Last month was Women’s History Month, a time to recognize the important achievements and contributions women have made to our country and to celebrate our progress. However, it often seems like we still have a long way to go, especially in how brands market to women.

Apparently, women are intimidated by whisky.

For instance, the “Jane Walker” branded whisky from Johnnie Walker, which aimed to broaden the product’s appeal while honoring women, faced significant backlash against the campaign. This was mainly due to a comment from the company stating that, “Scotch as a category is seen as particularly intimidating by women.”

The campaign and statement got attention from the likes of Stephen Colbert, while prompting a range of reactions on social media and written satire, like the Washington Post article, Thanks to Jane Walker, ladies can finally drink scotch, that demonstrates just how misguided the basic premise of this campaign was.

PR Daily offered some advice on marketing to women, noting that women are not a homogenous group. Instead, they respond to a good story and want to be understood.

Aren’t ‘Doritos for women’ just regular Doritos?

The recent “Lady Doritos”campaign shows another poor attempt to market to women with quieter, cleaner chips. But, people weren’t having it.

So many took to social media to voice their disdain for the campaign, that it was the second highest trending topic in the U.S.

After the swift backlash though, Doritos clarified that they will not be creating such a product. Adweek reported:

In response to a request for comment, a PepsiCo representative told Adweek that “the reporting on a specific Doritos product for female consumers is inaccurate,” despite Nooyi’s statement indicating otherwise.

“We already have Doritos for women—they’re called Doritos, and they’re enjoyed by millions of people every day,” the spokesperson added. “At the same time, we know needs and preferences continue to evolve, and we’re always looking for new ways to engage and delight our consumers.”

Advice to Brands

You’d have thought these brands would’ve learned something from the 2012 Bic campaign called “Bic for her,” or other failed attempts. But, as this Washington Post article notes, “companies haven’t moved away from the idea that it’s smart to pander to women by changing the look and feel of a product, rather than improving its essential function.”

The author goes on to say that, to fix this, businesses need to hire more women at every level. “If we want companies to make products women really want, women should be well-represented in creative and product decision-making — not only financial or management choices.”

While it’s great to have a woman at the top – and we rightly celebrate that, too, like the new Ketchum global CEO – there aren’t enough women throughout companies to help provide dissenting viewpoints and more effective discussions. And, when you consider that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially (15 percent better, in fact!), this should be a much greater priority for businesses everywhere.

And, then, maybe… just maybe… we could better catch ideas like Jane Walker, Lady Doritos and Bic for Her before they hit consumers.