Gender can be a powerful part of shaping a brand's story and personality. Research show that consumers like to perceive gender in brand. Highly masculine and feminine brands have higher brand equity and preference than gender-neutral brands, regardless of the product category. This is because a high degree of masculinity/femininity increases the associations and therefore creates a clearer brand personality, which eventually leads to higher preference. Hence, even though social perceptions of gender are gradually shifting away from the traditional binary, brands prefer to play it safe and project feelings of either masculinity or femininity.
Brands that were rated as highly adventurous, aggressive, brave, daring, dominant, and sturdy were classified by the researchers as having masculine personalities; examples would be Adidas, Audi and Mercedes. Those rated as expressing “tender feelings” and being fragile, graceful, sensitive, and sweet were classified as feminine, such as Dove, Nivea and Chanel. If brands seek to emphasize empathy, they might embrace more female characteristics, whereas if they are driven more by price and efficiency, it might send them in a masculine direction. At the same time, this is extremely limiting. In the age of social media, the way brands portray themselves is becoming increasingly important. Brand messages have a huge impact on what we say and do and we should become more aware of their influence on the way we perceive gender and the stereotypes they perpetuate.
One trend that has risen to address this issue is a principle of human-centred design called ‘designing to the edges’, which means that instead of products being designed for the average person or lowest common denominator, they are designed for the extremes, meaning they are flexible, versatile and suited to as many people as possible. Designing to the edges’ is not about gender neutrality. It is about taking inspiration from one gender in order to make things better for everyone. For example: Brands like Apple, IKEA and Uniqlo communicate to the genders effectively (‘to the edges’) by acknowledging differences, whilst avoiding stereotypes, overt ‘femvertising’ or being genderless. Overall, this form of “gender intelligent” design, which meets the genuine needs and sentiments of both men and women should be seen as the future of branding, in which businesses can have a more positive impact on society.