2. Why Girls & Brands?
We believe in girls, their potential
and their abilities.
We’re convinced brands need girls.
We know what they can do for
you.
3. Who we are...
• Karin van den Dool
background: marketing, strategy, publishing
and research for young people
• Patricia de Leuw
background : editorial: magazines, books, digital and online
publishing for young people, strategy
• Together we founded Team<21 in 2006
Our main activity is Business Development for kids and
youngsters. We research, think and provide consultancy. We
sometimes take part in realization.
Both of us like research & brainstorming. We love creative
blending that leads to innovative strategies and products.
• Roland van Kralingen
Our business advisor and partner. Expert in marketing, brands
and innovation. Author. Business owner.
4. How the idea developed…
• Over the years we’ve researched intensively the
young people’s market. We developed an
intelligent girl’s magazine (9-11 yrs), and were
exploring a similar magazine for girls 12+.
Talking to loads of girls, we were amazed by our
findings.
• We got more and more interested
in the girls as a specific target group.
• We decided to do more research to
see how and if we could place them
in social context.
We found out a lot…
5. We saw that girls...
...are so different than 20 years ago.
...are so different than today’s
women are.
...are different than boys.
...totally embrace the new digital/
virtual world.
...live in a changing society, with
changing family structures.
...are often victimized by ‘old’
conventions.
These girls are the future heads of
households in a more feminine society.
6. Everything changes
Girls are multiscreen. They
think & act mediumfree.
No fear of technology.
They are mediasmart,
digitally trained and see
through things. They Girls feel this,
know what’s bullshit and
what’s authentic & and have
relevant. learned to
The digital&virtual world express
empowers girls. It’s is themselves
gender neutral and freely and
unbiased. It doesn’t
judge. creatively.
7. Everything changes
Today’s girls are great researchers, they explore
the market constantly. They are well educated
and critical. Simply because they love to shop
they are experienced consumers.
They are dynamic, powerful and motivated.
They are influential: co-deciders within the family
now. Head of household later.
Girls are the ultimate
consumers, the key
holders to the future.
8. On the other hand: society
• Alas but true: still few women in high positions
• Girls don’t feel not-listened to. They don’t identify
with the feminist message. This reinforces
their silence.
• Choice of profession for girls is still traditional
• Media is continuous and everywhere, with
powerful (and traditional) roll models. Media
polarises, confirms and enforces stereotypes.
• Looks and appearance are more important than
ever, this enforces girls’ ‘natural’ insecurity.
• The growth of Islam influences the self image of
girls, because of its very traditional outlook on
women.
9. On the other hand: brands
• Most brands develop from pre-conceived notions, not
from real knowledge of girls. They make things pink
instead of good.
• Girls are recognized as a target group (p.e. online girl
communities). Alas most companies put their time and
energy in misleading girls (“We must make sure that it
doesn’t show that we want to make money.”). Girls
aren’t stupid!
• Girls are either underestimated or overestimated (films,
ads are sometimes plain dumb. At the same time
parents and marketeers admire them, because they
can multitask...
There’s a growing mismatch between
brands and girls.
10. Old conventions and stereotypes
Everything and everyone approaches girls from ‘old’ conventions
(unconscious) and from -often consciously- created stereotypes.
idols/rollmodel
father
politics media
*teachers brands boys
mother other girls/peers
*Teachers ask girls knowledge questions (non-strategic),
they give girls less answering time and fill in the answers.
11. Girls have a lot of influence…
Girls have an enormous influence on the people that
surround them in their social network. Alas, beyond that,
their voice is fading or ever so often completely ignored.
other girls/peers father
boys
mother
idols/rollmodel media
brands teachers politics
…but it could be so much more.
12. Things have got to change
If it is about product
development, strategy or
communication...
If a brand wants to reach
girls, now ánd in the
future, it will have to
change its ways!
Choose for strategy & product-development that makes sense.
Choose for communication that’s relevant and authentic.
Choose for girls and co-create!
13. Today’s market asks for
Strong ideas, validated
with target groups.
Clear and workable concepts easily
to be adapted by any medium.
Short leads, direct
Communication (not a
layered and hierarchial
ad agency).
14. When we realized the
potential of girls,
that’s when we decided
to build a new company.
15. The company we’re building
Flexible, young & girls-only.
Consultancy between brands and advertising.
Think tank for the right ideas.
creativity insights
strategy
concepts
creative blending
connectivity
inspiration
