Equal parts inspired and fired up is how you’ll feel after listening to this episode with SeeHer President, Christine Guilfoyle. Christine shares her insights on the SHEconomy, why marketing must be a force for growth and a force for good, and how the growing popularity of women’s sports is the future – not just a movement.
The power of the SHEconomy
Thirty trillion dollars. That’s the estimated amount of purchasing power women have globally. The power of the SHEconomy has been truly realized in the past 18 months. With women fueling 85% of purchasing decisions and cultural moments like the Barbie movie, the Taylor Swift effect, Caitlin Clark + other women in sports, the impact women make on the economy and culture is impossible to ignore.
Because of this, it’s more important now than ever for marketing to represent women and girls accurately. Their wallets are full and they are ready to make or break your brand.
Why marketing can be a force for growth and good
Marc Pritchard, the CMO of P&G champions the phrase, “Marketing should be a force for growth and good.” The phrase usually reads “Marketing must be a force for good and growth.” The subtle switch signals how brands should be mindful of why and how they do their marketing. Marc explains that it’s okay to prioritize the success of their business. Christine agrees with this sentiment saying in business you need to invest time, people, and resources into business growth drivers. The second part of the phrase, however, marketing must be a force for good is just as important since people are exposed to it and influenced often. And the next generation demands it.
Why your brand should GEM test
The GEM score is an integral part of achieving SeeHer’s mission for accurate representation of women and girls in marketing and media. GEM was introduced in 2016 and has four easy questions to gauge the portrayal of characters in a campaign. Christine tells us since its introduction over 300,000 pieces of advertising have been tested by GEM globally. The measurement is vital to getting brands and agencies to understand the why behind how their creative was received by a diverse audience. This feedback is essential to helping brands get a little better every time they enter production.
Not only does this measurement help determine whether there is an accurate representation of women, but also correlates with the rate of return of sales and brand affinity. A high GEM scoring ad can drive sales lift anywhere between 5x and 10x. That means the better you represent women and girls in your marketing, the more likely they will choose your brand. Partnering with SeeHer and utilizing the GEM score is an easy way for your brand to be a force for growth and good.
Women’s sports are the future
Taylor Swift is one of the largest icons to emerge in the last century. In 2023, when the musician’s relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce was announced to the public, the NFL gained a ton of new fans – most of which were women and girls. The wave of new fans caught the NFL’s attention and they leaned into their newer audience.
On the flip side, women athletes like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese brought more male attention to women’s basketball. Christine says the momentum of women's sports is accelerating, opening another avenue for marketers to capitalize on. What Christine says marketers must know is that the growing popularity of women's sports and women's sports fans is not just a movement, it is the future.
Brands that live SeeHer’s mission
Almost every brand that partners with SeeHer acknowledges they have a lot of work left to do. Their humble admission to not being done yet speaks volumes about where the industry is at.
Christine spotlights two major CPG players that do a great job of representing women in their marketing: P&G and Unilever. She highlights the “Train like an Olympian smell like you didn’t” campaign for P&G brand Secret during the 2024 Olympics featuring the US women’s rugby team. Christine liked this ad because it was boundary-pushing and showcased diverse body types outside of what's typical in advertising. Another brand killing it according to Christine is Dove, a Unilever brand with the popular “Real women redefine beauty” brand platform tackling the issue of body positivity. Both ads were created to inspire and redefine the standards of women’s beauty in media – laddering up to SeeHer’s mission: If you see her, you can be her.
