From sportswear to cosmetics, brands love telling women they are strong and empowered. But women can spot inauthentic, performative messaging a mile away.
New research by Macquarie University PhD student Vu Phuong Uyen Ho and marketing experts Dr Syed Rahman, Professor Jana Bowden and Professor Jamie Carlson reveals six make-or-break factors that determine whether gender-equality advertising builds loyalty or triggers backlash.
Nike's new advertising campaign with WNBA player A'ja Wilson. Photo: Nike
Advertising to women typically falls into one of three categories: the good, the bad and the ugly.
The good advances gender equality by challenging traditional stereotypes and showcasing strong, empowered women.
The bad exploits empowerment rhetoric without genuine substance.
The ugly recycles outdated tropes while claiming progress.
Understanding the difference is not just ethical – it is strategic.
As brands increasingly embrace 'femvertising' to cut through crowded markets, the stakes are high. Get it right and brands are rewarded with loyalty and advocacy. Get it wrong and they face backlash.
Cracking the code of gender-equality advertising
Professor Jana Bowden from the Department of Marketing at Macquarie Business School says the blueprint for effective empowerment advertising is clear.
"Women respond positively to messages that feel authentic, show real commitment, genuinely empower, represent diverse realities and offer transformative potential," she says.
"They want brands to deliver on moral and ethical standards, not just talk about them, because talk is cheap."
Consumers, she adds, are increasingly sceptical of advertising claims.
"Customers are quick to tune out ads that attempt to 'fempower wash' them, using feminist themes to boost brand image, without a genuine commitment to gender equality and real-world change. They're looking for consistency and credibility."
Purpose over polish
Dove's recent Super Bowl campaign, The Game is Ours, offers a contemporary example of purpose-driven messaging. The campaign highlighted that one in two girls quit sport by age 14 due to body confidence concerns. It focused on joy and confidence over appearance, featuring diverse young athletes and promoting the Dove x Nike Body Confident Sport program.
Dove's approach is not new. Its Self-Esteem Project launched in 2004 and signals long-term commitment rather than a short-term marketing pivot.
Nike has taken a similar approach. Its 2025 One of A'Kind campaign celebrated girlhood and community through the story of Las Vegas Aces basketball star A'ja Wilson and her signature Nike A'One shoe. Nike's broader athlete storytelling strategy has long featured trailblazers including Serena Williams, Simone Biles and Sha'Carri Richardson.
In both cases, empowerment messaging is embedded in sustained brand strategy, not one-off campaigns.
Women want meaningful brands that take real action, not ones that pretend to care. If your brand can't pass this test, don't run the ad.
The femvertising formula: Six steps to brand success
The study, Perceived femvertising: Measurement and implications for brand performance , published in the Journal of Business Research, identifies six core factors that shape women's responses to empowerment advertising.
These form a practical measurement scale for assessing campaign effectiveness:
Authenticity: Whether portrayals of women feel believable and credible.
Commitment: Whether the brand actively supports women's rights, inclusion and progress beyond advertising.
Empowerment: Whether women are shown as confident, independent and capable of occupying any role.
Compliance: Whether the brand adheres to advertising standards and ethical guidelines promoting gender equity.
Representation: Whether diverse identities, backgrounds and appearances are meaningfully portrayed.
Transformation: Whether the campaign challenges outdated gender norms and promotes lasting social change.
This advertisement from the NHS was panned. Photo: NHS
"Advertising that delivers on these factors drives loyalty, advocacy and engagement," Bowden says.
"Get the fundamentals right and empowerment messaging works. Ignore them and even the most polished campaign can fall flat, or backfire. Women want meaningful brands that take real action, not ones that pretend to care. If your brand can't pass this test, don't run the ad."
Refocus or risk revenue
Global advertising spend is projected to surpass US$1 trillion for the first time in 2026, with growth of 5.1 per cent. Much of this expansion is driven by algorithm-powered advertising, which accounts for 71.6 per cent of global spend and is expected to reach 78 per cent by 2028.
Yet 45 per cent of consumers report feeling irritated by the ads they see.
The brand Diesel received backlash for this campaign. Photo: Diesel
For brands seeking cut-through in a saturated media environment, investment in the six factors women value is essential. The opportunity lies in using data intelligently to deliver inclusive, relevant and genuinely empowering messages.
"This research shows women engage most strongly with transformative advertising that challenges outdated norms and promotes lasting social change," Bowden says.
Brands that ignore meaningful gender-equality messaging risk both reputational and financial costs.
"Genuine femvertising isn't about selling empowerment, it's about earning trust," Bowden says.
"When brands move beyond hollow slogans and commit to authentic change, they win women's hearts and minds. Market share is a natural outcome of that. Now we have a clear way to measure it."
About the researchers
Vu Phuong Uyen Ho is a PhD student in the Department of Marketing at Macquarie Business School.
Syed Rahman is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marketing at Macquarie Business School.
Jana Bowden is a professor in the Department of Marketing at Macquarie Business School.
Jamie Carlson is a professor of Marketing at the University of Newcastle
