Zimmerman

Elizabeth Zimmerman
COM252 Dr. Strauss
Public Relations Case Study
April 24, 2015

P&Gs Always Brand Plays Like A Girl and Wins Like a Girl in the
World of Socially Conscious Advertising
Fem-vertising: The Trend
In a sea of feminist advertising campaigns, also known as fem-vertising
(Wheaton, Advertising Age), brands are constantly challenged to both stand out and to
properly market their products. On February 1, 2015, during one of the iconic Super
Bowl commercial breaks, Proctor and Gambles Always brand debuted its newest take on
fem-vertising with its Like a Girl campaign.

In the last 10 years, many brands in the beauty marketplace have taken to creating
advertisements with messages that are not directly related to the brand and instead draw
upon the feminist movement and female empowerment. As a matter of fact, a survey
conducted by SheKnows reported that 92% of women were aware of at least one profemale advertising campaign (Stampler, Time). In these unusual campaigns, the main
feminist idea or emotion behind the advertisement takes center stage, while the actual
product being sold seems like an afterthought or goes unmentioned all together. And
Always campaign was no exception to this standard. Some other noteworthy successful
fem-vertising campaigns include Doves Real Beauty videos and Verizons Inspire
Her Mind initiative (Wheaton, Advertising Age).

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Run like a girl: Transforming Perceptions Through Advertising

In Always campaign, like the others in the media landscape, the advertisement
addresses an issue facing women and presents it in an action-inspiring light. The
advertisement opens with a large studio setting and a narrator asking both men and
women in their late to early twenties and teens about what it looks like to do various
activities, like running, like a girl. Both genders of all ages respond with floppy,
flailing arms and shuffling feet or dainty tosses of an imaginary ball (Griner, AdWeek).

The focus slowly begins to shift from adults to pre-adolescent girls, who are then
asked the same questions what does it mean to do something like a girl? However,
this time, there is no helplessness or daintiness in their actions. The young girls run their
hardest and punch the air with confidence without holding anything back (Griner,
AdWeek). These girls are tough. Theyre strong. Theyre girls.

Figure 1: Kauffman, Leo Burnett

The campaign was finely crafted by the Leo Burnett agency in Chicago and
Toronto, headed up by Creative Directors Judy John and Becky Swanson. According to

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the agency, the team created the campaign in response to the statistic that more than half
of girls lose confidence during puberty. Studies have shown that a major cause of this
lack of confidence is gender-related, societal put-downs. Even though some of these putdowns begin as harmless jokes, studies have shown that women internalize these
comments as they pass through puberty. Swanson said that her goal in the creation of this
campaign is to change the society that [young girls] are growing up in so they dont
suffer the crisis of confidence during puberty that affects girls twice as much as boys
(Kauffman, Leo Burnett).

Always Brand Director Amanda Hill said that the campaign is different than other
socially conscious advertisements because it focuses specifically on puberty and goes
beyond just the physical aspect of girls getting their first period. Hill also echoed the
Leo Burnett creative teams sentiments regarding research that the team had conducted
about drops in self-confidence following a young womans first period. Hill hopes that
the campaign will start a social movement and will boost self-confidence in women all
over the world (Neff, Advertising Age).

Overcoming Obstacles: Marketing an Unseen Product

All of these sentiments and appeals through fem-vertising, like the ones Always
uses in their newest campaign, are noble and admirable but also raise an important
question: how does one market its product with a non-product focused advertising
campaign?

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This is an obstacle that nearly all of these socially conscious advertisers (like
Dove and Always) struggle with at some point. According to advertising professional and
Advertising Age columnist Ken Wheaton, lifestyle brands like feminine products or
soaps are constantly faced with the problematic fact that their products are a necessity to
many, but their brand is not distinct in the market (Wheaton, Advertising Age). Studies
have shown that in the feminine hygiene category, brand loyalty drives sales and most
women will stick with the brand they first bought as young women when they got their
period for the first time (Neff, Advertising Age).

By creating emotionally charged and meaningful advertising campaigns, like the

one used by Always, bland brands are able to make a statement and remain in the minds
of cause-oriented customers (Wheaton, Advertising Age). And the statistics dont lie
according to the SheKnows survey, 52% of women have purchased a product because of
the way the brand and its advertisements portray women (Stampler, Time).

In a world full of frilly, girly feminine hygiene product advertisements, Always

has blazed a new trail. Traditionally, advertisements in this market have focused on
selling women an idealized version of themselves, like a mom who could make the house
spotless before her kids came home from soccer practice or a young woman who now has
the freedom to dance in a head-to-toe white outfit without worrying about her period
(Berman, Huffington Post).

