The idea of apportioning one part of the calendar to the celebration of women in fact serves the opposite purpose, defining a finite period of time to ‘deal’ with the issues at hand before returning to business as usual.
For some, International Women’s Day (IWD) operates as necessary annual reminder to wider society that gender inequality remains deeply entrenched. It acts like a bookmark, bringing focus back to a discussion that too easily slips from the mind of 50% of the population. Brands increasingly attempt to help in this endeavour, utilising their massive marketing reach and cultural influence to help assert the need for change.
For many others, however, the idea of apportioning one part of the calendar – be that Women’s History Month, IWD or the increasingly incongruous Women’s Hour – serves the opposite purpose, defining a finite period of time to ‘deal’ with the issues at hand before returning to business as usual…quite literally.
Two brands quick to demonstrate their support for this year’s event were fast food chains McDonalds and KFC. The former marked the occasion by flipping its signature M logo into a W, updating the marque across all its social media channels and even replacing the signage outside one of its franchises in California. Speaking to Business Insider, McDonald’s global chief diversity officer Wendy Lewis explained that the brand wanted to ‘honour of the extraordinary accomplishments of women everywhere, and especially in our restaurants.’
KFC made a similar gesture by swapping their avuncular figurehead for Mrs Claudia Sanders, apparently the real Colonel’s wife. ‘To all women of KFC and the world out there, we would like to say that your future is always bright, equal, safe and rewarding,’ expounded Merrill Pereyra, chief executive officer for the Restaurant Division of QSR Brand. ‘Keep inspiring us and impacting lives, and thank you for all your hard work and contribution to our community, family and this organisation.’
