Female empowerment is reshaping consumption patterns and influencing marketing and brand narratives around values that matter to women: value for money, fairness and inclusion, health and wellbeing, according to a Euromonitor International study. What impact do these changes have on communication?
The global female population accounted for 50% of the total in 2023, being slightly higher in Eastern Europe (53%) and somewhat lower in the Asia-Pacific region (49%). Over the next 15 years, the growth of the female population will outpace the global rate, particularly in Asia-Pacific, which will see the highest increase in women’s real average disposable income (68.7% between 2023 and 2040). However, growing numbers and rising income do not paint the full picture of the female consumer.
Also according to Euromonitor International, women are becoming increasingly influential in household consumption decisions. Although only 28.5% of global households were headed by women in 2023 (a head of household being the person who typically manages domestic tasks), their decision-making power is significantly higher in developed countries, where they also enjoy greater purchasing power.
In this context, how should brands communicate with women in 2024? According to Evelina Din, Co-Founder & Director of Product at SHOW the agency, the answer is: more real, more authentic. Brands should be aware of the complex and real nature of women. In most cases, women are still treated and portrayed by brands as perfect, innocent, helpless beings, ready to sacrifice themselves for everyone’s benefit, and who are expected to hold the secret to absolute beauty.
“For most women, this image has nothing to do with reality and places huge pressure on them or, as we like to say, it’s not relatable at all. And the younger generations coming up are starting to penalize brands for this approach — it’s a wave that is rising and constantly growing against this social construct of women,” said Evelina Din.
Moreover, Din would like to see an increasing portrayal of women’s normality in brand communication. Brands should have the courage to talk about the less-than-perfect things too, to support women’s reality. “I want to see more brands that give women a voice, not speak for them. I want to see all types of women, in all shapes, with all personalities and all dreams. Because there are many of them — there is no single universal model,” explained Evelina Din.
Authenticity and honesty are also highlighted by Alina Galeriu-Olteanu, General Manager of Galeriu & Partners PR, who hopes for communication beyond stereotypes. This is because women are (still) fighting for equal opportunities in terms of salaries, status, and the balance of domestic responsibilities worldwide.
“A brand that supports these causes will earn women’s sympathy. Because, beyond anything else, like in any relationship, even in the brand-consumer relationship, women first and foremost want to feel heard and seen… they want what they say to matter to the other party. Whoever gives them that sense of security that the dialogue is real and that their voice is being listened to will win their hearts, without a doubt,” says Alina Galeriu-Olteanu.
As for wishes, beyond those mentioned above, she would add accountability — including taking on difficult topics that have gone unspoken for generations, breaking decades of silence by bringing meaningful conversations to the forefront that can heal the modern woman from these wounds, helplessness, and injustices.
These views are reinforced by Aela Cotabiță, Managing Director at Highlight PR, who believes that the same type of communication is needed as for any audience: authentic, focusing on what can be offered and what is relevant to that target, emphasizing common touchpoints.
“More tailored to the specific category of women being addressed and meeting their specific needs and questions, less focused on trying to reach the entire female audience by relying on already common clichés such as ‘beauty comes in many forms,’ ‘natural is the most beautiful,’ and so on, just for the sake of leveraging a trend and showing you’re up to date with what’s new. Of course, where those examples apply, where these communication directions are part of the brand’s essence and the way it connects with and supports its consumers, then we are talking about authenticity and relevance and they become examples of ‘this is how it should be done,’” said Aela Cotabiță.
What does she want? A return to the essence of communication: authenticity and relevance, focusing on communicating how the brand’s world and the consumer’s world overlap and how they can create memorable stories together.
“At the same time, I’d like to see a spike in creativity, courage, stepping off the beaten and overused paths of recent years and trying new ways of creating dialogues between brands and their consumers,” added the Managing Director of Highlight PR.
Denisa Armașu, Group Creative Director at Oxygen, however, believes it is time for more action. If until now the trend was empowering speeches, now is the moment for more action. “Real changes, not just at the level of discourse. Whether we’re talking about gender equality, closing the pay gap, domestic violence — brands could do more rather than just talk. Communicating concrete, tangible actions will be much more appreciated. It is time for purpose-driven brands to step forward and bring real change. And, for more connection, it’s a good moment for brands to listen and give women a voice. A seat at the decision-making table,” said Denisa Armașu.
Diversity and multiple dimensions
According to Veronica Plăcintescu, Head of PR at Oxygen, in 2024, communicating with women is equivalent to recognizing and celebrating gender diversity. Therefore, it is imperative to ensure that marketing strategies are not only inclusive, but also resonate on a deeper and more personal level with the audience, and are supported by concrete actions that back this segment.
