Most smart marketers realize that women make (or influence) 80% of all purchase decisions across a wide range of categories from sophisticated financial products to electronics to cars. Unfortunately, most brands are still stuck in the past. It’s not they ignore women. In fact, many are pouring millions of dollars into marketing and advertising to reach women. What is wrong is they are still stereotyping women in their creative approach. The same goes for men. Many brands are still portraying the “boomer” male as clueless and incompetent. Conversely, millennial males are more like their women counter parts.

Women’s societal roles are more diverse than ever before. They are now almost 50% of the American work force. Their median age of first marriages has steadily risen. They take on more of an authority role, not just a “product user”. Women are no longer the stereotype of a dependent, stay-at-home subordinate housewife. They are in the office, on the plant floor and owning businesses. Yes, they still do dominate decision-making and wield substantial influence on purchases, but not from the home. Brands that still portray women as they “used to be” in their marketing are still missing the point. Dozens of studies have searched for a “rethink” by brands on women.

Results are not that promising:

• Three times more likely than men to be depicted as a product user as opposed to an authority figure

• Four times more likely to be shown in a dependent role

• 3.5 times more likely to be in a domestic environment rather than a work environment

 Millennial men have also changed the stereotype from their Boomer counterparts.

• Younger men increasingly shape their identity through shopping

• Brands that capture their perception of cool, what’s important and what their lives really look like, capture their loyalty and dollars

• Number of men that self-identify as fashionable and trendy: Millennials – 38%; Boomers – 16%

• Willing to pay more for brands that reflect their personal style: Millennials – 26%; Boomers – 13%

The lesson here is brands must reflect what is happening in the real world and not just go by outdated stereotypes or depend on “that’s what always worked before”. Today’s society is much more fluid and defined roles are becoming less commonplace.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

According to some reports, even at the latest CES (Consumer Electronic Show), many tech companies still cater to men and boys with their spec sheets and “booth babes”. That will end up costing many of these companies a ton in the long run. According to Angela Steele, CEO of mobile agency Ansible Mobile, women are quicker to adapt newer technologies, especially if it helps her get things done. For example, women use QR codes much more than men. Here are a few other points on why tech needs to change their stereotypes of women and technology:

• Keep the focus on the benefits. Women are very rational when it comes to making decisions, especially for their families.

• Things don’t need to be “girly” to be accessible. Look at Apple, they haven’t made one pink phone, but focus on the life benefits their technology provides. This is one reason why a vast majority of women love iPhones.

• Don’t overwhelm women. They are already multitasking. Your benefits should help them gain control of their busy lives. If you make tools to help them manage life’s situations, they will reward you with their loyalty.

• Women will be at the forefront of the retail revolution, driven by convenience enabled by mobile devices. This dramatically changes the way women shop.

• A powerful motivator is to show, and prove, how your technology will benefit their children. For example, if you show that this iPad app will help your child cognitively or in their coordination, it will resonate for them.

It is no secret, women are the CFO of most American families and control how the household dollars are spent. When developing your technology strategies, don’t focus on the Y chromosome. That’s the niche. The winning play is to understand and accommodate women by communicating clearly the benefits that help her manage her daily life, keep control and provides value their family, especially, their children.

And don’t make it pink.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Could color be the ultimate brand expression? It makes sense. It’s evokes emotion. It connects with the heart first. It is easily understood in any language. It is quickly identified with just a glance. For example, Tiffany owns a specific shade of robin’s egg blue. All you have to do is spot a box with that color and you automatically get an emotion of special, luxury, and exclusive. You also know it’s Tiffany even though there is no logo on the box. That’s brand power. UPS has made a strong case to own brown. Their marketing campaign over the last 4-5 years “What can brown do for you?” is an attempt to own the color and to infuse it with an emotion of service and trust that brown gets things done and delivers on its promises.

Recently Christian Louboutin has went to court to own “Chinese Red”. Their famous shoes are spotted on well-heeled A-listers on the red carpet as well as women who want something iconic. Louboutin’s can be identified many yards away with their iconic red soles. They are currently battling Yves Saint Laurent for doing the same with their shoes. The main argument is brand confusion. In fact, Christian Louboutin trademarked the red in 2008. I believe they have a very valid point. Corporations have been able to trademark and protect brand colors and shapes, so why not fashion? In essence, fashion is one of the ultimate industries where intellectual property is worth billions of dollars. Just look at the knock-off industry to validate this claim.

