Consumers are expecting more from brands, service providers and health professionals than ever before, and the cost is high for clinics that don’t take action on gender diversity and inclusion.
The concept of beauty has always been ever-changing, however in the past few years there has been a marked increase in social conscience surrounding gender expression and diversity. Consumers are expecting and demanding more from brands and are challenging the status quo when it comes to traditional beauty standards. The result is a shift in power from the beauty industry to the consumer – instead of the industry setting trends as in the past, brands are being driven by social awareness and led by consumers. And any missteps can seriously damage reputation.
Successful brands are championing diversity, inclusion and accessibility, with a marketing focus on portraying people as they really are: diverse, unique and multifaceted.
Inclusive marketing refers to products and services that cater to and represent all individuals, regardless of gender, skin colour, age or cultural background or beliefs.
Gender-neutral marketing in the aesthetic clinic
Restrictive gender norms have long been commonplace in the cosmetic clinic – advertising and brochures are typically geared towards those who identity as female and rely on stereotypes and often sexual objectification. How many clinic owners have considered how non-binary people might feel in a space that is traditionally thought of as ‘feminine’?
There are many benefits of cultivating and championing a gender-diverse and inclusive environment. Importantly, healthcare providers can better understand the patient’s wants and expectations from treatment – conversely, cultural or gender profiling can erroneously define the patient’s preferences for treatment.
Normative social and cultural messaging may also be barriers for people who happen to fall outside of these stereotypes to seek out an aesthetic treatment. Having a diversity and inclusion strategy in place can help overcome these barriers to entry.
For clinics wanting to align their offerings with more inclusive or neutral messaging, there are a few simple ways to start:
- Create an inviting space for all individuals, with gender-neutral colours, furnishings, signage, branding and marketing
- Use gender-inclusive messaging in all communications, including on social media
- Use respectful language; ask ‘how would you like to be addressed?’
- Customise forms to have a space for patients to enter their preferred pronoun, etc
- Offer training to your staff on creating a gender-inclusive environment.
Marketing shift from ‘Aspirational’ to ‘Inspirational’
According to a 2021 Mintel study, 63% of Americans are inspired by beauty brands that show diversity in advertising, highlighting the growing gravitas of inclusivity in the beauty and aesthetics industry at large.
‘Beauty marketing is increasingly shifting from ‘aspirational’ to ‘inspirational,’ said Mintel senior beauty and personal care analyst Clare Hennigan. ‘Successful brands recognise that demonstrating a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion – whether through employment, advertising and/or product development – helps drive inspiration and empowerment.’
Inclusive Advertising Case Study: Solta Medical
Solta is helping to champion gender diversity and inclusion in the aesthetics market by shifting their advertising to be more gender and culturally inclusive. This winter the company launched a new Clear + Brilliant diversity campaign and are providing all Clear + Brilliant partners with new marketing materials that celebrate diversity.
‘Solta Medical has an overarching brand message – Be an Original – that taps into the idea of expressing one’s authentic self. What this means to any given person can be very different. However, we noticed that the aesthetic medical industry and our own marketing had a skew towards an assumption of what the typical aesthetic medical patient looks like and aspires to look like,’ says Weijin Vun, Solta Brand Manager.
‘While we were cognisant of inclusive messaging, our key visuals could be more reflective of our values, so we decided to create a gender-inclusive campaign for Clear + Brilliant in Pride month 2022. This included a gender diverse key visual plus new in-clinic marketing materials in both English and Chinese.
‘Tokenism can be problematic and we believe it’s important to be vocal about the importance of inclusivity all year round. We have committed to include diversity in our social media content every month, not just Pride month,’ says Vun.
The medical device company has been taking steps to challenge heteronormative assumptions and lack of ethnic diversity in the aesthetics industry for several years. In 2020, Solta changed their language on their communications to be gender- neutral. In the same year, as a result of many consumers believing Fraxel is only suitable for Fitzpatrick I-II skin types, they launched the ‘All genders, all skin types, all year round’ Fraxel campaign. And in 2021, they launched a campaign for Clear + Brilliant to reflect the treatment popularity amongst male clientele, featuring a male model as the key visual.
‘There’s still a lot more we can do both as a company and collectively as part of the aesthetics industry to embrace diversity and disrupt heteronormative stereotypes,’ says Vun. ‘But it is our wish that the small steps we are taking might help people who don’t always feel safe to express their authentic self, and to feel welcomed and embraced by our industry.’ AMP
For more information:
visit www.soltamedical.com.au or call 1800 251 150
