Blind Spots

CHAPTER 4 MEET MODERN WOMAN

The beauty industry thought it knew everything about being beautiful, and about what women want, until Dove made a conscious decision to approach the idea from a new perspective. When they launched their Real Beauty campaign in 2004,¹ they took a stand against the conventional image of female beauty that had long been unquestioned throughout the industry. There was no longer one white, size 0, early twenties woman we should aspire to be. Instead they presented a range of women of different shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds.

This marked a turning point in how the marketing world talked to the modern woman — or more accurately, modern women. The models who appeared in this campaign represented the range of women who are your target market today.

Your business, no matter what industry you are in, needs to form relationships with a multitude of different women. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Today's women are all different and unique; from the income they earn to their thinking and intelligence to the choices they make about where or with whom to do business. They are complex and simple, dynamic and educated. They are single, married, divorced, sisters, mums and daughters. They are business owners and entrepreneurs. Some are professional women working nine to five in an office, some are blue-collar workers, some are caregivers, some ...