When it comes to creating a brand, color is a powerful tools because of it’s emotional appeal. It says a lot without any words. Now, that’s power. You show a hunter green circle, on a white cup, what comes to mind? Starbucks of course. Show a set of letters in primary colors you automatically read “Google” even if the letters spell something different. Just the arrangement of red and white stripes with a blue field induces strong emotions about America. This is why brand is not logical, but emotional and emotions are much stronger than logic. We humans operate mostly on emotions and use logic to justify why we “feel” or act a certain way. Even in various religions from around the world, color has significant meanings because of the emotion it evokes. Color is not about taste or what you may personally like. Color, used properly, can become an indespensible tool to reinforce your brand essence and what it stands for.

Is color the ultimate brand expression? It well could be.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

Women shoppers are digitized to the max. They are, not only, the world’s largest market, but they are also the leaders in utilizing technology to accomplish their tasks. When it comes to motherhood, digital tools become even more important. In an article by Matt Carmichael entitled, “Kids take all the fun out of shopping”, he compares the shopping differences between a woman without kids and a mother. A woman with out kids sees shopping as Relaxed, Impulsive, Social, Fun. A mother sees shopping as Rushed, Overwhelming, Stressful, Deal-driven. This is at the core of why mothers see digital as a way for them to manage their shopping needs. Also, this has nothing to do with just buying diapers and school supplies. It permeates throughout how they buy for almost everything. Here are a few other highlights (Based on a survey by BabyCenter US):

• They play to win –  Moms see shopping as a sport. They play to win because a win is for their family, rarely for themselves. Over 84% of moms agree with the statement, “When I save money on a shopping trip by using coupons, sales or other deals, I feel like ‘I won.’ ” They use every available resource. Online and especially digital, are great tools for them to find that edge. Almost two-thirds of moms have a scanner app on their mobile device (30% more than the general public.) Three in five belong to at least one group buying service.

• They don’t shop alone – It’s not they run in packs, but their mobile device keeps them in touch with their allies and support system. They will utilize this network for second opinions on the fly, text a picture for a quick reaction. Over 44% share discount codes and digital coupons while over 62% participate in online reviews. When mom goes shopping, they take their whole social graph with them.

• They still utilize their partners – Though women/moms make over 85% of buying decisions, they don’t make them in a vacuum. Mothers still tap into their spouses’ opinions and even get them to participate in their sport. One in four say their spouses are involved or highly involved in shopping.

• They buy the big stuff too – Moms are not just buying diapers and soap, but are the main influence on a wide range of products and services. Moms spend twice as much online buying video games than the general online population (surprised the heck out of me, too). Same goes for software and hardware. They are 47% more likely to anticipate a need for major financial services purchases in the next 12 months and start searching online and on their mobile device with their social graph. They still dominate vehicle purchases by being the main influencer over 89% of the time.

• They reward brands who make their life easier – Having kids in tow, a mom will reward brands who make her life easier or more convenient. Even if it costs more, if you help simplify her life, she will reward you with her loyalty and open up her social graph to your brand. They also demand a seamless experience which means she can buy online, get discounts via mobile, return it to your brick-and-mortar store, all without any hassles.

When all is said and done, moms use digital and mobile technology to help them accomplish and win at the game of shopping. They tally up their savings, take note of brands who offer to simplify their life and make it easier, and brag to their social graph about the day’s big scores. Don’t you want to be one of her victories?

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

As I have stated before in previous blogs, women are not a niche, they ARE the market. But, there is an interesting niche that is growing within the women’s market, though. It’s the single mom. Here are some interesting research finds that may surprise you:

• 40% of all U.S. children are born to single women today
• There are over 10 million single mothers with children under 18
• They are older (average age of 39)

Here are some more intriguing bits of insights:

• The stigma of a single mom being young, harried and hassled is more of a Hollywood creation than reality
• More women are choosing to be single moms than they are “forced” to
• Over one-third do have the support of a live-in partner
• Over 52% of millennials think being a good parent is one of the most important things in life
• Only 30% of this same millennial group  think choosing the right partner is as important
•  Most single moms consider themselves as “traditional” with traditional values

What does this all mean and should you even consider marketing to them? First of all, I believe you can not afford to ignore them. To me, they should be one of the top priorities. Because of their choice of lifestyle, they are one of the most connected groups in society. They have vast networks and social connections. If you are seen as a brand that champions their needs and lifestyle, you will be rewarded with a huge multiple in word-of-mouth and referrals. That is real social media power. Women, when marketed to properly, will tell, on average 22 others. Men, on the other hand, will only tell 2. Also, single moms of today don’t carry around the “old fashioned” stigma that they used to have 10 or 15 years ago. More women are single by choice and that is very empowering to them. They are in charge of their lives and the lives of their children. They are the primary influence on their children, so single moms have even more “marketing value” that traditional married families.

