In the United States, the sale and consumption of yogurt makes up a 7.7 billion dollar industry. There are some great health benefits that yogurt provides; the active bacteria present help with digestion, and yogurt is a good source of protein for people who don’t eat meat.
So, why are advertisements for yogurt usually focused on women if the product is good for everyone, even those who are lactose intolerant? Don’t think that I didn’t notice. I see you, Jamie Lee Curtis.
What Gendered Marketing Looks Like
Gendered marketing has existed since the dawn of advertising itself. It’s a strategy used to hone in on a target audience—in this case, a certain gender—and push sales for that demographic.
Typically, gendered marketing panders to masculine and feminine stereotypes (like pads and tampons that are flowery, and the protein shake powders that are manly). However, companies are starting to widen their horizons. For example, Secret’s #StressTest commercials are directed towards women, but they don’t use feminine stereotypes to sell their product.
The Culprit: Diet Culture
In yogurt’s case, its history of gendered marketing stems back to the 1970s and 1980s. Low-fat yogurt became a trendy health food and was associated with dieting and weight loss. Since the diet industry mostly caters to women, yogurt companies decided in the 1990s that marketing their products to women would be more effective. And, well, it worked.
The influence of gendered marketing in the yogurt industry was challenged when Powerful Yogurt wanted to expand its market to male consumers with brogurt. Essentially, the product was no different from other types of yogurt, but the branding emphasized the snack’s protein content and male fertility benefits.
A Shift In Strategy
Today’s audience demands more inclusiveness and less stereotyping in the advertisements they see. Several companies (like Yoplait, as shown above) have shifted their strategies to cater to broader audiences. In these cases, reflecting equality and family values doesn’t turn women away from traditionally gendered products; in fact, it strengthens that consumer demographic.
To sum it all up, yogurt was coined as a diet food and therefore became associated with the diet industry, which largely focuses on selling weight loss foods, pills, and products to adult women. But the truth of the matter is that everyone should enjoy yogurt if they want. Spoons up to delicious dairy and marketing strategy analysis.