As non-binary people have gained visibility in the US market, more and more brands have focused on developing marketing and positioning around these consumers.
PCA Group Marketing Director Brady Donnelly told CosmeticsDesign that effectively positioning a non-binary brand or using non-binary messaging requires a specific understanding of who the target consumer is, where they are and what they are. knows what non-binary means. .
According to a Cosmetic ItemDesign Europe, GlobalData predicts that unisex and gender neutrality will become the global standard for skincare and color cosmetics.
Types of non-binary marketing
Donnelly said there are generally two types of brands that use non-binary marketing. Some companies overtly use non-binary positioning to specifically appeal to consumers who are already aware of the issue, while others simply don’t use overtly gender-specific marketing.
“Taking a stand to appeal emotionally would be the difference between the two,”said Donnelly. “One is more of a statement, and the other is basically a non-statement or lack of expression about something specific.”
Brands that make a direct statement with their use of nonbinary marketing typically have nonbinary consumers and language woven through core brand positioning, Donnelly said.
Since understanding of non-binary issues and messages is quite regional in the United States, Donnelly said education is an important part of non-binary marketing.
Just like when clean beauty first hit the market, he said brands will need to educate consumers outside of their niche market about what non-binary beauty is. While most consumers in cities like Manhattan are likely to know the positioning, customers in other regional markets may not.
Find your consumer and focus on them
Like brands that use openly gendered marketing, brands that use openly non-binary marketing and positioning focus on a specific group of consumers.
GlobalData estimated in 2021 that how well a product fits an individual’s needs and personality often or always influences product choices for 53% of consumers.
“That’s how the brand wants to express itself, it’s at the heart of its positioning, it’s the heart of the brand.said Donnelly. “They’re willing to risk moving into that prospect.”
With the consumer segment specifically interested in non-binary products, Donnelly said marketing fundamentals are important. Knowing where these consumers will be, physically or digitally, how they speak, what social circles they are in, and what media they consume is important to carving out a share of the segment.
For brands that don’t overtly use gendered or non-binary messaging, meeting desired consumers where they are can help attract consumers who may not know the products are for them.
Donnelly said communicating with male consumers who are unfamiliar with the world of personal care is often where companies see the need for gender-specific marketing. Some male consumers may feel overwhelmed by more general brands and think gendered brands are for them.
Through social campaigns, unobtrusive brands can show consumers that people love them or people they admire for using the products.
“You have your own social feed, you have your own impression campaigns, you have your own selection of influencers where you can find someone that the consumer you want relates to, who speaks to that consumer, and who doesn’t offend not the rest of the ones you want,”said Donnelly.
Generally, developing successful non-binary brand positioning involves building a brand around a specific consumer and targeting that market instead of trying to appeal to a broad market.