Brands need to shine a light on women's issues beyond IWD

March is Women’s History Month, and with it comes International Women’s Day on March 8. We’ve seen in past years that to commemorate the holiday, marketers will put their best faces forward to spotlight women and women’s issues in their campaigns. But is it enough? And how can we do better?

According to the very consumers brands are trying to reach, it turns out only highlighting women on International Women’s Day is not enough. A new gen-pop study from g and Perksy found that women want brands to think beyond International Women’s Day, not just look at it as a way to drive sales: Of the more than 1,000 female respondents, 89% of women think women’s issues shouldn’t just live in March and should be talked about all year long. In addition, 30% of women think brands advocating for women in ads is just an excuse to drive sales, and 17% of women think these moments are just used by marketers to talk about themselves and that they really don’t do much to help women’s initiatives.

That’s not to say the messaging should stop altogether, though. Half of women think brands should still address these key moments in their ads and marketing because 37% believe brands have the power to solve some of women’s most pressing issues. This is driven by Millennials and Gen Zers, who’ve grown up with brands taking a leadership role in key issues they care about. These younger consumers have a powerful voice and desire to make an impact that brands are starting to (and should) listen to.

Take it from the respondents themselves: "Use diverse women and representation always, not just as a marketing ploy. it’s bigger than that and should be treated as such," said one. Another noted, "Be authentic and don’t do something for profit and for only one day/month a year!" There’s promising news out there, too. Some brands are doing it well and connecting to women on a year-round basis, giving them inspiration and tools to grow. So what can brands take away from our findings? Here are our top takeaways.