Week 4

In contemporary consumer society, products go beyond their use value and become important symbols of identity and social relations. The Nice Princess series of adverts released by Purcotton in September, My Best Female Classmate, takes a piece of pad as the starting point and tells the story of friendship between two girls. The advert is a simple dialogue:” Can I borrow a pad?”. It breaks the social stereotype of the period as a taboo subject while showing the warmth of mutual support and understanding among girls. This narrative resonates emotionally and also combines the brand with feminist discourse to further enhance the brand image. The advert focuses on the cosy side of female friendships and shows the complexity of female relationships. For example, the expression “I want to celebrate her wholeheartedly, but I can not help comparing myself to her” reflects the real emotions in friendship, and reveals the subtle psychology of women under the pressure of competition. Through these details, the advert tries to convey the diversity of women’s personalities, while integrating the brand’s core values of peace of mind, happiness and sustainability into the narrative. It doesn’t simply see women as objects of consumption but focuses on their real emotions and choices.

From a macro perspective of brand communication, Kozinets et al. (2023) state that brand narratives create deep connections with consumers through a combination of emotions, values and cultural symbols. The advert cleverly combines the story of the two girls with the product values of Purcotton. Viewers emotionally resonate with the advert and see the brand as a carrier of emotions, giving the product a meaning beyond functionality. In this way, consumers are no longer just buying products, but a lifestyle and cultural identity, which further enhances brand loyalty. However, Banet-Weiser (2018) also points out that when brands utilise women’s narratives, there are hidden commercial motives behind them, despite ostensibly supporting women’s empowerment. For example, the image of the character still conforms to the traditional societal definition of female tenderness, and the narrative to some extent reinforces the stereotypical image of female identity.

After the release of the advert, Purcotton also launched a story collection campaign on social media on the theme of My Best Female Classmate, encouraging users to share their real-life experiences. In this way, consumers are brought closer to the brand and the brand gets a lot of quality creative content and expands the communication effect. In addition, the brand further continues the emotional effect of the advertisement through offline interactive forms such as college lectures and pop-up activities. These activities reflect Purcotton’s accurate understanding of its target customer groups and demonstrate the importance of community marketing in the digital age. Purcotton also combines brand and social responsibility, through public welfare activities to enhance the brand image.

By focusing on women’s emotional needs and real-life experiences, this advert provides a more three-dimensional view of contemporary women and combines product values with feminist discourse. Although the advert is limited by consumerism and fails to fully promote female empowerment, it goes some way to challenging society’s stereotypical perceptions of women and generates strong discussion on the topic of women. From advertising communication to user-generated content to offline activities, this uni marketing model fully demonstrates the brand’s ability to innovate in the digital era. The Purcotton advert is a marketing success story and a lesson for other brands on how to incorporate feminist issues more deeply.