This group is also the most tech connected. They use technology for all it’s worth and are open and appreciative to any brand who is willing to help serve her and make life easier and provide value to their family. Again, they will pass your brand along to all of the other mothers and support people that are in their sphere of influence via digital media. They can become one of your most powerful online, mobile marketing tools if you can win her over.

There are the “Secondlife moms.” This is an older group, most likely divorced, but well educated, works full time, and financial independent. They are reinventing themselves and are open to new brands to help them in that makeover. They have found their second “teen years” by going out more with friends, dating, and trying new things. This is a great way for a brand to introduce themselves to a new market. They are actively seeking new brands to help them in their “second life”.

When asked if single moms are accepted more by mainstream society, 92% said yes. And 93% agreed that in the next 10 to 20 years, there will be even more single moms.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

I would like to share my thoughts about my discussions with Marti Barletta and TJ Couzens over the weekend in Chicago. For those of you who don’t know about Marti, she is probably one of the most influential thought leaders and trend spotters when it comes to marketing to the world’s largest economy, women. She is a consultant to Fortune 500 companies, a very successful author (Marketing to Women), and CEO of TrendSight, a company devoted to helping marketers understand the women market. TJ Couzens is President of a new company, Brand X Research. They specialize in researching the women market and provide their clients primary research on insights about how women view their products and services and advise on marketing strategy and key messaging.

Marti is steeped in wisdom, insights, and energy. It’s no wonder she is the guru’s guru when it comes to marketing to women. One of the oddest statements she made to me during my visit was that irregardless of her reputation, her background, and her experience, the message she’s been delivering in the marketing world about women dominating almost all areas of purchasing power, is better received coming from a man than from a woman. To me, that’s insane. Though hardly anyone would doubt her experience and expertise, it’s just not well received because she’s a woman and the perception is that Marti is “man-bashing”. That is furthest from the truth. In fact, her mission is to try and help companies connect with women so they can be even more profitable and successful. Besides, who would know women better than another woman? Men often say to their women counterparts, “You wouldn’t understand, you’re not a man.” and no man seems to argue against that logic.

To me, the equation is not that in order for women to win, men must lose. It’s not a zero-sum game. It is a win-win game if marketers do it right. Women win by having their needs understood and communicated in a way that is insightful and respectful. Companies win (men too, since many CEO’s are men) by gaining a loyal customer base (women tend to be loyal for an average of over 10 years while men’s loyalty average is 2.5 years). Also, if treated well, women will tell, on average, 21.5 of her friends while men will only tell 2.5 others about your company. So this notion of man-bashing is nothing more than ego, pride, and unfounded fear by men and her critics.

Here are a couple of other insights I was able to glean from my meeting with Marti:

• Don’t “pink it and shrink it”– When it comes to creating an identifying color to your product or service that is women focus, don’t assume it should be pink and smaller. Many women, especially professional women, avoid pink in fear of being seen as “soft” and not being able to compete in a “man’s world”. Also, many women see this as a stereotype. According to her research, most women dislike pink as much as guys do.

• Men are simple, women are not. And both like it that way – Here is a mind zinger. Men ARE simple. We like it that way. In fact, we feel that is a compliment. Men don’t want to complicate things, issues, or their lives. Men like focus (read simple). Women are not simple. They like it that way. Women are complex with many facets. They can multi-task and be great at all of it. To women, multi-tasking is not being scattered-brained, but being able to handle a wider level of activities. To call a woman simple would be insulting. To call a man complex would be insulting. The point is to be aware of this and market accordingly.

If you are a marketer and haven’t really taken a hard, serious look at how you are marketing to women, I would strongly suggest you do so. If you are serious about improving the bottom line and making that balance sheet sing, you need to contact Marti Barletta, hire her, listen to her and implement her strategies. Your bank account will thank you and so will your shareholders.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

A new study out by Marina Maher Communications and Keller Fay Group reports on what and who influences women, THE market for almost everything. Their study suggests that women “influence-hers” give more weight to media and media brands over “average” women. This is kind of surprising since the common wisdom is women listen to each other for recommendations and referrals on brands. Here are some other interesting results:

• Women influencers have larger social networks – both online and offline. These women average about 170 people they interact with regularly compared to 75 for a typical woman.

• They are more actively engaged with brands. For example, 38% are more likely to “like” brands on Facebook than the average woman.

• Influence-hers are 105% more likely to post positive experiences with brands and 125% more likely to post negative experiences on social media.

• They are 90% more likely to value the input of endorsers than typical women.

• Media still has impact with women “influence-hers” – 55% are more likely than other women to go to a restaurant after seeing it on TV and 91% are more likely to buy something for her home after seeing it on morning TV.