Otherwise, brands should reflect the real, multifaceted nature of their audience, going beyond stereotypes and one-dimensional portrayals; this approach requires a nuanced understanding of the public, recognizing that women’s interests, needs, and aspirations cannot be homogenized. And here too, Veronica advises brand representatives to rely on authenticity and forget stereotypes.
“It is increasingly important to avoid stereotyping that places women into one role or another. Women’s identities and interests are diverse and multi-layered, and communication should reflect this diversity, throughout all months of the year. Women do not respond to the same message in the same way. Personalization and segmentation are crucial, but they should be based on genuine understanding and respect for individual experiences and perspectives,” states the Oxygen representative.
In addition to all this, according to Veronica Plăcintescu, inclusion should be an integrated part of a brand’s identity, not just a box to tick on a list. Women, especially those from diverse backgrounds, can discern when they are truly represented and valued by a brand.
“Surveying the opinion of one or more audience segments, based on one or more demographics, remains a useful tactic that helps to properly understand opinions and concerns. This also involves active listening and adapting based on feedback and social discourse,” explained Oxygen’s Head of PR.
For 2024, she hopes to see more integrated communication strategies and campaigns that emphasize values and people. And openness toward technologies that facilitate the integration of artificial intelligence with human creativity; she believes this approach would ensure improved service quality across the industry and significantly contribute to educating a new generation of communication professionals.
Raluca Rotaru, Managing Director of Chapter 4 Romania, speaks about empathy and respect. According to her, once you decide to address women, they first need to feel that you hear them and understand them. Then, you must craft realistic solutions to their problems — efficient solutions that help them in their everyday journey. From brands, she wants them to listen. To place people at the center of everything they do, with honesty and openness. To contribute authentically to the community that supports their growth as a business. To collaborate, to find partners with whom they can build integrated solutions stronger than they could on their own.
“There is no such thing as a woman who is the same as another, so there cannot be communication ‘for women.’ Also, most brands do not address only female audiences. I would even go further and observe that some women are somewhat tired of being communicated to ‘as women.’ They are people passionate about DIY. People who drink beer or cider. People who go to university and have dreams, people who laugh, make bad jokes, want to earn more money, or juggle 32 oranges in their life simultaneously. And, by coincidence, these people are women. I don’t think they need to be told every day that they are women. Rather: ‘Look, you’re juggling 32 oranges! Wouldn’t you like us to help you with one?’” pointed out Iulian Bărbulescu, Creative Lead at Cromatic Studios.
Therefore, what does he want from brands? Not to stop investing in marketing — especially local brands. Because the temptation to cut marketing costs is high, and that’s usually the first area where cuts are made.
“I think that if you do this in the Era of Instant Forgetting (the one we live in now, because there’s so much noise that we instantly forget N things), it’s like shutting down your business. It’s better to figure out how to optimize operations and other costs than to completely shut down marketing. OK, you can reduce it, but not entirely. And I want something else too. To understand that social media is the most accessible but also the most complicated thing you have to do today as a brand. If you want quantity, quality, and coherence at high speed, you can’t do it without investment. Only very smart people can deliver something like that,” added Iulian Bărbulescu.
We also have a male perspective from Tudor Dăescu, General Manager at Dăescu Borțun Olteanu and Co-Founder of Bucharest Gaming Week. According to him, the brand should position itself as an enabler between who the woman it addresses is and who she could become by using its products — not as a militant or activist. Because in rare cases this positioning is sincere and almost never leads to relevant change.
“Yes, a brand can applaud women’s achievements. It can even encourage them. Murmur is a very good example. A brand imagined and built by Andreea Bădală, a designer from Romania. Its products are made by other women from Romania. And it dresses almost all tier-one celebrities worldwide. From Madonna to Pamela Anderson. From Miley Cyrus to Gigi Hadid or Lady Gaga,” said Tudor Dăescu.
These are clearly names who could choose any brand at any time. But they bet on a brand conceived and produced in Bucharest. By Romanian women. And that’s because, beyond the highly appreciated design, the brand positions itself not exclusively as a fashion brand, but as one that helps women choose to be who they want to be. And that is truly empowering.
“Even if this word appears in internal presentations of many brands. And, unexpectedly from a certain perspective, BCR, a very serious institution with strong empowering women programs, is walking alongside Andreea Bădală. To inspire as many Romanian women as possible and show them that even from this corner of the world, you can bring change,” added Tudor Dăescu.
In terms of wishes, he opts for consistency. “It’s a special year because communication budgets are tied to sales results more than ever. You come as a partner to my event, but how many mascaras do you sell on the spot? That’s a question increasingly asked of event organizers. I buy advertising in your publication, but do you guarantee that I’ll sell that much immediately? That’s because most marketing people are under huge pressure for results and ROI is measured even in how many bottles of water a brand sells at an awards gala it sponsors for positioning,” explained Tudor Dăescu.
