TECH. GENDER. BRAND.

Last week, we attended an event hosted by Landor, titled, “Tech. Gender. Brand,” which shed light on some of the more important issues companies today face in terms of gender and its position in the workplace. Insights from the likes of Reporter Lydia Dishman, IBM Founder Nancy Kramer, Squarespace’s head of Diversity Lisa Lee, and CEO of Lowekey Greg Lowe II, were shared. The overarching theme seemed to focus on how today’s brands need to start creating a voice for themselves that aligns with this generation's values, one of those values being not so gender biased.

Advertising decisions can be biased because of unconscious, preconceived notions about gender roles.  

Gender roles have played a key part in the way people think, behave, and interact with one another since the beginning of time.  That being said, it only seems natural that gender roles and norms would play a part when thinking about and analyzing how companies advertise products.

When looking at America’s history in advertising, we are able to see how this came about; from infamous tobacco companies like Nebo Cigarettes creating ads objectifying women since as early as 1912, to even more recent examples like Carl’s Jr.’s 2015 “All Natural” Super Bowl commercial over-sexualizing women.  These are just a couple examples of how women are portrayed and objectified through media.

Is Machine Learning Going to Solidify this Bias?

Other than the actual ads, a prime example of females being sexualized in the tech industry can be seen when analyzing products such as  Amazon’s Alexa or Microsoft’s Cortana. These female personas are literally made to be ordered around within someone’s home, and programmed to be knowledgeable on all topics; sound like a demographic we know of? Or what about travel and hospitality companies like Uber and Airbnb that constantly struggle with female client safety issues? These unconscious gender norms are more often than not, shrugged aside in the industry. Not acceptable.

Not only is the aforementioned shrugged aside, it's literally disappearing; and by “it” we’re referring to females.  Machine learning has made it so females are legitimately losing visibility on social platforms. Ever search for a female name on LinkedIn like “Stephanie Williams” for example, and get a response such as “Did you mean Stephan Williams?” LinkedIn’s algorithm wasn’t even in favor of women (WOW). A company that’s meant to be a professional networking site was designed so women weren’t considered as connected as men. LinkedIn recently modified this “glitch”, but the theory still stands.  

The Takeaway

Today’s generation is all about new experiences, and as discussed in our previous blog posts, in order for brands to become iconic, they need to be upfront with their consumers, and stay honest and relevant.  Part of this relevancy, is steering away from these unconscious gender stereotypes and just being true to their brand.

Landor’s goal with this panel discussion was to bring light to the ideas associated with gender, specifically in the tech industry, and really create a dialogue that is often times ignored in the professional world.  Technology has uncovered these uncomfortable truths about cliché gender norms, and it is time we took a step forward and forget about these unconscious tendencies. The only way to make these changes are with these types of discussions, and hopefully with time, tech will be an integrated and diverse part of society.

Meet the First Generation of Digital Natives

Born after 1980, the first generation of digital natives has hardly known a time before technology disrupted the way people work, play, and form relationships. The internet was first made available to the public in 1991, and within fifteen years, over 97% of Americans were using it. Information became democratized, which completely changed the world; empowering millions, and terrifying their oppressors.

Those who grew up during this time of rapid and unprecedented technological change learned the ‘digital’ language and now speak it as a first language. This digital language has shaped the way the younger generations find and process information. Instead of newspapers, they read blogs. Instead of paperbacks, they read books on tablets. Picking up the phone and placing a call? Who needs that? This generation would rather text, facetime, or in most cases, catch up with their friends and family via social media.

While close to 75% of U.S. adults use social media, primarily Facebook, on a regular basis, the younger cohort of digital natives use multiple social media platforms every day. The younger members are also shaping the way social media conducts itself. While "older" Americans tend to stick to Facebook on the regular, young digital natives are leery of the breaches in privacy Facebook has a reputation for. They are more likely to engage in social media platforms like SnapChat and Instagram Stories, which allow posts to appear for a set timeframe.

Digital natives are also changing the way Americans consume political news and rally around topics they value. Young people are using the power of social media to share their political views and charged ideas, and are using social media to empower grassroots efforts in their communities. They're using social media to invigorate rotary clubs, leading to a resurgence of civic-mindedness in communities around the country.

Digital natives are also fundamentally changing the way the world views work and career. The freelance and gig economy has exploded in recent years, in part due to the digital revolution. Young people are leading this charge, and many cite the flexibility of these working arrangements made possible by technology and telecommuting, such as Slack, Basecamp and Zoom. Also, this generation has coined the term ‘digital nomad;’ a person who travels the world while working online.

While "older" generations may look askance at the way digital natives conduct their working lives and communicate, it indeed is an exciting and super-efficient time to be alive. Digital natives are taking the disruptive, Wild West nature of the digital revolution and taming it. This generation is and will continue, to completely defy and shape societal and economic expectations. Perhaps they’ll be able to use the power of technology to restore the Arctic ice caps before their children inherit the earth.

HOW DO BRANDS BECOME ICONIC?

The business and marketing worlds have always been competitive spheres, but since the dawn of globalization and the internet zeitgeist, hypercompetitiveness rules the day. And for a brand to stand out in this climate, they must become iconic.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE ICONIC?

To brands, iconic means that products and services are highly relevant to the target audience, they are recognizable and distinct. Furthermore, becoming iconic doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, simplicity and timelessness are some of the critical elements of iconicity. Think the simple Nike or Target logo, or the clean lines and shape of an Absolut bottle.

Iconicity also takes shape within the memories and emotions of the consumer. Winning brands which reach iconicity have already imprinted within their target market’s consciousness. For instance, people remember the distinct colors, shape, and texture of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and the feelings those products elicit.

A warning, though; brands that reach iconic status, but become complacent and then chase after the next ‘shiny object’ fad can anger customers and quickly lose iconicity.

CASE IN POINT

Take Coca-cola, for example. The signature drink was first patented in 1885, and after experimenting as a ‘nerve tonic’ complete with cocaine in the mix, the brand soon finalized their recipe in 1903. For decades, coke remained the same, imprinting its look, feel, and taste within its target market. That is until the mid-1980s when the company decided to experiment with its formulation again. Consumers boycotted the company until the brand switched back to its (somewhat original) formula.

Being relevant in a meaningful way gives a brand, iconicity. To stand out in the crowd without resorting to fads and shiny object syndrome, brands need to think long and hard about what makes them distinct, right down to their logo, signature, tone, and colors.

Steve Jobs designed the first Apple logo in the late 1970s with Ronald Wayne. The first logo was busy, intricate, and would be difficult for a consumer to remember or articulate to those unfamiliar with the company. Steve Jobs commissioned designer Rob Janoff to work on the logo, giving us the memorable, simple, and timeless bitten apple design the entire world now recognizes.

CONSIDERATIONS

When thinking about how to make your brand iconic, think about the following elements:

LOOK: Is your logo simple, easy to identify, and can a customer articulate it to another person? Is your brand’s personality shining through the way it is visually presented?

FEEL: What is the tone of your brand? How does that resonate with your target customer, and can you easily replicate it across products and services?

POINT OF DIFFERENCE: What values does your brand embody, and is the brand’s purpose resonating with the target market? Also, how can your brand promise and deliver on specifics where your competitors cannot?

Remember, when building your brand’s iconicity, don’t stray. Brands that try to experiment with the next shiny object or respond to a fad will lose loyal customers and hurt their brand’s image. And if you’re first starting out, take the long view when building your brand. Don’t look to fads but instead, work on developing a timeless and distinct brand that will create and cement positive memories for your customers.