Our Positive Purpose
At Fancy, we’re recommitting to the whole reason we’re in this game in the first place. The three leaders of Fancy came together because we knew the power of advertising to change the world. And we also knew that business as usual wasn’t going to change anything.
NEW WORK ALERT: Lion’s Den Holiday Vibes
Santa’s got a brand new bag, indeed.
Lion’s Den wishes happy holidays to all, and to all a good night!
ten years of thanks
We all know running a small business isn’t for the faint of heart. 20% fail in the first year, 50% but the fifth year, and at the 10-year mark, a milestone Fancy just reached, only 33% are still around.
And I’m so thankful.
10 Is A Magic Number
It seems like a day. And also like one million years. But one thing we know for certain is that Fancy’s ten trips around the track wouldn't have been near as fun or as thrilling without our Fancy family of clients, colleagues, and creative friends. Thank you all for inspiring us, pushing us, and most of all, for believing in us.
What Are Women Over 40 Worth to Your Marketing Mix?
Remember when it was all Millennials all the time? When the world was swathed in pink and brass gleamed bright. When inspirational sayings scrawled in neon adorned walls and terrazzo covered floors, tables counters and kleenex boxes? Sorry ladies, it’s all about Gen Z now. How quickly a media darling gets pushed to the side when a newer, cuter, younger, sparklier option catches marketing’s eye.
Help Needed Now: St. Boniface Hospital in Haiti
After the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that shook the country on Saturday, St. Boniface Hospital (unlike many others) saw little to no structural damage and has been accepting patients from all over the area. They need our help. Join us in donating today.
Our Mothers, Ourselves
Have you all seen all the hullabaloo about the new "Not Your Mother's Tiffany" campaign? Wowza is there ever a lot of passion around that! The good news is that Tiffany certainly learned it had a lot of fans. The bad news, of course, is that all of these people are now royally pissed off.
NEW WORK ALERT: Lion’s Den “Summer of Love”
After over a year in lockdown, the world is just itching to get back out there.
Sort of.
1 in 4 americans is a woman 40+. Surprised? I was.
For as long as we can remember there have been so few women over 40 portrayed in advertising and entertainment, or celebrated in the highest ranks of business, that we have come to believe that is reality. We literally think there are far fewer of us than there are. Consequently, we feel alone. But we’re not. There are 83 million of us. 25% of the population.
NEW WORK ALERT: pH-D Feminine Health “Smarty Pants”
In the past, the mere mention of feminine care was shrouded in secrecy and innuendo. Whispered shyly if at all—to mothers, friends, even doctors. Leaving women wondering, alone, and often afraid of things that can be natural parts of living as a woman.
Is There An Expiration Date On Women’s Sexual Pleasure?
When I attended a Sexual Pleasure Workshop for women over 40 I was confident I knew exactly what to expect. The majority of the women in this group were over 50 and so I buckled down for another depressing menopause chat.
I could not have been more wrong.
Aging: Finally Coming of Age
Aging is nothing new.
We beings have been doing it since time began. Time passes. We get older. No matter if we’re trees or humans or horses or plankton.
Women, especially, have internalized a societal directive that says stop it, slow it, avoid it, hide it at any cost for, basically, ever.
And that’s powerful.
Half of mothers Over 40 Think Brands Don’t Get Them.
When Fancy surveyed nearly 500 women over 40, we asked the moms whether they felt that advertisers understood their experience of motherhood. Over 50% said no. In the advertising world “mom” = “harried woman, 25-35, with toddlers through grade-schoolers, trying to hold it all together.”
Women Over 40: Is this a Moment or a Movement?
Here’s the thing though: women over 40, 50, 60, 70, etc are not having a moment. They are accelerating a movement. They are not fading into the background, quietly retiring (as if!) and re-doing the living room drapes. Women have never been more engaged, more motivated, more in control of their lives than they are today.
Why Women Over 40 Are Critical to Your Brand’s Success
Believe it or not, they buy tequila, tampons, and technology. They bank, renovate, and drive. They need tires and air conditioners and plane tickets (post-vaccination, please...). In other words, everything that anyone needs to live a typical life today.
Women over 40 aren’t who you think they are.
80% of women over 40 feel younger, cooler, or sexier than they expected they’d feel at this age.
Eighty percent. That’s a lot of women who aren’t interested in reliving their youth (misspent or not!). That’s a lot of women who are looking forward to life, not back at it. And, that’s a lot of women who aren’t going to be influenced by advertising playing (and preying) on their insecurities, fears, and anxieties.
New Work Alert: Hair Biology “Signs of Aging”
Ask any woman over 40, 50, 60 and she’ll tell you it’s the Age of Invisibility. Irrelevancy. It’s a time when brands stop paying attention. Stop seeing these women for who they are, what they offer, and how they live.
Not Hair Biology.
Our new campaign for this haircare brand designed specifically for women 50+ celebrates age. Shows it off. Purposefully. Proudly.
Hello?... is anyone out there?… Women 40+ feel completely ignored by brands.
42 million women are between 40-60 years old. Gen-Xers have the highest post-tax incomes when compared with Millennials & Boomers. So ask yourself: are women over 40 important to your brand? Do they buy it? Do you want them to?
Something to think about:
Women over 40 see themselves presented in very specific roles, if at all. Many of the women we surveyed said that outside of anti-aging and pharmaceutical ads they really didn’t see anyone their age, and even those women didn’t reflect the way our respondents see themselves. Which, in case you’re wondering, is pretty awesome.