The Untapped Audience: Expanding Paid Media for Inclusive & Gender-Neutral Beauty
The beauty industry is undergoing a profound transformation. The days of narrow definitions, rigid gender roles, and limited representation are rapidly fading. Today, beauty is embracing self-expression, individuality, and fluid identities, moving far beyond its traditional boundaries. We're witnessing an explosion in men's grooming, the rise of truly gender-neutral products, and an unprecedented demand for diverse representation across all demographics.
This is more than just a cultural shift; it's a massive, and often untapped, market opportunity. However, many traditional paid media strategies, still anchored in outdated assumptions and targeting biases, are missing or misrepresenting these valuable and rapidly growing consumer segments. For brands seeking authentic connection and significant growth, understanding how to effectively reach and resonate with an inclusive audience through paid channels is no longer optional – it's essential.
At Pennock, we recognize that expanding into inclusive and gender-neutral beauty through strategic paid media is not just about being socially responsible; it's a direct path to unlocking substantial market potential and building a truly authentic brand.
Understanding the Inclusive Beauty Revolution
The shift towards inclusive and gender-neutral beauty is driven by a confluence of social, cultural, and market forces:
Cultural & Social Evolution: Younger generations, in particular, are challenging traditional gender norms and celebrating self-expression. Beauty is increasingly seen as a tool for personal identity, creativity, and self-care, accessible to everyone, regardless of gender.
Consumer Demand for Reflection: People want to see themselves reflected in the brands they support. Consumers from diverse backgrounds, including various ethnicities, body types, ages, and gender identities, seek products and marketing that authentically represent them.
Booming Market Growth: The men's grooming market is experiencing significant growth, extending far beyond basic hygiene to include skincare, makeup, and hair styling. Simultaneously, gender-neutral product lines appeal to individuals seeking efficacy and simplicity, or households looking for shared, multi-user beauty solutions.
Social Media as an Amplifier: Platforms like TikTok and Instagram have amplified diverse voices, creators, and beauty rituals, rapidly normalizing what was once considered niche. This visual sharing environment has accelerated the breaking down of traditional beauty standards.
The implication for marketing is clear: brands must move beyond gender-specific messaging and visuals, broaden their representation, and focus on universal product benefits that resonate with diverse consumer needs and values.
The Paid Media Challenge: Breaking Traditional Molds
Despite the clear market shift, many paid media strategies inadvertently perpetuate traditional biases:
Targeting Traps: Over-reliance on narrow, gender-specific demographic targeting can cause brands to entirely miss the growing male, non-binary, or gender-fluid segments interested in their products. It also misses those who simply align with inclusive values.
Creative Bias: Ads that exclusively feature one type of person using a product (e.g., only cisgender women for a skincare product) can alienate vast, valuable segments of the market who might otherwise be interested. This creates an immediate disconnect.
Messaging Missteps: Using overtly gendered language ("her flawless skin," "designed for him"), focusing on outdated beauty tropes, or failing to highlight universal product benefits can make ads irrelevant or off-putting to an inclusive audience.
Platform Nuances: While platforms like Meta and Google offer sophisticated targeting, it's easy to default to old habits. Understanding how different ad formats and audience signals best support inclusive messaging is key.
Risk of Tokenism: Authentic representation is crucial. Paid campaigns that feature diverse models merely as a fleeting visual, without genuine commitment to inclusivity in product development or brand values, can be perceived as performative and lead to backlash.
Strategic Paid Media Angles for Inclusive & Gender-Neutral Beauty
To effectively tap into this growing market, paid media strategies must be re-imagined from the ground up, focusing on authentic representation and universal appeal.
A. Broadened Audience Targeting & Segmentation:
Beyond Gender Defaults: Start with broader audience targeting that focuses on behaviors, interests, and custom audiences, rather than defaulting to gender-specific demographics. Let user behavior guide your segmentation.
Behavioral Signals: Target users interested in universal beauty categories like "skincare routines," "grooming tips," "self-care," "wellness," "beauty hacks," or even "LGBTQ+ topics" on platforms like Meta and TikTok.
