Doing well while doing good—it’s a recipe more companies are following, and this International Women’s Day is no exception. Interest in feminism has skyrocketed in recent years, and ads are going viral by spreading messages of acceptance and female empowerment. Click through to learn how to optimize content for your brand for release around International Women’s Day, which formats are most memorable and above all how to make your engagement authentic. thedrum.com - The call for greater equality of opportunity for women in all areas of life, from the workplace to politics or the sports field and beyond, is growing louder and will be a defining movement of the 21st century.

Hand-in-hand with the demand for greater equality is a desire for more positive representation of women in media and marketing – 53 percent of women believe that "ad campaigns have a strong influence on how women are perceived in society" (Google Consumer Survey).

Given that marketing has the ability to mold perceptions, challenge received wisdoms and 'nudge' people towards new ways of thinking, there is an opportunity for brands to contribute positively towards the equality debate with relevant initiatives and content.

One focal point for raising awareness is International Women’s Day, almost upon us on Tuesday 8 March. It is celebrated every year and searches for 'women empowerment' peak just after the event. But interest in gender equality stretches far beyond one day of activism; UK searches for 'feminism' grew 27 per cent from 2014 to 2015, with queries such as 'what is a feminist?' and 'what does feminism mean?'

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