1 April 2026

Marketing to Women

From white hotpants to white hot creative – how to resonate with women in advertising.

For years, brands have talked about targeting women. And have done so via a myriad of questionable methods (roller-skating in white hotpants on your period, anyone?).
But here’s the truth: most women can spot marketing that’s intended “for women” within seconds: and can ignore it just as quickly.
The creative that resonates doesn’t ‘target’ women. It reflects them. In all their multifaceted, multitasking, multidimensional multitudes.
That means less stereotyping, less perfection, and far more emotional intelligence.
Through the above lens, here’s our take on what the best creative over the past year gets right:

1. Real beats aspirational. Every time.

Women emotionally resonate with marketing that reflects them in their real lives, not an idealised version of it.
Last year, Dove’s “These Legs” campaign portrayed this beautifully: tackling the uncomfortable truth that girls drop out of sport at twice the rate of boys due to body confidence.
Instead of polished athletic perfection, the campaign celebrated strength, movement and resilience.
It actively didn’t push a product. It addressed a real, universal tension women recognise instantly.
Build your brand campaigns around an authentic human truth: resonance with your core audience (and brand growth) will naturally follow.

2. Cultural energy drives attention

Creative that truly cuts through often taps into an existing sentiment in the cultural zeitgeist. A great example is Gap’s “Better in Denim” campaign, which relaunched the brand with dance-led storytelling, nostalgic music and a cast designed for social sharing.
The campaign worked because it felt participatory. People didn’t just watch it: they recreated it.
In a world where women are constantly filtering content, participation always beats passive consumption.

3. Experience converts interest into purchase

Big awareness campaigns create interest. But conversion often happens much closer to the product.
Glossier demonstrated this perfectly, with its recent fragrance launch experiences, including pop-ups where customers could personalise bottles and create AI-generated poetry inspired by the scent.
It transformed a simple product trial into something memorable, personal and shareable. And that’s the moment where consideration becomes purchase.

So, what do women really want?

The creative winning with women today goes beyond lazy stereotyping. It’s more considered, observant, and relevant.

They recognise that women want to be engaged in a way that:

reflects their real lives
taps into the cultural zeitgeist
creates meaningful experiences

Get this combo right, and the results speak for themselves – literally.
Because when women feel understood by a brand, they don’t just buy it.
They recommend it. And personal recommendation will, ultimately, create much more return on investment than a pair of white hotpants ever could.