Revolve

• Revolve is an e-commerce clothing brand that has been able to engage with millennial and Gen Z women through the use of influencer marketing.
• They have established relationships with 3,500 successful fashion influencers on Instagram including those with a huge following such as Kendall Jenner, Aimee Song and Camila Coehlo, as well as micro-influencers. They also throw events in popular destinations where influencers gather and advertise the company's products, thus grabbing the attention of consumers who aspire to be like these influencers. Moreover, the brand collaborates with influencers to curate collections. 
• The company has been able to achieve a lot of success through influencer marketing, as it only makes up 25% of Revolve's annual marketing budget, but drives about 70% of sales. Moreover, Revolve had over $600 million in sales in 2019 and was valued at $1.2 billion when it went public.
• Influencer marketing content resonates with millennial and Gen Z women because about 72% of Gen Z'ers and millennials follow influencers on social media platforms, and about 56% buy products after seeing them being posted by influencers on social media. Moreover, Gen Z and millennial women mostly follow beauty and fashion influencers, and Instagram is the most popular platform where they follow these influencers.

TOMS

• TOMS, a shoe manufacturer, is an ethical company that uses cause marketing to make a difference in underdeveloped countries, and this has caused it to resonate with millennial women. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS donates another pair to a child in need.

• TOMS shoes, despite not being the most appealing shoes in terms of their physical appearance, took the U.S. by storm. The millennials, in particular, love the shoes. The company became among the most popular shoe manufacturers in the country, and several discount brands have tried to create cheaper versions of the shoes but failed due to the millennials' unwavering loyalty to the brand.
• Cause marketing campaigns such as this one resonate with millennial women because according to Ernst and Young, women reinvest 90% of their income into their communities and families, and 37% of millennials are receptive to companies that are making a difference and being good corporate citizens. These two statistics mean that millennial females are more drawn to brands with a cause. The fact that they are helping impoverished children gives them an added incentive to buy TOMS shoes.

Always

• The Always #LikeAGirl campaign turned a harmful phrase that casts doubt on the power of girls into one that instills confidence in women and girls, thus resonating with Gen Z and millennial women. The brand's aim was to take the phrase "like a girl" that was a commonly used insult, capture its negative power, and then transform it into a confidence movement. The premise of this idea was that the phrase has a negative impact on girls' self-confidence, especially pre- and post-puberty.
• 50% of girls at puberty are paralyzed by the fear of failure and avoid trying new things, and 72% of girls feel that society limits them. Gender stereotyping through language and insults such as ‘like a girl’ is a key contributor to the confidence crisis in girls.
• Always created the #LikeAGirl campaign that empowers girls during a critical stage in their life and encourages them to embrace failure, learn from it and keep going. Their target audience was women between the ages of 13 to 34. 
• The success of this campaign is evident in that the phrase #LikeAGirl is now a female empowerment movement. The percentage of girls who have a positive association with the phrase "Like a Girl" has increased from 19% to 76%, and 85% of girls are now encouraged to keep trying after experiencing failure. The video associated with the campaign was watched over 90 million times and became the number two viral video globally, and the campaign received several awards. 
• This campaign resonated with Gen Z and millennial women because 65% of Gen Z women expect brands to take a stand on social issues, and this influences their purchasing decisions. Moreover, millennial women are receptive to brands that encourage social change. 

Dove

• Dove, which sells bath products, was able to resonate with millennial and Gen Z women through its “Campaign for Real Beauty”, which features women with bodies that go against the stereotypical standards of beauty. Their aim was to encourage women to appreciate themselves and feel more confident and beautiful. With a business model that is similar to those of most of its competitors, the company has been able to differentiate itself by being a social advocate. 
• The Campaign for Real Beauty had ads with 'real women', encouraging debates on the definition of beauty and the way women view themselves. The campaign has evolved into an empowerment message for women, with different iterations over the years. 
• Dove experienced a growth in sales because more women felt good supporting their cause. Moreover, in 2004, only 23% of women surveyed felt responsible for influencing their own definition of beauty; but a decade later, this amount tripled. 
• The campaign was able to resonate with Gen Z and millennial women because millennial women value diverse and realistic representations of themselves in campaigns. Women's Marketing reports that 59% of them want to see relatable images that match their daily lives. Gen Z'ers, on the other hand, value diversity and equality, with 71% of them wanting to see diversity in advertising.

Research Strategy