Even if it has masculine roots - you will remember I talked about it in my article "Pink: History and Fashion Not Just for Women" - pink is by definition a symbol of femininity. And I've had a lot to do with women at work because I've managed teams that were almost entirely composed of female figures, and because the target of the products I've been dealing with has mainly been the woman.
During the Communication Festival on September 9th in Camogli, together with the journalist, author and designer Cinzia Leone, we had the opportunity to play two opposite roles: I've played the hunter, using corporate communication nets to catch up with the prey, played here by Cinzia Leone, the target consumer who tries to escape the advertising mermaids.
So I talked about the woman role as the marketing target, highlighting that the female stereotype, as interpreted by companies in advertising, has undergone a profound evolution since the 1980s to today. The woman position in this change has been the mirror of a society that has in turn been radically altered.
In fact, let's think about the 80s homemade stereotype whose goal was the perfect cleanliness and brilliance of the house - just have a look at the detergent spots of that time - Dash with its drums or Ajax with Carmen arias a few years later - or at the perfect beauty as very effectively represented by the famous Lux, the soap of stars used by unreachable actresses and celebrities.
Woman has, however, been relieved of these stereotypes, to gain greater self-confidence, increasing her self-esteem, regardless of perfect beauty ranking, feeling beautiful despite her imperfections. This path was effectively represented by the Dove brand , starting with 'The Real Beauty Campaign', and getting to 'Sketches', voted as one of the best campaigns of the 21st century, through which the brand has even come to create a deep emotional bond with his target, stating "You are more beautiful than you think" and being aside the woman as a friendly tutor.
Women are the main target - being responsible for 80% of family purchases - but there are thousands of aspects and complexities and companies have to deal with in the design of their advertising and communication plans. Nowadays, the same woman may be a mother, a wife, and a professional manager at a time, and those different aspects of this single position must be taken into account, so that the communication and the selling process of a product can take the mark.
For example, let's consider the Amuchina spot, where the female figure has a role of responsibility as and hospital physician with at home a complete family for which she wants the best.
In addition, a great deal of communication takes place on the net, web or social networks, windows where companies are called to communicate, institutionally or through testimonials, seeking their target in different, less formal, more aspirational and even imaginative ways. Think about the great value in terms of desire of buying a dress or an accessory posted on Instagram because one would like to emulate a particular style, or how much you can be attracted to a vacation because thrilled by the wonderful images of a post.
It is also through the network that one feels reassured and more serene towards the world of vintage: celebrities and actresses confess shameless to step up to this new market, yet organized in a structured way by companies who have made of it a real business both in Europe and in the US. Even with a limited budget you can buy special items or sell what you do not like anymore inside our closet.
Today, therefore, it's the woman in fact the true reference in purchasing and consumption choices for the family and for herself, coming to master an important arena, whose value is rightly and deeply understood by the companies.
I thank the author and journalist Cinzia Leone for writing and designing the graphic novels in pink that opened our meeting, and which together with my business skills and experience have built our intervention "Pink Marketing: how to escape and live happy" - Festival of Communication, Camogli, 9th September , 2017