Marketing icon Cindy Gallop has long encouraged brands to embrace the marketing opportunity of the menopause.

Back in 2018, she shared her belief that the menopause needs to be: “understood and, importantly, addressed and leveraged by our industry in a way that would dramatically improve workplaces, working processes and creative output – and taken far more seriously than the ‘male midlife crisis’, towards which our industry dedicates so much sympathy, understanding and acceptance."

Every woman’s experience of the menopause is different, yet their experience of how the media depicts the menopause is universal: this fundamental transformation in women’s lives is almost entirely overlooked.

While there has been some progress in the five years since Gallop’s comments, despite stand out campaigns from brands including Tena and Boots, silence persists. In advertising where too many women exit the industry before they hit their fifties, the pressure to ‘fight the signs of ageing’ means that women can adopt a code of silence around the impact of the menopause on their working life.

This silence is reflected in new research from the IPA which underlines the fact that very little has changed. According to the research, just 7% of women think brands and retailers are doing ‘very well’ at catering to the menopause

There is a significant opportunity for brands and retailers to better cater to women going through the menopause, with only seven per cent of women aged 35-60 currently thinking they are doing it ‘very well’.

The IPA report, ‘The Menopause: The change we need to see’, features new insights from GenM (the menopause partner for 90 brands including Sainsbury’s, Boots and QVC), alongside existing Euromonitor and CIPD data. As well as additional qualitative data from women aged 49-64. The result is a comprehensive and much needed overview of the audience impacted by this major life change, which is still largely ignored by advertising.

According to Gen M’s data less than a fifth (19%) of women aged 35-60 have noticed marketing or advertising specifically for menopausal products - while this is low, this figure has improved ten percentage points since 2000.

Heather Jackson, Co-Founder of GenM, explained: “We call menopause ‘the change’ because it does what it says on the tin – it can change everything, from nutrition to cosmetics, and even the clothes you might wear. It’s important for brands to remember there are 48 signs and symptoms. That’s 48 opportunities to serve the menopausal consumer.  Of course, it’s not just about delivering menopause products – we also need to consider how we’re reaching this market. Already busy and time-poor with career and family responsibilities, menopausal consumers are also dealing with symptoms like sleep loss, fatigue, anxiety and brain fog. Brands need to respond to this and make it easy to search, source and shop for menopause-friendly products. Improving signposting, marketing and streamlining consumer experience is key.”

The research suggests that among those brands that are dipping their toes into the market, many are missing the mark. For those women who are aware of this advertising, while some find it informative (45%), some others say that they find it uninspiring (26%). While around two-fifths of women feel that the advertising targeted at their stage of life is unreflective of their life or that of their friends (46%); uninspiring (45%), outdated (43%) and not relatable (41%).

In terms of product areas that menopausal women feel brands and retailers could do better in delivering solutions, nutrition/supplements (63%) and feminine care (58%) rank highest.

Recognising the red thread between the lack of older women working in advertising and poor representation on screen, the report also provides advice for agencies to support their workforce on their menopause journey, citing findings from the 2023 All In Census and CIPD, and highlighting available IPA legal guidance and additional resources.

In addition to ensuring agencies have a menopause policy, implementation of flexible working hours or devices to control local temperatures are small changes, pointed to by the data, that could greatly benefit productivity, employee satisfaction and retention. Women in Advertising and Communications London (WACL) recently launched a comprehensive open-sourced menopause policy.

The policy is based on the open-sourced policy created by Dark Horses, spearheaded by their CEO Melissa Robertson. She explains: “We all have colleagues, clients, friends, mums and aunts who are going through it. Menopause isn’t an issue for women of a certain age to worry about, it’s an issue for everyone to care about.”

Commenting on the report, Sophie Dimond, Insight Analyst at the IPA, added: “The menopause is a complex area requiring greater understanding and empathy from brands, and indeed, employers to support individuals on their journey. As GenM’s Heather Jackon articulates so well within this report, the menopause is an “unavoidable life stage, rather than a lifestyle choice”.

Caris Brett, Insight Analyst at the IPA, added: “The purpose of this report is to raise awareness and improve understanding of the menopause for all, While some of the data revealed and discussed reveals marginal improvements in menopause awareness and action, it is clear more can be done. By investing in greater understanding of this significant life stage, marketers have a significant opportunity to help the health and wellbeing of individuals while growing their businesses. Meanwhile agencies could significantly aid the retention of experienced and much-needed talent, who without the relevant support might otherwise leave the business.”

GenM’s Jackson recently spoke at a webinar on how brands can better connect with midlife women, where she explained how brands can better understand women’s lived-experience of the menopause. She said: “There are 48 signs and symptoms of menopause and by understanding these, you better understand how women search, source and shop for products that support their symptoms.”

The Menopause: The change we need to see is available from the IPA website.