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The Always brand managers knew that they would have to take a different
approach in order to distinguish the brand in a marketplace that is driven by brand
preference. The brand managers also understood that these ideal woman
advertisements just werent getting the job done anymore (Berman, Huffington Post). By
appealing to the emotional ties of womanhood, rather than a practical or idealized version
of what women should be like, Always captured the attention of men, women and preadolescents alike.

Breaking Stereotypes: The Decision of When to Air

Always didnt only blaze a new trail in terms of its advertisements content, but
also in terms of its decision to air the commercial during the Super Bowl. The Like a
Girl commercial is one of the first advertisements for feminine hygiene products in
history to air during the Super Bowl. According to author Elissa Stein, there was a time in
America where such advertisements wouldnt have been allowed to air on television at
all, let alone during one of the most-watched, nationally televised events of the year
(Berman, Huffington Post).

Not only did the advertisement break down this historical barrier, but it also
successfully broke through the clutter of beer and chip commercials targeted toward
middle-aged men with a positive and empowering message for the women in the room
during the big game.

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When Hard Work Pays Off: Viewer Engagement

All of the hard work that went into creating this motivational advertising
campaign paid off when the commercial aired on Super Bowl Sunday. As ratings poured
in, the Like a Girl commercial was ranked among the top five most impactful
advertisements of the night with more than 100 million views (Nudd, AdWeek).

Always not only got views on T.V. but also ranked first in terms of viewer
engagement according to iSpot technology. The morning after the commercial first aired
during Super Bowl XLIX, the commercial had racked up 415,144 social actions online
(like sharing, liking and mentioning) and had 2,242,166 online views on YouTube
and Facebook during the given date range (Ives, Advertising Age).

Figure 2: Ives, Advertising Age

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The End Game When You Play Like a Girl: The Takeaway
Always was able to rise to the top of socially conscious advertising campaigns in
the minds of viewers for several reasons. The first of which is its execution of the
message. Always kept the commercial short, sweet and to the point. It also kept the mood
of the commercial serious, yet light-hearted something other brands have struggled to
do.

The second reason that Always brand experienced increased brand recognition
and viewer engagement is because it was able to distinguish itself in a market full of
boring, unrealistic and idealized advertisements for feminine hygiene products. Rather
than playing into the idea of a superwoman who doesnt fear wearing white while on
her period, Always chose to strive for social change through emotional appeals targeted
toward the key demographic, while the product remains an afterthought.

Always got people talking because of the unconventionality of the Like a Girl
campaign and because the message the brand produced was something that needed to be
heard by everyone. People were more willing to share the advertisement with their
friends on social media because of the message, not because of the product attached to
the message. Always also took a risk by featuring the advertisement in an unconventional
place. They broke through the mold of masculine Super Bowl commercials and took a
risk to reach a new audience. Always understood the importance of not to ruling
promotional techniques out without first investigating whether or not they are a viable
option.

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Socially conscious and fem-vertising campaigns can be risky, but if executed as

expertly as Always, they can win big time in terms of viewer engagement and interaction.
As a matter of fact, campaigns like these can win like a girl.

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Works Cited
Berman, J. (2015, February 2). Why That 'Like A Girl' Super Bowl Ad Was So
Groundbreaking. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/always-super-bowl-ad_n_6598328.html
Griner, D., & Ciambriello, R. (2015, January 29). Hugely Popular 'Like a Girl' Campaign
From Always Will Return as a Super Bowl Ad. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from
http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/hugely-popular-girl-campaignalways-will-return-sunday-super-bowl-ad-162619
Ives, N. (2015, February 2). Not Just Views but Real Engagement: Always' #LikeaGirl Is
a Super Bowl Winner. Retrieved March 4, 2015, from http://adage.com/article/specialreport-super-bowl/likeagirl-winning-super-bowl-conversation-game/296948/
Kauffman, K. (2014, June 25). What It Means To Be #LikeAGirl. Retrieved March 4,
2015, from http://www.leoburnett.com/articles/work/what-it-means-to-be-likeagirl/
Neff, J. (2014, June 26). P&Gs Always Aims to Change What It Means to Be Like a
Girl. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/p-g-s-changemeaning-a-girl/293895/
Nudd, T. (2015, February 2). The 5 Best Ads of Super Bowl XLIX. Retrieved March 4,
2015, from http://www.adweek.com/news-gallery/advertising-branding/5-best-ads-superbowl-xlix-162716
Stampler, L. (2014, October 14). Surveyed Women Say These 10 Brands Are Nailing
Pro-Female Ads. Retrieved March 6, 2015, from http://time.com/3502904/heres-howwomen-respond-to-all-those-female-empowerment-ads/
Wheaton, K. (2014, July 7). In a Sea of Go-Girl Advertising, P&Gs Like a Girl. Hits
Hardest. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://adage.com/article/ad-review/a-sea-girl-adsp-g-s-a-girl-hits-hardest/294009/