consumers while remaining universally appealing and valuable. This might include incorporating product multi-functionality to support busy lifestyles or expanding aesthetic customizations. Vitally, the key to delivering both problem-solving and pleasure-providing solutions to a larger demographic is the exact opposite of throwing up barriers of perception between shoppers and what’s placed before them. ### The Power of Visuals and Storytelling While female-focused “pink it and shrink it” branding may be outmoded, it’s handy to know that visual appeal remains a critical factor when making marketing to women a priority. Products that are as thoughtfully designed in terms of beauty as they are functionality are likely to land better across gender-inclusive audiences. Why might that be? Well, [studies reveal that when it comes to shopping](https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregpetro/2019/01/25/the-rise-of-the-new-male-power-shopper/?sh=7ee1479a3367), men tend towards a utilitarian approach, but women are often more hedonic consumers. This means that men are more likely to focus on practicality and functionality first, while women also place a strong emphasis on emotional and experiential pleasure drawn from things like aesthetics and storytelling. The takeaway here is that attention invested in things like presentation, color, texture, fragrance, form, and associated messaging will increase appeal for female audiences, while a portion of men will doubtless enjoy the benefits of these enhancements too. Simultaneously, brand storytelling should be seen as a super-power in the wings—because making story-driven messaging a key element of your marketing is an effective way to[ boost appeal among both male and female shoppers](https://www.crowdspring.com/blog/content-marketing-storytelling/). However, it’s worth keeping in mind that[ [only 29 percent of women in America](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/only-29-american-women-believe-advertising-portrays-them-schweitzer/) feel that they are accurately represented in advertising. So, if you’re going to paint a picture for your customers, make sure that it’s a relatable one! ### Marketing to Women Means Full-Brain Engagement We mentioned that female consumers may find more value than men in the hedonic aspects of their purchases, but that doesn’t mean that the practical aspects of any product offering will get lost along the way. Fascinatingly, understanding has grown in recent years both in terms of the way that we use our brains for decision-making and subtle differences between the way that men’s and women’s minds work when shopping. These insights allow us to better grasp why gender-inclusive branding requires a multi-faceted approach. [Scientific theories have long abounded](https://simplypsychology.org/left-brain-vs-right-brain.html) that the left brain hemisphere is more involved with utilitarian processes such as critical thinking and reasoning, while the right hemisphere takes the reins for things that lend to hedonic experiences such as creativity and intuition. When it comes to branding for women and men at once, it may be useful to know that in this regard, our brains really are all wired just a little differently but that’s actually something we can work with. It’s not that men’s or women’s brains power up a larger number of neuronal connections when shopping, but rather that information processing doesn’t always flow in entirely the same way.[ An analysis of hundreds of MRIs](https://simplypsychology.org/left-brain-vs-right-brain.html) highlighted that men tend to have greater interconnection within each distinct brain hemisphere, while women tend to have and utilize more neuronal connections linking across between one hemisphere and the other. This may explain why layering emotional messaging with practical and rational information is especially effective when branding and marketing to women. While so-called left-brain messaging is likely to hit a home run with male shoppers, interspersing it with emotional storytelling that allows women to visualize and connect with their user experience will guarantee greater gender-inclusive appeal. ### Showcasing Values and Benefits When Marketing to Women This brings us neatly to the next key question to consider when branding for women, which is: what are the benefits that are most revered by modern female consumers? As it turns out, looking beyond the way that a product is used, its flavor, functionality, its aesthetic appeal, or even its associations, today’s female shoppers are focused increasingly on health and sustainability—for themselves, for their families, and for society at large. As [Nicole Fry of First Beverage Group articulated](https://www.progressivegrocer.com/women-health-conscious-food-and-beverage-consumers) some years back, “increasingly, women consumers are asking the questions about ingredients and how they are made—women are driving that movement. Over time, lower fat and calories have given way to low sugar, natural/organic, fair trade, and non-GMO.” And of course, this idea doesn’t only apply to food and beverages, but also the full spectrum of consumables from household products to fashion and beyond. Crucially, making a point of putting value-based product information on the label will stir up greater brand interest among women while no doubt appealing to a portion of men too. If it’s organic, non-toxic, or locally sourced, it’s definitely savvy to say so. Does that mean that green or healthy claims should be