Did you know that many scientists believe it was the art of social gossip that first set us apart from the other animals? That’s how we formed intimate groups and learned more about the important things in life. We’d like to continue that tradition in our area of expertise, so here’s just a taste of what’s happened this week in the world of marketing:

Clever campaigns: An ad for men… sort of

L’Oreal Paris has unveiled a series of ads in Germany that all specifically state: This is an ad for men. But L’Oreal doesn’t really do men’s products, so what’s the catch? L’Oreal is smartly weighing in on a social issue with its ads, using its makeup products to look like graphs alongside figures that prove how effective women are in positions of leadership in the business world.

This campaign is effective partly because L’Oreal got all their facts and figures from in-house research. They are also tapping into an important issue in Germany, where 91.4% of management and governing boards are comprised of men. “This is an ad for men” is also somewhat tongue and cheek, as women are clearly the target audience of the products on the banners. It’s the numbers that men need to see.

Tools of the trade: Dropbox

Need an alternative to Google? There’s another way to share and store documents and files online, and it’s called Dropbox. Dropbox is the perfect tool to keep your team organized and your files under control. With cloud-based software to keep your files accessible anywhere at any time, Dropbox helps your team store all of its files in a central location.

Intrinsically inclusive

It’s important for businesses (especially new ones) to appeal to the widest audience possible. It’s also important not to put your foot in your mouth and accidentally offend an entire group of potential customers or partners. That’s why companies need to know how to promote themselves with inclusive language, whether in blogs or advertisements. Here’s what you need to know!