Purplewashing and its Analogues as a Strategy of Marketing Manipulation: How Brands Use Feminism for Promotional Purposes

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to determine how brands use feminism for promotional purposes in their marketing strategy and how to recognise it on the basis of key notions and concepts. With the rise of the MeToo movement, the perception that some people (including brands, lobbies, think-tanks and all sorts of groups) have of women has changed dramatically and tends to be more attentive to the gap that still exists between men and women. Although this movement has benefitted and will benefit feminism and women in general, some companies have not hesitated to use this movement as a marketing strategy to attract clients. This is what will lead to purplewashing, which consists of using feminist values, in this case for marketing purposes. When we look closer at some companies’ strategies, we find that their line of action does not match their behaviour, as we will see in this dissertation.