Why Brands Miss the Mark When Marketing to Women

Too often, brands say they’re marketing to women—but don’t actually consider their perspectives, values, or lived experiences in the process.

The result? Messaging that feels inauthentic, misses the mark, and fails to connect with an audience that drives the majority of purchasing decisions and influences trillions in global spending.

That’s exactly what we unpacked in our latest webinar, Pass the Mic Presents: Why Brands Miss the Mark When Marketing to Women. Shalya Forte, SiriusXM Media’s Sr. Director, Agency Partnerships, sat down with Abi Evans, Global Chief Growth Officer at Dentsu Creative, and Miya Kanzaki, Creative Director at Studio Resonate. Together, they explored what it really takes to move beyond assumptions and build marketing that genuinely resonates.

Ready to dive in?

And if you’re short on time and just want the key takeaways, we’ve got you covered. Check out some of the most impactful moments from the conversation below.

It's not a targeting problem—it's a representation problem

“There's a massive disconnect between how brands market to women and how women actually engage with media today. This isn't just a creative issue, it's a strategic one... When we talk about marketing effectiveness, we're really talking about how well brands understand and connect with women, because they don't just buy products, they define which brands succeed. So, if women are this powerful, why are so many campaigns missing the mark? It comes down to three gaps. Campaigns aren't built on real life lived experiences. Brands rely on outdated personas and diverse perspectives are often missing from the process. At the core, it's not a targeting problem, it's a representation and insight problem.” - Shalya Forte

Understanding the "why" is everything

"I think it's easy to pull an audience profile and slice it. But for me, I like to understand the why. And sometimes that actually takes data points together. So it's not, 'Do they listen to audio?', but 'Why do they listen to audio?' Is it a mom who's on the go with her kids? In which case, what might be contextually relevant? I think that actually sometimes what we get wrong in the data is almost being too myopic in it, rather than extrapolating the actual 'why' behind it." - Abi Evans

Authenticity comes from within

"When you have like actual specific representation in the ads, even if that listener isn't necessarily part of that group that you're portraying, they're going to recognize and feel like, 'Oh, that seems real.' They're gonna recognize the authenticity that's coming through. " - Miya Kanzaki

Representation is crucial

"You want to make sure that you have representation, because if not, the authenticity of whatever you're trying to deliver—your message, your creative—it's going to fall short. And I think we see that again and again." - Shalya Forte

Lived experience is critical to success

"Lived experience impacts the execution in a manner that simply can't be studied in a classroom. It's absolutely critical... I think that organizations need to really hold themselves accountable to making sure that through the line upstream and downstream, that representation is present. And guess what? If you're marketing to an audience, and you don't have a member of that person on your team, to your point, go find one. Go find one in your organization. Use people as resources. I think that from the brief, from the idea conception, all the way through, it's so critical." - Abi Evans

Make sure your campaigns have purpose

"I think that cultural moments are hot topic right now. So many brands are thinking about it, which is awesome. But don't try to pigeonhole something into something that's not right for your brand... like how everybody jumped on Women's History Month. But then it's like, okay, are you actually doing something purposeful, with meaning behind it, or contributing to a cause that's helping women or, putting an important message out there? Or are you just making a campaign just to say, 'We support women,' but there isn't necessarily a purpose behind it." - Miya Kanzaki

When it comes down to it, marketing to women isn’t about saying more—it’s about understanding more.

The brands that get it right aren’t just reaching women—they’re centering their experiences, listening more closely, and building strategies that reflect real life.

Ready to create campaigns that truly connect? Let’s talk.

Check out some more of our webinar recaps