Today is International Women’s Day, a holiday that has its roots in the women’s movements of the early 20th century and has been celebrated around the globe for more than 100 years.
But in 2021, it arrives just as the world is facing an entire year since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the United States—a crisis that, like most crises, is hitting women and systemically underprivileged groups harder than everyone else.
Brands have a mixed history when participating in commemorative days like this one. And as consumers continue to demand a stronger sense of purpose from the brands they engage with, nary a label is sitting this one out—though a few predictable blunders have already surfaced.
Here are a few notable campaigns honoring International Women’s Day.
DoorDash lets users filter by women-owned businesses
Food delivery app DoorDash unveiled a new Made by Women program today, which highlights independent, women-owned businesses on its platform. It also announced a new celebrity spokesperson in WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike—the face of its new national ad campaign, “Enter the Zone.”
Through the new Made by Women program, users can use the search term “women-owned” to filter local results on both DoorDash and its premium food delivery counterpart Caviar. A carousel of local women-owned restaurants will also appear on the apps in select markets. Additionally, the brand will match 0% interest loans up to $5,000 for women-owned businesses through a partnership with global nonprofit Kiva.
“On International Women’s Day, we recognize that women are bosses, and our mission is to open up doors for the next generation to run through,” Ogwumike said in a statement.
Google announces $25 million in grants to support the economic empowerment of women and girls
Through April 9, Google is soliciting ideas from nonprofits around the world to create “pathways to prosperity” for women and girls. The tech giant has earmarked $25 million to fund these ideas, with the goal of transforming economic opportunities for women and girls. Google is partnering with nonprofits Vital Voices and Project Everyone and working with a panel of experts to help the brand select the most promising initiatives for funding.
In addition to the grant initiative, Google also released an ad for Women’s History Month, which pays tribute to women who broke through gender barriers across industries like aerospace, medicine, music, business and sports.
Häagen-Dazs renames four classic flavors to highlight trailblazing women in the Middle East
As a tribute to the stories of four women breaking gender barriers in the Middle East, ice cream brand Häagen-Dazs is renaming its strawberries and cream, vanilla, Belgian chocolate and salted caramel flavors in the United Arab Emirates this International Women’s Day. The brand’s “Women Who Don’t Hold Back” series highlights Raha Moharrak, the youngest Arab and the first Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest and The Seven Summits; Yasmin Yousri, a three-time cancer survivor, style coach and art director who left the corporate world to pursue a dream career in fashion; Nayla Al Khaja, the first woman film director/producer in the UAE; and Maz Hakim, radio presenter and entrepreneur.
“We believe the world needs to hear about these remarkable women,” Michelle Odland, Häagen-Dazs global brand director said in a statement. “Living in the Middle East, from all walks of life, [they] have shattered glass ceilings, looked beyond life threatening illness, scaled even the world’s highest peak and taken a passion project to one of the world’s leading fashion houses.”
Finnish sustainable sneaker company Rens Original calls out casual sexism in simple spot
In an ad starring the women behind recycled sneaker brand Rens Original, frustrations related to casual sexism overflow into something of an anthem—these women are fed up. The Helsinki-based brand, which makes sustainable shoes out of coffee and recycled plastic, worked with TEDx speaker and founder of the Like Minded Females Network, Sonya Barlow, on the spot.
Spotify encourages users to listen to women artists
The music streaming platform today launched a new campaign called “Equal,” which highlights women artists, musicians and podcasters. The collection includes curated playlists from the brand’s nonprofit partners and a new music and talk show called WOMN, which brings a diverse group of women creators together to discuss women-centered content and reflect on their artistic inspirations. Spotify also released an ad urging users to “flex their power to listen” by streaming women artists and creators.
Taboola is giving away $500,000 in advertising to women-owned businesses
Ad-tech giant Taboola launched a new “Recommend Her” campaign today which will run through the end of the month. As part of the initiative, the company is giving away $500,000 in advertising to selected women-owned businesses—an effort that it says aims to address gender disparities in business ownership and funding.
