Skip navigation
Skip navigation
You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ambiguity Sells: Research explores how menopause marketing targets a wider market

Menopause product marketers are being purposely ambiguous with their strategies in order to reach a wider audience, finds research from ESSEC Business School.

With conversations around the complexities of menopause on the rise, and with more people turning to methods alternative to HRT, Ayse Öncüler, Professor of Marketing at ESSEC Business School, wanted to understand how cultural narratives around menopause are translated into market practices.

In order to do this, Professor Öncüler and her colleagues explored the history of the menopause market, and then how menopause is portrayed in news/ media and advertisements more recently.

They analysed menopause-related articles from English-language newspapers and magazines between October 2023 and March 2024. Next, they analysed menopause-related advertisements from the same time period. By doing this, they hoped to examine narratives around menopause in the media, to identify how advertisements portray menopause, and how this shapes consumer perceptions.

Finally, they used a coding process to identify any patterns from the data they had gathered. They found that there are five key narratives through which menopause is defined and marketed.

They are: 1) Shame vs. Open Dialogue, 2) Empowering vs. Debilitating, 3) Pathology vs. Natural, 4) Medicalised vs. Alternative Solutions and 5) Standardised vs. Personalised.

These opposing narratives create space for multiple market solutions, such as HRT or holistic wellness options. They allow brands to legitimise different products and prove that the menopause market is driven by ambiguity about how menopause is understood, because it is understood in many different ways.

This means that instead of offering a “one size fits all” solution, the market can be more inclusive and supportive to more women who all face different challenges during menopause.

Professor Öncüler says "Brands strategically leverage dualities—particularly those around empowerment and care—to position themselves as supportive allies, encouraging women to actively manage their menopause symptoms."

This paper was published in The Journal of Marketing Management.

/ENDS

To see a copy of the full paper, or to speak with Professor Öncüler about her research, please contact Georgina at georgina@bluesky-pr.com

This press release was distributed by ResponseSource Press Release Wire on behalf of BlueSky Public Relations Ltd in the following categories: Women's Interest & Beauty, Business & Finance, Medical & Pharmaceutical, for more information visit https://pressreleasewire.responsesource.com/about.