The risk, however, is that the pressure for immediate results will cancel out all the brand-building efforts marketing teams have made over so many years. That is why Dăescu would very much like companies that think this way to take a step back and think about the future — not just the end of the next quarter.
Looking ahead
Thinking about the future also means looking at trends and what will leave its mark or what is currently hot internationally, as well as what is desired in Romania. What caught the attention of the interviewed specialists? According to Aela Cotabiță, empowerment, inclusion, diversity, and authenticity are absolutely obvious trends whose positive impact is already being felt, including locally. However, there is still plenty of room for growth and development in this sense — both in the communication industry and in the impact of these efforts on changing mindsets (which is, ultimately, the supreme goal).
“At the same time, there is a fine line that is sometimes crossed between supporting and encouraging the above and imposing them in a borderline too aggressive way, which generates resistance,” said the Highlight PR representative.
According to Denisa Armașu, if we look at two recent blockbusters — Barbie and Poor Things — we can observe two facets of feminism, two different ways of storytelling on this topic. “Advertising and the film world share the same current social topics: recently, we’ve seen more inclusive storytelling in Vans – ‘Always Pushing.’ We’ve seen AI training to correct biases related to women, all the way to the introduction of specific legislation (AI Act), in ‘Fixing the bAIs’ by Aurora50. We’ve seen empowerment campaigns in the domestic violence space, encouraging women not to stay in abusive relationships — such as Vodafone’s Bright Sky app, which offers real solutions for real change,” explained Denisa Armașu.
In turn, Evelina Din also refers to a stronger voice — women are increasingly discussing in the public space the real issues they face and asking for solutions; they are more willing than ever to fight for their wellbeing.
According to Veronica Plăcintescu, in Romania, as in much of Europe, a significant trend is the humanization of communication, with an emphasis on values, needs, and personal experiences. This reflects a broader international movement in which a product is seen not only as a commercial item, but as the result of the work of teams that connect on a values level with a diverse and deeply human audience.
“Brands are increasingly required to be authentic, transparent, and socially responsible and to honor their commitment to having a positive impact. This approach highlights the importance of understanding and respecting the complex identities of modern consumers, fostering loyalty and a deeper connection with them,” said the Oxygen representative.
“It has picked up tremendous speed — and we are staying very close to this trend — the approach of topics considered taboo until recently, such as women’s intimate life with its biological stages. I’m referring to hormonal changes that occur at different ages, menopause, conditions specific more to women, etc. It is somehow natural if we consider the global evolution of humanity, increased life expectancy, the evolution of medicine and sciences related to wellbeing; therefore, taking them out of the area of well-kept secrets and bringing them into normality greatly helps awareness of our own evolution and improving our quality of life,” declared Raluca Rotaru.
She also noted a continued attention in recent years to women in technical or scientific industries (STEM), projects encouraging their enrollment across a broader spectrum of economic areas. It may be considered positive discrimination, but it is fully justified by the equal opportunities we need in society.
“Also locally, the number of projects aimed at raising awareness, informing, and helping women in vulnerable situations has increased significantly: victims of human trafficking, domestic violence, underage mothers, those unable to attend school due to living conditions — all these situations that undermine the health of our society need to be recognized, accepted, and, through our collective effort, solved,” concluded Raluca Rotaru.
Moreover, as Alina Galeriu-Olteanu points out, women tend to be more cautious with purchases during periods of financial uncertainty. There are numerous studies showing that, despite the sexist stereotype portraying women as spenders, in reality, the current economic context, economic insecurity, and the significant increase in the cost of basic products have led women to develop much more restrained purchasing behavior. According to a Nielsen study, 70% of women surveyed internationally reduced basic household spending over the past year, cutting costs allocated to clothing, gas, electricity, and entertainment outside the home.
Additionally, numerous studies show women’s appetite for finding the best deal and the effectiveness of purchase incentivization strategies through coupons, discount codes, and similar promotional tools. Specifically, according to Euromonitor International Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey 2023, 46.3% of female respondents stated they prefer to find a bargain and that this cost-optimization strategy gives them the emotional comfort of obtaining “value for money.”
“I believe the Anglo-Saxon space — which we constantly follow — has brands with more radical communication regarding feminist themes, which in Romania still seems very niche. I observe that Romanian women need to be in tune with the times, but I think they have their own interpretation of these topics. As a man, I see feminism in Romania’s public space (and implicitly in marketing) as more inclusive, gentler than in the West. One thing is certain — there are many women in decision-making positions in marketing in Romania, and I believe there is a lot of attention in communication to be inclusive and coherent for the female audience,” believes Iulian Bărbulescu.
