Marketing to Women: What Natural Products, Wellness and Cannabis Brands Need to Know

Women make up around half the global population and are projected to make 75% of discretionary spending decisions by 2028, not only for themselves but also for their families, including the men in their lives. Yet marketers are frequently speaking to that vast audience in ways that are out of step with how women view themselves, their struggles and their values.

‍

Many brands persistently treat women as a niche audience—especially in industries dominated by men, such as cannabis. Even brands in CPG categories like wellness and natural foods that frequently segment their audiences by gender depict women primarily in traditional capacities of nurturing and homemaking that don’t align with evolving views of gender and sexuality.

‍

Some of the biggest media success stories in 2023 were driven by women—creatives, artists, athletes and their fans—the Barbie movie made over $1 billion at the box office, while Taylor Swift’s Eras tour drove similar revenues. The WNBA and FIFA World Cup pulled record viewers and sponsorships. And the women-led True Detective revival was a critical darling—except with fanboys who felt they’d been decentered by the franchise.

‍

Despite the undeniable economic power of women as a demographic, however, these kinds of blockbuster wins are still treated like a curious fluke or aberration. So how can brands buck the status quo and really resonate with the huge number of women out there ready to spend? 

‍

It starts by asking what this particular consumer is looking for—and actively listening for the answer.

‍

Who Are Women as Consumers?

First of all, it’s important to ditch the idea of “the woman consumer” monolith. While it’s important to be mindful of broad consumer trends—like statistics that women prefer online shopping—real insights come from taking a more nuanced look at what’s going on beneath the churn.

‍

Women consumers are hungry for representation and to support fellow women in business. But women—particularly young women—are also used to their interests and preferences being broadly dismissed and under-supported by the dominant culture.

‍

After Stanley Quenchers became a must-have product for teen girls and adult women alike, the water bottles were teasingly derided on Saturday Night Live as "big dumb cups." Then there were the complaints leading up to the 2024 Super Bowl Taylor Swift was "ruining football" by dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce—a relationship that dominated both pop culture and sports coverage for months and significantly increased women's interest in the NFL.

‍

This attenuation is as true in longer term trends as it is in short-burst pop culture. For example, Nielsen Book Research found that of the 10 best-selling books written by women, just 19% of readers were men, while books by the 10 best-selling authors who are men had readers evenly divided by gender. That might explain why, as actor Randall Park observed about the post-Barbie movie industry, studios might look at director Greta Gerwig’s success and develop more intellectual property based on iconic toy brands, rather than “more movies by and about women.”

‍

So often in both media and consumer packaged goods, it’s not that women don’t have significant buying power, it’s just that men are less likely to routinely shop for women or engage with branding that’s obviously girly—or even generally appealing to women. Indeed, multiple studies found that women are more likely to seek out consumer goods from companies led by women, while men are more indifferent about the gender of CPG producers. 

‍

Does It Pay to Think Pink?

Does that mean that brands are making a misstep by creating products and packaging that look pretty in pink? Yes and no. Traditionally feminine branding can feel representational and empowering to many women who are tired of being overlooked by brands. Just look at the pandemic-era popularity of TikTok microtrends like cottagecore, coquette, balletcore, not to mention products like the viral strawberry dress.

‍

It would be a mistake, however, to assume that feminine branding is inherently feminist in its intent or appeal. Much of the tradwife (short for traditional wife) and stay-at-home girlfriend content that’s recently cropped up on social media idealizes and promotes traditional gender roles and representations of femininity. These trends are one facet of growing global backlash to the mainstreaming of feminism that’s occurred over the last decade through channels like the #MeToo Movement.

‍

It should go without saying that women have as broad a range of aesthetic tastes and personal interests as any other demographic. Just look at the success of brands like Wildfang and Milk Makeup that explicitly set out to "rethink gender norms." But there are other reasons that overtly feminine branding isn't always a win. Internalized misogyny is very much a current in our culture. For women who feel that they are “not like other girls”—a sentiment common enough that the NLOG acronym now neatly summarizes the trope—girly branding is peak cringe.

‍

Brands should also be aware that media-savvy consumers of all attitudes are adept at picking up on “pinkwashing.” That’s a term that refers to inauthentic, even cynical corporate attempts at pandering to women in the audience, similar to greenwashing, Blackwashing and rainbow washing that target the environmental, BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities.

The Power of Representation for Diverse Markets

One alternative to overtly feminine branding, then, is to dig into the deeper nuances of what women want and what their pain points are. There's certainly no shortage of problems women face that brands can solve and marketers can speak to.

‍

Just look at a 2023 thread on Reddit which asked users "what's the worst part of being a woman in 2023" and quickly blew up with answers. Many respondents cited frequent dismissal of women by doctors and other medical professionals, legal and political erosion of women's bodily autonomy and reproductive rights, a lack of safety after dark or while running, high rates of domestic violence and maternal mortality, gender inequality at work and at home, the burden of emotional labor, rampant sexualization, the impact of pretty privilege and more.

‍

That constant sense of friction might explain why women are more likely to seek out purpose-driven brands that align with their values—not only as professionals and leaders, but as shoppers, too. That consumer preference is increasingly prevalent in Millennial and Gen Z shoppers of all genders. One reason that women and younger consumers may be more attracted to brands that reflect their values is that they’re hungry to feel seen and heard.

‍

A whopping 85% of women feel that depictions in gendered advertising are outdated and lagging behind their self-perception. Meanwhile, 91% of women in the Baby Boomer generation feel ignored by brands and marketers—despite having more money to spend than Gen X, Millennial and Gen Z shoppers. Women whose gender intersects with other marginalized identities, like women who are members of the BIPOC, disabled and LGBTQIA+ communities, literally see even less of themselves in advertising.

‍

A 2023 survey found that 60% of non-white consumers felt invisible or underrepresented in advertising. Other studies show that 62% of AAPI Americans, 41% of Hispanic Americans and 32% of Black Americans felt underrepresented, compared with 24% of white Americans. According to the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, only 18% of the characters depicted in advertising are Black—a number that’s actually greater than the 14% of the total U.S. population who identify as African American. But just 30% of those ads feature Black women rather than men, and that disproportionately low number are seven times more likely to be objectified than their white counterparts. 

‍

What does all of this analysis add up to? The need to recognize that women hold an important place in marketing for cannabis and natural products brands—and having the right marketing approach comes with a big ROI.