According to Dictionary.com, the term ‘gender neutral’ means “noting or relating to a word or phrase that does not refer to one gender only”, or “noting or relating to a person of neutral gender, neither male or female.”

It’s an inclusive term that has risen in popularity recently, to describe people or objects which don’t prescribe to one particular gender.

Particularly, people are using this in order to self identify. Terms such as “non binary” and “gender fluid” are being used by people who do not identify within the binaries of male and female.

In fact, according to a 2017 Government survey, 13% of people in the UK identified as transgender, with a further 6.5% of people identifying as non binary.

Undoubtedly, this openness about gender identity can be attributed to the shift in societal perceptions surrounding gender norms and roles. People are feeling more confident in speaking out about their gender identities as a culture of openness continues to grow.

As well as this, the rise of celebrities such as Sam Smith and Cara Delevingne so publicly discussing their gender identities is also reflective of this cultural shift.

But, how does this affect the marketing industry?

As individuals become more open about their diverse gender identities, there is a greater call for businesses and brands to abandon gendered marketing.

Marketing has always included gender when it comes to advertising products or businesses. From the famous Yorkie Bars proudly claiming “it’s not for girls!”, to domestic homeware appliances being marketed to women in the 50s, gender has often been weaponised to sell a product.

One only needs to look at products that appeal to all people – items as mundane as razors and body wash – to see a clear gender divide in how they’re being sold.

The distinction between describing women’s toiletries as “floral” and “feminine” and men’s toiletries as “invigorating” and “energy boosting”, is one of many examples where gender was a key decision in how a business sells its products.

Because of this, there has been an increase in calls for companies and businesses to abandon these types of marketing campaigns and replace them with something more inclusive.

But what would this type of marketing look like?

Most obviously, it would see a move away from marketing products specifically to only one gender and instead adopting more gender neutral terms that don’t connote the concept of only one identity.

As well as this, gender neutral marketing would also likely see a change in packaging and product design. Products such as pink razors for women and toothpaste labelled ‘for men’, which don’t see any difference in substance between the two options, would also be cut back.

But, if you’re considering gender neutral marketing for your business or products, what are the benefits of these?

It’s not rocket science to notice that if you’re marketing a product to only one gender, then it means you’re going to be excluding other genders.

Which is a large portion of the population!

Restricting your products or businesses to only being an option for one gender identity or type of person undoubtedly will limit your sales and possible revenue growth.

Because of this, gender neutral marketing opens you up to a wider audience and therefore doesn’t restrict your potential revenue.

You’re not denying yourself sales for the sake of creating a brand identity for a product, which can only be associated with one type of person.

Given that 48% of Generation Z (those born between the mid-90s and mid-noughties) value brands that don’t use gendered marketing, choosing not to use this approach could mean cutting yourself off from a large audience.

As well as increasing potential sales by opening yourself up to a larger audience, gender neutral marketing can also help you save money with the packaging too.

Rather than creating two different products that are practically alike, but marketing them separately based on consumer or gender, you can combine the both.

This way you cut back on marketing costs from running two separate advertising campaigns: one for men, and one for women.

As a result, this will also reduce plenty of other costs, like those involved in creating the ads.

What’s more, you can also save costs by changing the physical packaging for the products.

When you sell the same product twice dependent on gender, you’re having to pay more than once for the different packaging.

However, when you market your products to everyone, you reduce packaging costs.

Having one type of packaging that is gender neutral and attractive to all will ultimately benefit you financially in the long run.

Gender neutral marketing doesn’t just have financial benefits, it also will benefit consumer perception of your brand too.

As demands for more progressive marketing grow, people are making judgements about whether the businesses they shop from are worthy of their money.

A business which enforces equality in their marketing and doesn’t reinforce gender stereotypes will be seen as progressive and modern. Thus, this business is worthy of a customer’s money.

On the other hand, a business that uses gender stereotypes and cliches in its marketing and advertising will come across as old fashioned and behind.

So what’s the way forward?

Well, according to Strategy Driven Marketing, “experts suggest a marketing approach where both sexes feel addressed but without utilizing stereotypes or clichés”.

As a result, businesses that adopt these approaches will see a much better level of consumer engagement.

Whilst gender neutral marketing will undoubtedly appeal to a younger demographic, it may in fact do the opposite for older audiences.

These older generations who grew up with a very clear gendered impact on the advertising they saw and the products they purchased, may simply just be too used to marketing targeted specifically to them.

As a result, they may find that not only does gender neutral marketing not appeal to them, but it actually repels them, forcing them away from the product.

Because of this, businesses need to think about who their potential consumers are and whether or not this modern way of marketing would engage them or isolate them.

There are plenty of examples where brands have adopted gender neutral marketing, only to face backlash from a section of older consumers.

The Body Shop’s marketing of tote bags captioned “It’s Bloody Natural. #dropthePword to end period shame” was seen as inclusive of all genders, and an attempt to not only end the stigma surrounding menstruation but also raise awareness about other genders that menstruate, too.

But in response, famous author J. K. Rowling, along with plenty of her (mostly older) followers, criticised the product for being unnecessary and ‘biologically false’.

Whilst it’s clear that the Body Shop had no qualms in taking the step towards gender neutrality, even if it did mean isolating potential customers, other brands may not have this same desire to do so.

One of the biggest critiques you’ll find of gender neutral clothing is that it can be boring and dull.

It seems like to a lot of brands, clothing which is designed for any gender can only exist in the form of beige colours and oversized shirts. This was why ASOS was so well received when they launched their gender neutral clothing range – Collusion.

According to their website, “Collusion will constantly evolve, being as inclusive, collaborative, and experimental as possible.”

Their clothing ranges from sizes XXS to 4XL, applicable for any size and gender identity.

But why is it that they were so successful?

Well, because they were responsive to what their consumers wanted. Noting a trend in people purchasing clothing labelled for the opposite gender, they wanted to create a line that would allow people to “choose to be free to select their fashion the way they want.”

And it massively paid off. After launching, Collusion was ranked as the 4^th most popular brand out of all 850 brands on their website.

Clearly, the market for gender neutral products and advertising is rapidly growing.

In 2018, Coca Cola debuted a new advert on TV during the Super Bowl which saw an attempt at a more gender inclusive advertising campaign.

In their new advert, the slogan was “There’s a Coke for he and she, and her and me, and them. There’s a different Coke for all of us.”

The inclusion of the gender neutral pronoun “them”, whilst only a small moment in the entire ad, was hardly looked over by the public. It was a significant moment considering how high profile Coca Cola is, and was an indicator of changing attitudes in the industry.

What’s more, Coca Cola also went on to redesign the cans of their diet cokes as another step towards inclusivity.

They introduced four new flavours, as well as redesigning the cans to make them sleeker and more modern.

According to the North America Group Director for Coca Cola, this was to make their marketing “more authentic” as well as “more gender neutral and diverse.”

Ultimately, it’s clear that gender neutral marketing can be extremely beneficial to companies who are looking to diversify their target demographic and appear more inclusive and modern to audiences.

It seems that advertising and marketing that reinforces gender stereotypes and operates on outdated norms will be a thing of the past. In fact, it’s very possible that in a few years from now all marketing and product design will be gender neutral and inclusive.

But what about you? How gender neutral are your marketing campaigns?

Do you think you’re an inclusive brand, or do you have some room to improve? Let us know in the comments below!