What all this means is media brands such as Ty Pennington’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and the home-care celebrities of HGTV carry huge weight with these women “influence-hers”. In the parenting category, Parents magazine is important to twice the number of women than Dr. Phil or even Kelly Ripa. The Babycenter also carries more endorsement weight with influencer moms than celebrities.

Brands also need to be more targeted and strategic in reaching these valued women. They need to give them more opportunities to create and interact with the brand whether it’s reviews on Facebook or websites. Most importantly, they need to provide information they can pass along, both branded and unbranded.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

A recent study by BabyCenter and Morgan Stanley data, strongly suggests that moms depend on their smart phones and iPads to stay connected. It’s both physical and psychological. As I’ve been “preaching” before, women are the market. They dominate over 86% of all consumer purchases and over 60% of all business purchases. This is why connecting with mom is so important to almost any brand.

The BabyCenter and Morgan Stanley data concludes that moms have embraced and depend more and more their smart phones or iPads. From the physical viewpoint, it’s much easier to carry around your iPhone while bouncing a baby on your hip. The mobile device goes with you to the kitchen, kid’s room, and play room. They stay connected while caring for their children. It is also a great “kid entertainment center”. More and more moms are using apps of games, songs, and activities to entertain their children while on the run doing errands, shopping, and anything else she has to do in her busy day. From a psychological view, moms can stay connected with friends and family through social media, access information on the fly via the web, and most importantly, you never know when those photo moments will pop up with the kids, so having the camera at the ready is a huge benefit. Mobile devices has become the tool of choice for busy moms.

Some interesting stats:

• Over 68% use their smart phone to get information on the spot while shopping
• Over 46% share brands and products with their friends and family with their mobile device
• Over 50% of women said they purchased a smart phone as a direct result of becoming a new mom
• Moms spend 6.1 hours per day on their mobile devices accessing email, mobile web, apps, text
• Over 46% took action after seeing an ad on their mobile device

This strongly suggests that if you are serious about reaching the largest market in the world, women, going mobile is mandatory. This has been coined “the mobile mom”. The study reveals a strong correlation between mobile devices and more digital media consumption (time spent with media). Laptops have become too cumbersome while carrying around a 2-year old. There’s very little time to sit down at a PC anymore, too. So, if you’re not reaching moms through their mobile device, you have less and less chance to connect with them at all. But if you do reach them via mobile device, they are not only listening, but acting on your messages. As stated above, over 46% took some form of action after seeing an ad on their device.

So, you have a overwhelming adoption of a mobile platform by a hugely important market segment, should marketers take notice and have a robust mobile strategy? Ummm… yes.

www.bebranded.net
317-797-7226

I’ll never forget the first time I attended an investment club.  A friend of mine invited me to attend a meeting to see if I wanted to join.  Two guys got up and explained the investment strategy – dividends.  They bought a bunch of stock in one energy company that paid the highest dividends they could find.  The company stock price had dropped, but they weren’t concerned.   And that was the end of the meeting – everyone dug into the beer and chips.

I went back a second time.  This time, they found another company with a high dividend.  They switched the money to that company, which had also gone down in the last month.   The focus in both meetings was on the performance of the investments rather than actual learning.  I decided not to join the club.

Compare this to my experience with a women’s investment club.  Everyone had homework and presented a short piece about what they learned.  (Learning was the main focus of the club) They had a long-term strategy.  Once they decided to buy a stock, they tended to hold onto it.  They focused on companies they had either thoroughly researched, or knew well from their personal dealings with the company. One of the stocks they chose was Lululemon – women’s athletic clothing.  Many of the members wore Lululemon clothing and  raved about the company.

I wish I had joined that club.   This year Lululemon started around 35 and as of the writing of this post, is just above 75.

What male vs. female investment styles can tell you about marketing

Men and women approach investment decision making in similar ways to how they approach any buying decision.

For the guys, it was about having one focused strategy – dividends.   It was about finding the highest paying dividend.   When marketing to men, it’s important to differentiate yourself and  show how you are superior.  How does your product help them perform better.

For the women, it was about doing a lot of research and approaching investing from several different angles.  It was about doing your research and  buying what you know, aka what you and trusted friends have direct experience with. When marketing to women, provide details on your product and a website where she can gather more information.  Feature product reviews and testimonials prominently so she can see what experience other shoppers like her have had with your product.

Why women’s investment clubs do better than men’s investment clubs

Not all investment clubs are the same as the ones I described above.  But I think the overall comparison is an interesting one. Many reports show women investment clubs outperforming male investment clubs.