Custom Audiences: Leverage your first-party data (website visitors, email lists) and create lookalike audiences. Segment these new lookalikes by broader interests (e.g., "fitness enthusiasts," "sustainability advocates") rather than just traditional gender splits.
Google Ads: Utilize custom intent audiences searching for terms like "gender-neutral skincare," "men's makeup tutorials," "unisex fragrance reviews," or specific product benefits that transcend gender. PMax can learn diverse customer profiles if fed inclusive assets and broader signals.
LinkedIn: For professional grooming products or B2B beauty (e.g., targeting salon owners looking for inclusive product lines), LinkedIn's professional targeting can be effective.
B. Inclusive Creative Representation & Messaging:
Visual Diversity as Standard: Feature models of all genders, skin tones, body types, ages, and expressions using products naturally and authentically. Show men, non-binary individuals, and women enjoying the same products side-by-side or in integrated routines.
Focus on Universal Benefits: Shift messaging away from gendered outcomes. Emphasize product efficacy, texture, feel, and results, regardless of who is using it. Phrases like "Hydration for all skin types," "Flawless finish for every complexion," "Strong hair, no matter your style," resonate universally.
Neutral Language: Consistently use gender-neutral pronouns ("they/them" when referring generally) or direct address ("you," "your skin," "their hair"). Avoid gendered assumptions in ad copy.
Universal Problem/Solution: Address common beauty concerns that span genders (e.g., acne, dryness, aging, sun protection, oil control, shine) from a universal perspective, showing diverse faces engaging with the solution.
Show Shared Routines: Create content featuring partners, family members, or friends using the same products together (e.g., "our shared skincare routine," "grooming together").
C. Platform-Specific Ad Strategies:
TikTok & Instagram Reels: These platforms are ideal for authentic, raw content showing diverse individuals in relatable contexts. Leverage trends that celebrate individuality and self-expression. Their algorithms favor authenticity.
YouTube: Utilize longer-form video tutorials featuring diverse creators, breaking down routines for different skin/hair types across genders. Pre-roll ads can briefly showcase inclusivity before a deeper dive.
Pinterest: A visual discovery platform perfect for gender-neutral aesthetics, grooming routines, and diverse beauty inspiration. Idea Pins work well for demonstrating universal applications.
Programmatic Display: Use Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) to dynamically serve diverse creative variations to different audience segments based on inferred preferences, ensuring relevant representation.
Measurement & Avoiding Tokenism
True inclusivity is a core brand value, not merely a marketing campaign. Your paid media must reflect an ongoing, genuine commitment.
Beyond Standard Demographics: Track engagement and conversion performance across diverse audience segments, not just traditional gender splits. Look at behavioral and interest-based performance to truly understand who your inclusive campaigns are reaching and converting.
Sentiment Analysis: Actively monitor social listening to gauge how your inclusive campaigns are perceived by diverse communities. Are they genuinely resonating, or seen as performative?
Iterate Authentically: Continuously test creative and messaging for resonance with diverse groups. Authenticity is built over time through consistent, genuine effort and a willingness to learn and adapt.
Long-Term Commitment: Ensure inclusivity is embedded throughout your brand, from product development to customer service, so that your paid media promises are matched by reality.
Pennock, Your Partner in Inclusive Beauty Growth
The shift towards inclusive and gender-neutral beauty represents a massive, growing market that demands authentic, thoughtful paid media strategies. Brands that embrace this diversity in their targeting, messaging, and creative will not only foster deeper connections but also unlock significant growth potential.
At Pennock, we are experts in navigating this evolving landscape. We guide brands to effectively target, message, and create for diverse audiences, ensuring genuine representation and measurable ROAS. We help you move beyond outdated molds to build a beauty brand that truly resonates with everyone.
Don't let your valuable products miss out on this untapped market.
Contact Pennock today, and let's craft a paid media strategy that embraces and champions inclusive beauty for your brand.