Advertising reflects our culture but also shapes our culture. We are at a key moment of increasing recognition that the traditional ways of representing gender just don’t make sense anymore.

Why is a woman asked if she’s ‘beach body ready’ while a man engages in adventurous activities and takes risks?

The UK’s advertising regulator stamped down on stereotypes in advertising last year and now playing off gender stereotypes to sell stuff is against the law.

However, our survey reveals that there is still work to be done.

Gender stereotypes may be improved, but Female-targeted marketing still struggles to be empowering, shows a lack of diversity, and often has a message about femininity that completely misses the mark.

In a survey conducted by TAKUMI, we found that 55% of female consumers feel that brands tend to misconstrue the notion of what it is to be feminine or identify as female in 2020.

One participant commented, “Pretty much all period brands get this wrong. I don’t need some sort of faux feminist, empowering message. Just tell me about the product!”

Women drive 70–80% of all consumer purchasing decisions and are the sole source of income in 40% of US households. Despite this huge purchasing power, many brands still struggle to engage and strike relevancy with their female audience.

All too often, it’s evident that a female-targeted advert was created in a boardroom, with a lack of understanding of the authentic female experience within culture today.

One of our creators who has produced content for a range of brands feels “There is still a widespread glamorization of femininity in advertising.”

Another challenge marketers face is that gone are the days where brands speak at consumers through one-way advertising; influencer marketing has helped usher in an era where brands have an open dialogue with their audience.

To address the challenges brands and consumers face TAKUMI is proud to introduce the TAKUMI Female Collective.

As part of our Creator-led initiative TAKUMI X, the TAKUMI Female Collective is an exploration of culture today, to help shape the marketing narratives of the future.

TAKUMI X, is a new creative division within TAKUMI with a creator-led approach to influencer marketing, enabling brands to work closer than ever before with creators to produce innovative and culturally relevant content.

Even the most experienced marketers struggle when looking to create powerful, effective influencer campaigns, and TAKUMI X lets brands fully tap into and use the insights and expertise of creators.

The TAKUMI Female Collective provides a platform for our creators to come together, tell unique stories and feel empowered to tackle the missions that matter to them most. It also opens the dialogue for brands, offering a unique insight into the female experience, an opportunity to collaborate, create and build meaningful connections with their audience.

The TAKUMI Female Collective will act as an extension of the brand’s marketing team brainstorming creativity, relevancy, and where brands should and can focus their energy.

Recent research by TAKUMI found that 66% of female consumers agree that it’s important to defy convention and live by their own rules.

One of our members explains that she “will choose a brand that shows an understanding of female identity across all cultures.”

The TAKUMI Female Collective will help marketers to understand the nuances of female identity in culture by highlighting what is most important to women today.

The TAKUMI Female Collective is just the beginning, TAKUMI is focused on using our platform to drive change and inclusivity across all aspects of culture. If you have ideas and share a passion for shaping the future of advertising we want to hear from you!

If you would like to find out more about how you can work with the TAKUMI Female Collective, please visit www.takumi.com/takumi-x and get in touch!

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