the loudest part of your product presentation? Research suggests that the answer is no—and this understanding is something that can be thoughtfully leveraged. For some years now, brands have been feeling their way around the challenge that some men [perceive overtly eco-friendly behavior as unmanly](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/men-resist-green-behavior-as-unmanly/). However, this doesn’t mean that branding can’t speak to everyone. When we consider the importance of aesthetics and user experience for female consumers, it points to the idea that those deal-closing value-based credentials should be discreetly on display rather than placed front and center, so it’s a win-win for everyone. ### Putting a Positive Slant on Branding for Gender Inclusivity If your current branding messages are built around the premise of showing customers what they want to avoid, it’s probably time to change tack. The reason, [according to audience analytics company Nielsen](https://keymediasolutions.com/news/nielsen-research-shows-women-favor-positive-advertisements/), is that “the female brain is programmed to maintain social harmony, so messaging should be positive and not focus on negative comparisons or associations.” This makes zeroing in on the life enhancements that products can provide far more helpful than focusing on what they’ll help consumers avoid. Presenting product and brand advantages will contribute to a better recipe for nurturing customer loyalty among women who can then spread the word. Interestingly, the Covid-19 pandemic seems to have only served to increase the[ focus of female shoppers on seeking out positive messaging ](https://www.agilitypr.com/pr-news/public-relations/as-covid-rages-women-seek-positive-messaging-from-brands/)from the brands they bring home and publicly align themselves with. So, steering clear of adding to the negative noise is the smarter choice and a much better option than being actively tuned out. ### Dropping the Tropes and Facilitating Self-Expression Having already touched on the misrepresentation of women in brand storytelling, let’s dig into the numbers a little further. Disappointingly, a recent [study on advertising by Cannes Lions](https://seejane.org/wp-content/uploads/bias-and-inclusion-in-advertising-cannes-lions.pdf) found that female characters continue to be visually and verbally objectified in modern marketing and are four times more likely to be shown in revealing clothing than male characters. These kinds of stereotyped approaches to branding for women likely serve to alienate female consumers more than attract them. In reality, marketing to women on the basis of inaccurate homogeneity is a strategy that will disappoint beyond the distaste aspect, simply because the priorities, tastes, values, perspectives, and lifestyles of women are so immensely variable. A stronger tactic would be to focus on women as diverse individuals within the human demographic. Breaking the mold on such icky tropes on behalf of their customers, a number of high-profile companies are leaning into branding that focuses on customer uniqueness and self-expression rather than gender—ranging from Lego choosing to [shed long-standing biases](https://people.com/human-interest/lego-to-eliminate-gender-bias-by-removing-for-girls-for-boys-labels/) by no longer labeling their toys as “for girls” or “for boys” to Rihanna’s Fenty using models of every size [to market gender-neutral beauty products](https://www.indigo9digital.com/blog/fentydiversityinclusion) that cater to everyone. The success of these branding efforts aligns with the reality that the world has moved beyond laned identity structures. As [almost half of Gen Z consumers](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies) indicate that they value brands that don’t classify their products as being for men or women, the companies still dragging their heels risk misinterpreting the needs of some sections of their audience and completely ignoring others. In contrast, brands that are marketing to women with greater nuance and actively engaging their full audience whenever possible are lighting the way forwards. ### Reframing Your Brand Strategy With Women in Mind So, we know that branding to women is essential given their purchasing power, but also that old-fashioned approaches just won’t cut the mustard anymore—in fact, they’ll alienate women and exclude men too, making them all but useless. Instead, providing innovative human-centric solutions that facilitate self-expression, light up both brain hemispheres, and focus on the positive will go much further for forging meaningful full-audience marketing connections. The bottom line is that from packaging design to product attributes, intelligent and creative branding for women can translate into branding that serves everyone. This makes now the time to take a deep dive into your demographic, segment based on shared truths rather than tropes, and sculpt your offering based on meeting needs that are practical, aspirational, and innovative—but also truly tangible. Hopefully, you’ll find that the factors outlined above support much more fruitful conclusions when considering the usual branding value proposition questions such as how products will improve consumers’ lives or make them easier. Because while gender-inclusive branding may be a delicate dance that requires conveying all the right messaging, its mastery is sure to reward.

By Aniket Warty

28 February 2023

10 Min Read

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