This is how you sell girls

I may have admitted before that I was rather hoping I would have a girl when I was pregnant.  I just knew girls – felt comfortable with them so wanted to raise them. In my naivete I thought all mums wanted girls and all dads wanted boys. I know! I know! I’m wrong.

And although we hear horrific stories about baby girls being aborted in rural China, it’s not just in remote areas where parents are hoping against hope for a boy, it’s got a lot to do with stereotypes and inaccurate perceptions which is why Fast Company magazine came up with the innovative idea of asking advertising agencies to rebrand girls with mock ads.

Take a look

Everybody Shout Campaign Strategy:

This ad shouts what studies suggest–that female leaders can be more empathetic and inspirational. The ad evokes movie posters because its creators “expect to see plenty of successful females coming soon to a corporation, startup, or Oval Office near you.”

Cramer-Krasselt campaign strategy:

“Ads mock the conventional choice by presenting challenging, funny facts about raising boys. National print ads, signage in pregnancy-test sections of drugstores, and QR (quick-response) codes on boys’ clothing in retail outlets steer prospective parents to more data at hopeitsagirl.com.”

“To help rural Chinese see women as precious, ads will nudge urban professionals, whose cultural influence is vast. The character on the lips is the female version of the word ni (“you”). The ad aims to speak to those who know they have value and those who don’t yet see that.”

“The “Accidental Daughters” campaign would use humor and irreverence to upset stereotypes. First up would be Amy Poehler, followed by a series of other successful, iconoclastic women, like Lady Gaga.”

“With cheeky fake blurbs, this campaign appeals to would-be dads by hyping baby girls as the “high-performance” child. The downloadable configurator app borrows from popular high-performance automobile apps. Your girl as a souped-up Mustang–that’s an equation a guy can love.”

“In a world that holds to a lot of false generalizations about women, this campaign simply aims to push facts that paint a favorable picture of girls. Many boys are loyal and compassionate–but according to the data, girls have those traits more often.”

“The ad makes a case for why girls deserve a chance in a heartfelt, yet provocative way. The “positions” series could be a campaign that also becomes a series of stunts to get people talking about the many reasons why they “do it,” including quirky yet, uh, educational executions. Point is: However you do it–just do it for her.”

“The message is a humorous reality check: your future little girl doesn’t get to choose you either. A fully-function website, www.dontdissdaughters.com, helps drive the point home: before you go dissing girls, take a good look at yourself as a future dad”

“Here, the potential of a young woman is realized–in the form of an ad for a bestselling book by a fictional future CEO. That is, if she had been allowed to be born. The exploration of that thwarted potential is sobering and impactful–yet still remains optimistic.”

What do you think? Would the campaigns work? Would any amount of advertising change your desire for a baby of one sex or another?