Here’s an interesting question. An increasing number of women are single — getting married later, or preferring to remain single. So don’t you think there should be more advertisements directed at women? Well, dwell on it and consider the following example of Kleenex. The advertisement suggests that if women don’t get married they’ll end up as lonely old ‘cat ladies’ — however, Kleenex would be there to help them cry over their lost loves. Naturally, the advertisement stirred up a hornet’s nest and the ad agency was embroiled in accusations of sexism because in another version, men were shown in quite the other way with their successes or failures revolving around how well they did in sport and music! In other words, the women’s ad suggests that a woman’s entire life hinges on marriage and family, whereas the men’s ad just looks at a slice of their professional lives.
Contrary to popular perception, the number of single women is on the rise. The majority of single women are not young 20-somethings waiting to get married. In fact, there is a growing movement around the world towards marriage delays or avoidance. In the US, Europe, and Japan, the average age at which a woman marries is now in her mid-to-late 20s.
In the US, the number of women living alone has increased more than 33 per cent in the past 15 years, to 30 million, and marriage rates are at their lowest point in history. Similarly, in Japan, the percentage of women in their late 20s who are single has risen from 30 to 50 over the past 15 years. In the UK, too, the number of first marriages is the lowest it has been in the century. Meanwhile, in Scandinavia, marriage rates have dropped by more than half since the 1950s. And Australia’s marriage rate is the lowest it has been in a hundred years.
As societies slowly begin to assimilate this single lifestyle into the dominant culture, finding a language that identifies this group and captures their new attitude towards relationships will be essential for the success of marketing and advertising campaigns.
Throughout modern societies world wide, the distinctions between formal and informal relationships are gradually being blurred as cohabitation — both premarital and as an alternative to marriage — rises. This is a reflection of a new hybrid lifestyle, in which a woman can retain financial independence and many of the trappings of single life by avoiding tying the knot, while importing a stable partner into the bargain. While an unmarried woman is not necessarily a single woman, a married woman, conversely, is not automatically subsumed into a traditional couple. As more and more women state their status as single, they are increasingly difficult to label, or categorise, making it that much more challenging for marketeers who wish to appeal to them.
Most advertisements that we see around us are pretty heavy on images of motherhood, family and happy couples. Intelligence Factory Research on “The Single Female Consumer” constitutes the first and broadest aggregation of data on this rising consumer market. This benchmark study explores this high-growth sector both qualitatively and quantitatively. The research finds that around the world, solo women are developing an enormous amount of spending power. And, despite their diversity, a global culture of young single females is emerging. From a marketing standpoint, this consumer has three identifiable characteristics: she is info-savvy; she is a relationship-seeker who remains loyal to trusted brands; and she is strongly influenced by her confidants. In targeting this demographic profile, advertisers are beginning to appeal to single women’s aspirations of freedom and independence.
Single women respond to advertising messages that respect their intelligence, honour a myriad lifestyle choices, and affirm their self-esteem and independent spirit. Says Saumya Chattopadhyay, Head, Strategic Planning, Rediffusion Y&R says “People who think up ads have to realise that it is best to sell an item or service without preference towards certain demographic groups. Making some product or service that is useful to anyone seem to be especially, or only, for mothers and/or wives makes for a certain disenfranchisement from spouse-free and childfree individuals who also have the money to spend and who would like to be thought of as important.”
The truth is many advertisers actually have no idea how to talk to single women. As M Sinha, a professional observes, “TV commercials. just do not address me. Either I come across images of happy families or motherhood. Even when there is an advertisement showing a woman driving a car or doing something adventurous, there is an implication that she is either trying to attract a man or dating, which in my case, is not absolutely true. I choose to stay single.” Niharika B echoes a similar view. She says that a woman is very often depicted as a homemaker or a happy mother. “Why can’t there be an advertisement directed to single women like us? There can be a purpose in our lives as well when we are projecting a stylish image. We are not forever trying to attract men.”
Well, think about it for a while.
The author is a well- known industry watcher