Dropping ‘mansize’ from Kleenex boxes is a good move, but won’t solve gender inequality

Last month, Kleenex finally scrapped the use of the word “mansize” from its branding after 60 years on the shelves. The decision sees the world-famous tissue brand become the latest in a long line of well-known names to distance itself from gender-specific marketing.

In recent decades, Yorkie’s “it’s not for girls”, Snickers’ “get some nuts”, and Iceland’s “so that’s why mums go to Iceland” have all been examples of infamous taglines that have bitten the dust as gender inequality has progressively climbed the political and corporate agenda.

It’s clear that, when crafting a slogan, today’s brands can no longer afford to throw caution to the wind – especially those relying so overwhelmingly on consumer perception for commercial success.

In the modern world, there is no longer a place for the casual or – worse still – overtly sexist brand slogans that feel incredibly dated, despite being deployed just a few years after they were the norm.

Yet while this progress is symbolic and undoubtedly important, it just scratches the surface of the problem.

Real change must be born from tangible action to combat gender inequality within marketing organisations. How can brands hope to really resonate with consumers if their own internal structures and realities don’t reflect the demographics that they’re targeting?

We are, however, starting to see promising changes. More flexible working solutions, enabled by technology, allow individuals – including working parents – to move away from the confines of the traditional nine-to-five and work around their family commitments.

Flexible working isn’t just good for employees; it’s good for business too. Embracing the gig economy, for example, allows brands and their agencies to tap into the best talent for each campaign, bringing fresh creative and strategic vision to bear in a way that supports different working patterns.

Flexible working also has huge benefits for economy and society as a whole. Analysis by recruitment consultancy Feel earlier this year found that British businesses could stand to gain £1.3 trillion in earnings every year by welcoming mothers back to work.

I’m not trying to disparage Kleenex’s decision – far from it. Nor am I saying that these linguistic changes aren’t important, because they unquestionably are.

But while such moves serve to bring the issue of gender inequality to the fore, what we desperately need is concrete action, on the part of brands and their partners alike, to drive real change.