1 in 4 americans is a woman 40+. Surprised? I was.
For as long as we can remember there have been so few women over 40 portrayed in advertising and entertainment, or celebrated in the highest ranks of business, that we have come to believe that is reality. We literally think there are far fewer of us than there are. Consequently, we feel alone. But we’re not. There are 83 million of us. 25% of the population.
Hello?... is anyone out there?… Women 40+ feel completely ignored by brands.
42 million women are between 40-60 years old. Gen-Xers have the highest post-tax incomes when compared with Millennials & Boomers. So ask yourself: are women over 40 important to your brand? Do they buy it? Do you want them to?
Something to think about:
Women over 40 see themselves presented in very specific roles, if at all. Many of the women we surveyed said that outside of anti-aging and pharmaceutical ads they really didn’t see anyone their age, and even those women didn’t reflect the way our respondents see themselves. Which, in case you’re wondering, is pretty awesome.
Let’s be honest here.
Women over 40 have seen and heard a lot. They’ve been bombarded by messages from advertisers, Hollywood, magazines (because women over 40 actually read magazines!), men, mothers and mothers-in-law. They’ve received criticism masquerading as advice. Advice sold as a must-do. And opinions laid out as fact.
How do you categorize women over 40? You don’t.
A woman over 40 refuses to be defined.
At no other point in a woman’s life is she so likely to be so different from her age mates. Biologically, emotionally, financially, sexually, psychologically. This group is incredibly diverse.
5 Ways Brand Marketers Can Connect Meaningfully With Women over 40—and 1 Way They Can’t.
Women 40+ aren’t who you think they are. In fact, according to Fancy’s survey of 500 women over 40, they aren’t even who they thought they’d be. They’re cooler, stronger, and sexier than they ever imagined they’d be.
Brands: here’s How to talk to women over 40.
Here’s what’s true: women over 40 have money -- and they spend it. They’re not afraid to try new brands, and when those brands work for them, they stay loyal. Not only that, but they tell their friends about these brands and give them to each other as gifts, creating a virtuous cycle of new customers and fans over 40.
Is advertising messing with women's minds or am I just crazy?
Women and girls have been manipulated by the media in so many ways for so long that it’s simply a part of our culture. My Instagram feed is chock-full of ads for stuff that is meant to make life better but only gives a paralyzing anxiety from not living up to any of it.
The Business of Rebranding Aging panel discussion at The Wing
Erica and I joined an incredible group of women at The Wing to talk about ageism, its impact on women creatives, advertising to female consumers, beauty, and mentoring.
Blazing a trail with Adweek
Erica and Katie took to the stage at Adweek’s Women Trailblazers event and immediately began questioning why we can’t discuss things that are inherently a part of being female.
What I want for Mother’s Day
Here is the kind of advertising I hope to encounter in my social feed on Sunday when someone brings me a cappuccino and an almond croissant in bed (hint, hint!), what I’d like to see when I treat myself to a pedicure and get 45 minutes to myself to flip through fashion magazines, what I wish would grab my attention from those cool video triptychs that are popping up all over the subway.
How we keep Lion’s Den vibrating between the real and digital worlds.
Fancy co-founders and co-CCOs, Katie Keating & Erica Fite spoke to a packed house at Adweek Elevate: Creativity, giving the audience a peek behind the curtain at the how and why of normalizing the conversation and moving the cultural needle around women’s sexual health and empowerment. Don’t worry, the video is totally #sfw!
Brands Continue to Overlook Women Over 40 as a Group Worth Marketing To
Women are living longer and better. They are not taking the increase in life expectancy and stretching out old age with more bingo and birdwatching; they are taking advantage of it now. Women are more engaged, more motivated, more in control of their lives than ever before. And brands are missing out.
Why is female pleasure censored?
It’s something we feel pretty strongly about here at Fancy. Why can we advertise condoms as long as we don’t discuss how they make a woman feel? Why can we advertise a drug to make a man get an erection, and even say *gasp* “erection,” but we can’t advertise a product or even name such a product that’s designed to increase her pleasure?
Serena Williams wins the Superbowl!
The Bumble ad with Serena Williams was a win for women and for the brand. Reminding women that they have the power to make strong proactive choices in their lives made me a Bumble fan, and the colorful, pretty art direction was a nice reminder that, as Serena herself shows us, feminine fun easily lives hand in hand with female power.
Are brands responsible for advancing women's issues?
To find out what women are thinking, we did something radical: we went straight to the source and asked them.
Erica Fite is confused. And so is just about everyone else.
The only thing that’s clear is that there seems to be a fear of sexually satisfied women. And if we keep being treated like our needs and desires are something shameful maybe there should be.
Women’s new cannabis culture
Women are the caretakers, the investigators, the researchers, the questioners, and the status quo changers when it comes to their own and their family's health. They're looking for alternatives to questionable chemical concoctions and they're open to cannabis. Women are the key to the mainstreaming revolution!
Survey results are in: Women 40+ have their say
Brands love millennials and they’re even somewhat interested in senior citizens, but women over 40 are not even on the radar. Fancy’s survey of 500 women over 40, recently covered by Campaign, gives these women the mic, and it turns out they had a lot to say.
Is The Way We Portray Women In Advertising Getting Any Better?
While there are some standouts, where brands are getting it right (Bravo to you GE, Kraft, and Twitter, though really Twitter, please pay attention to the amount of social media harassment of women happening on the platform and actually do something about it...), but women are still largely portrayed in very specific roles that tend to be deferential to others.