“Another global trend is the growing openness toward topics in the area of intimate health, which until recently were considered taboo, and breaking free from the tyranny of the stereotype of women’s objectification. Thus, trending information includes products for menstruation, discussions about sexuality and femininity, and news about products and medical advice for women going through menopause,” said Alina Galeriu-Olteanu.
That is why, according to her, women are beginning to feel less ashamed of these topics, democratizing access to valuable information that helps them navigate each life stage with a focus on wellbeing and feel better and better in their bodies. Thus, the Galeriu & Partners PR representative notes that education and awareness campaigns on topics related to reproductive health, sexuality, and sensuality from a female perspective are as necessary as they are trendy in 2024.
There are brands that take ownership of a field and build extensively around it, growing the field and women’s importance within it. But the messages remain relevant and accurate for other fields as well.
When we lead the way
And we also have positive examples that can inspire international markets. In Romania, for the past five years, there has been a gaming marathon each year dedicated to women in gaming. The goal of the event is to applaud women working in Romania’s game development industry and encourage other women to follow their path, featuring professional esports players.
“Romanian female gaming content creators on YouTube or Twitch are followed by tens of thousands of fans worldwide. There are many brands such as Vodafone, Samsung, BCR that aligned with our direction from the first year. And since then, they have developed their own platforms highlighting women in gaming. Vodafone even won awards with a campaign born last year. Samsung developed a squad called GRL Power,” explained Tudor Dăescu.
The interesting part is that Romania was one big step ahead of other countries. According to Dăescu, only three years ago did the international trend of encouraging women in this industry appear. And even the International Esports Federation only last year had its first edition of a female esports competition within the Esports World Championship.
What shouldn’t be done?
“I would like to no longer see stereotypes, clichés, nor shocking approaches just for the sake of creating controversy and becoming (potentially) ‘viral.’ In 2024, advertising still operates, on one hand, with insights that were valid decades ago, and on the other hand, locally adapts controversial approaches for which certain local audiences are not yet ready (and you end up getting perhaps the exact opposite effect of the one desired).” – Aela Cotabiță (Highlight PR)
“Generalizations should be avoided. Women are not a crowd of identical female individuals, even if that is the technical definition — in practice things are more complex and nuanced. Women are a collection of different typologies of people, with different desires, needs, priorities depending on many factors: social environment, economic conditions, age, and so on.
A young woman in her 20s who goes out with her friends weekly and is driven by aspirations for the career she is starting to build will have different priorities and completely different emotional triggers than a woman 35+ who meets more often with mothers from kindergarten or school than with her old friends, reassesses her couple relationship in light of changes brought by children, and forces herself to remain relevant in the labor market, or a woman 45+ who begins to face the discomforts of menopause and internalizes this transition into a new stage of her life, redefining her femininity and sexuality beyond the role of procreation.” – Alina Galeriu-Olteanu (Galeriu & Partners PR)
“Let’s stop assuming — especially as communication people, let’s talk to the women in our lives for real insights. Let’s start moving away from the stereotypes we grew up with in mind.” – Evelina Din (SHOW the agency)
“You shouldn’t be ignorant about what is happening today with women in Romania, what the social themes are, what the problems are, but I don’t think a brand can build solidly on different momentary trends, like #macarena. I mean, you can’t as a brand have communication based only on 90-60-90 women and suddenly jump on #macarena and that’s it, you show you care. There’s a dissonance there, right? An authenticity problem. Many more Romanian women have higher education today and are becoming increasingly educated and need depth, businesses that build stable relationships with them, not just take their money and grin occasionally saying ‘I understand you.’ Small revolutions are happening in today’s Romania, deep transformations, and women are at the center of some of them.
To name a few — the growth of the industry and conversation about mental wellness, education and development in nutrition, the maturation and leadership of civil society and NGOs… evolutions in parenting and, last but not least, the creative area, where I would dare say the number of women doing illustration and design at a very high level is much higher than that of men today. So I would say a brand needs to be aware and attentive to nuances if it has a predominantly female audience, but to know its women — the ones who buy its product. Like when you buy a gift, right? You don’t buy a gift for women. You buy a gift for that woman. Communication should be the same.” – Iulian Bărbulescu (Cromatic Studios)
“Targeting women comes with stereotyping. As a brand, I would stay away from dividing into demographics that homogenize, favoring instead inclusive approaches, community activation, niche exploration. In terms of representation, there is still much room for improvement, and this will help new generations identify with and be inspired by real, strong female role models. Brands need a more authentic approach, free of sexism, objectification, hypersexualization, and ageism.” – Denisa Armașu (Oxygen)
“Arrogance is not a solution. Having the attitude of ‘I know better/my product knows better/my service does better’ is limiting and not appealing at all, and the person the product or service is addressed to will dismiss what is being offered from the start, even before trying it.” – Raluca Rotaru (Chapter 4 Romania)
