Feminist Advertising: Femvertising

We can say that advertisements are one of the important tools that affect the structure of society and play a role in changing the existing dominant ideology. The orientation of advertisements changes according to the socio-cultural structure of the period. In today's world, with the importance of feminism and the awareness of societies, it has been effective in the emergence of the femvertising movement, which includes feminist marketing practices in the advertising sector.

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Gender Equality and Advertising

Femvertising - feminist advertising. Brands make advertisements that emphasize gender equality by putting women at the center of their marketing strategies. This is a step towards breaking down long-standing prejudices. Generally accepted perceptions of femininity and masculinity can be opened to discussion.

Mass media and media can make references to people by presenting gender stereotypes in different ways. Advertisements are also very important manipulation tools that affect society. This situation plays a major role in changing the dominant ideology formed at the social level. Feminist advertisements generally give a message that criticizes gender stereotypes and judgments and opposes gender inequality. It emphasizes that women do not have to comply with the prejudices accepted by society, showing that women can get somewhere with their own efforts.

Femvertising is seen as the future of advertising. In a study conducted among women aged 18-34, it was found that feminist ads are 80% more likely to be liked, shared or commented on social media. In this case, it reveals that the traditional sexist advertising that has been going on for years has been destroyed and that the perception of "feminism sells" is now accepted instead of the perception of "sex sells".

Dove- Real Beauty Campaign

Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign is a successful example of femvertising. Dove is a personal care brand owned by the British company Unilever. The Real Beauty Campaign is a campaign launched by Dove in 2004. The starting point of the Dove brand is identified with the slogan "natural beauty". Dove explains the purpose of the "Real Beauty" campaign as follows:

In an international survey conducted for the campaign, women were asked "how beautiful they feel". According to the results, only 4% of women in the world feel beautiful. As a result, the Dove brand launched a new campaign by breaking the usual and marketed beauty stereotypes. In the Real Beauty Campaign, instead of models, ordinary women of different age groups became the faces of the brand, revealing "Real Beauty".

Selpak - Let's Erase Prejudices

The commercial made by the Selpak brand starts with the words "why do you think this woman is crying". This commercial, which gives a message about gender inequality, deals with the prejudices against women in society. The social role of women in our society is coded as "delicate, elegant, unsuccessful". Taking action with a message against this situation, Selpak invites everyone to erase these prejudices.

It chooses 4 successful Turkish women as the faces of its advertisements and reveals their achievements. It tells the stories of Büşra Ün, who represented Turkish women in the Paralympic Games for the first time, National Geographic award-winning photographer Dilek Uyar, İnci Kadribegiç, who was accepted by Kyoto University for her stem cell studies, and Hilal Saral, the only Turkish director to receive an Emmy award.

Nike - Know Us Like This

Nike's "Know Us Like This" ad campaign is one of the successful examples of femvertising. In this campaign, Nike takes a stance that criticizes and opposes gender stereotypes. By celebrating the sporting achievements of women in Turkey, it makes a reference to the social role of women in society. In the Nike commercial, Nike emphasizes that the gender roles that are accepted by society, accepted without questioning, and imposed on women can be overthrown by women.