23 February 2026

Marketing to Women

What do women want? The age-old question that has beguiled society for generations. Across the marketing industry, we’ve seen many brands try to pinpoint exactly what women want from advertising aimed at them. Thankfully we’ve moved away from the heady Mad Men days of women gazing longingly at a vacuum cleaner, or the 80s and 90s ads for period products full of rollerblading women in white shorts. While things have improved, the industry still struggles at times to market well to women. Major life stages are routinely ignored or glossed over; corporate feminism and girlbossing have taken over from real conversations and authenticity. This glossy, lacquered version of women’s lives, feels out of place in a world that is increasingly difficult to navigate.

According to NielsenIQ, women worldwide are expected to control 75% of discretionary spending by 2030. Yet there are still so many brands who miss the mark with their marketing to women or routinely assume that they don’t need to consider women in their approach. As we continue to live through a cost-of-living crisis, buyers are becoming increasingly discerning with their spending power. Brands cannot afford to lose this major audience or ignore them. So, how can brands reach out to women buyers? What do they want to see, and how do they want marketing to make them feel?

How are life stages represented?

The NielsenIQ report noted that 91% of women feel that brands do not understand them. We might see women in adverts across our social channels and on TV, but there are very few brands that portray the realities of women’s lives and their life stages. Whilst there have been strides in building a more diverse and authentic picture from period product brands such as Bodyform, brands seem reluctant to tackle marketing to women in menopause and beyond or during pregnancy. A report from Kantar showed that 76% of perimenopausal and menopausal women don’t feel represented by brand’s advertising and marketing. There is often a stereotype that is wheeled out for women going through menopause, or a celebrity face that doesn’t necessarily represent all buyers across this life stage. Women who are looking for products to help them, don’t always want an aspirational figure to look to, they want authenticity.

How and which women are represented?

According to Channel 4’s ‘Mirror on the Industry’ report only 0.1% of adverts show pregnant people. While we don’t expect every brand or piece of advertising to revolve around pregnancy, it can often feel as though this life stage is erased or only shown in a way that is specifically about becoming a parent. We rarely see pregnant people just existing, working or doing normal everyday things.

Proper representation across key life stages is hugely important, but we should also consider the other ways in which women are portrayed. Research from the ASA and YouGov shows that 45% of respondents were concerned about advertising that showed idealised body images of women and 44% were concerned about the objectification of women and girls. When women are portrayed in advertising, it is often as polished, white and middle class. There is little representation for women of colour or those from working class backgrounds. This lack of visibility means that brands are missing out on buyers, buyers that could be loyal to them and spread reach through word of mouth.

However, it isn’t all doom and gloom. There are brands who consistently use their marketing to reach out to women and portray them in ways that feel truly representative and aware of the wider world around women’s lives. Dove’s marketing continues to act as the standard of great, representative advertising for women. Kicking off with their ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ from 2004, they have continued to build on this platform for 20 years. Tackling self-esteem, representation and ageism in advertising through clever, clear campaigns. Bodyform have transformed the period product marketing landscape. From showing blood in their ‘#BloodNormal’ campaign, to ‘Womb Stories’ which explored women’s life stages in an authentic, raw way, never shying away from the distressing details. Mothercare took on the realism of post-partum bodies with their ‘Body Proud’ campaign. Showing a diverse group of women with their normal post-partum bodies was a break from wall of flat tummies and no stretch marks that often come up on social media.

So, back to the opening question, what do women want? There isn’t a definitive answer to that question, and it would be dangerous of us to assume that all women want the same things from marketing and advertising that targets them. However, these are our suggestions as to how we can make positive, productive changes.

Key to marketing to women, is taking the time to understand your audience and the need that you are trying to fill as a brand. What are the nuances and the complexities that you have to answer? Take the time to understand your buyer so you can reflect and represent them and show how you fit into their lives. You can still build broad appeal for a brand whilst being relevant to the buyer you want to target. This means not relying on stereotypes and outdated ‘pink-ification’ of everything. It’s about building intentional, nuanced marketing that never feels tokenistic.

Building on this understanding means engaging with diversity and buyers’ real lives. Diversity means more than just showing a woman. Think about who you want to reach and then ensure you represent them in the right way. We don’t have to lose the joy across marketing or become so gritty that it feels like an ITV drama, but building in reality can help women to feel seen. Be intentional with your targeting, and if in doubt, speak to the women you want to target.

We might never have a definitive answer to what women want from their marketing and advertising. However, the best thing you can do, is your research. Get down to the nitty, gritty of who actually buys your brand, or who you want to be buying your brand. Don’t be bogged down in generalisations, generations or demographics. Consider instead ensuring you meet the needs and the nuances of the women you want to target. Who are they? Why would they buy your brand? What need can you answer for them? Neglecting or misunderstanding the women who could be buying from you means you could be missing out on a vital audience with real spending power.

Marketing to Women

How are life stages represented?

How and which women are represented?

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