1. Men tend to trade more often than women. They want performance, and they want performance now.  I think especially in a group setting, there is pressure to come up with big short-term winners.   In the women’s groups, it was such a group decision, and there was so much research,  that there wasn’t as much ego involved.
2. Women want  a lot of information about what they are buying. I hear this from financial advisors everywhere – women always ask more questions.  Again, look at the shopping process.  Men will find something that meets their main criteria and buy it.  (I need black pants.  These are pants, they’re black, they fit, here’s my credit card).   Women want a lot more information (I need black pants.  What is the brand, what’s the material, does it wrinkle, is this a straight leg or does it flare, does it make my butt look big?, will it go on sale any time soon, let me try on a few more just to make sure).
3. Men have a strategy, women have a comprehensive plan. Like my friends who were focused on dividends, men can sometimes follow a strategy – be it sector rotation, a technical chart that alerts them to when it’s time to buy or sell, or options trading.  (the vast majority of day-traders are men).   Women want a comprehensive plan that includes insurance, protection against market downturns, and diversity of investments.  Women are more risk aware. They are more willing to trade of big upsides to avoid big downsides.

As one advisor told me, men want to hit home runs, but they strike out a lot.  Women are content to hit singles and just keep methodically advancing around the bases til they eventually score.

I don’t want to stereotype here.  Many men are terrific investors and many women are not.   But how they approach financial decision making can give us some insight into how they approach other buying decisions.

Now, off to buy some Lululemon stock.

Holly Buchanan is the co-author of  The Soccer Mom Myth – Today’s Female Consumer: Who She Really Is, Why She Really Buys. You can read more at her blog Marketing to Women Online

Can you measure ROI on an ad?   How many people will remember the ad?  How many will remember which product was advertised?  How many will remember the ad, what product was advertised, and have a strong enough reaction to actually purchase or at least consider purchasing the product?

These are questions we all ask, especially after the Super Bowl.  Now that the game is long over, I’ve been listening to see which ads women are still talking about.  There’s exactly one- the Volkswagen Darth Vader commercial.   Tony Fannin thought it was one of the better commercials.  Yet  Bob Garfield at Ad Age questioned the effectiveness of the Volkswagen Darth Vader ad, which not only aired on the Super Bowl, but which went viral with over 10 million online views.  (it now has over 29 million views)

“But if we were VW, we wouldn’t be too triumphal too quickly. Another name for the Relationship Era is the Listenomics Age, and if you listen to what was being said, you’d notice that the vast majority of the Twitter traffic mentions the ad, and not the car. Not even the model — which happens to be a Passat. Certainly nobody mentioned the ad was nominally promoting keyless ignition, and no wonder: that’s all but a generic feature.

So, yeah, VW got some positive attention, and that’s good. But the attention wasn’t on automobiles. That’s bad. This could have just as well been a McDonald’s commercial. Which just goes to show: If you’re peddling entertainment instead of products, cultivating smiles not constituents, the Brave New World will be just as easy to squander resources in as the cowardly old one.”

Here’s the thing – that could be said of almost every single ad aired during the Super Bowl.  I know there were a couple of commercials with cans (soda cans?  Beer cans?) slamming various people in the head and other, ahem, body parts.  There were a bunch of car commercials that looked like video games or action movies.  There was a florist commercial with a guy acting clueless.    I couldn’t tell you who any of those ads were for.

Yet, from the research I did, the VW ad seemed to have made a genuine emotional connection.  It was one of the only commercials not just peddling entertainment.  So why did Bob Garfield call out this particular ad as a failure?  I don’t know.

The Volkswagen ad connected with women

At the Super Bowl party I attended, the Volkswagen ad was one of the few commercials the women laughed at and talked about after the game.  I’ve done informal polling about the car commercials.  Not one woman has been able to tell me who the alien, Neptune One Epic Ride car ad was for. (Kia, in case you couldn’t remember either).  Yet almost every one did remember the Darth Vader ad was for Volkswagen.  I also remembered the brand.  This hit me the next morning when walking my pooches I saw a Volkswagen sitting in the neighbor’s driveway.   I’d never noticed it before.

Which brings me to two important takeaways.

One – the first step to driving sales is to make an emotional connection with the audience.  Will people run out the next day and buy your product?  Ideally, yes.  But a large purpose of branding is to start a relationship, to make an emotional connection, to get on prospective customers’  radar screens.

I went from not noticing VW’s to, now, seeing them everywhere.

Could it be that this commercial especially made an emotional connection with women?  In a sea of commercials targeting men, it clearly stood out.

Two - The emotional connection must be with your brand, not just your commercial.  It’s great if you can make people laugh, but why are they laughing?   Pinging someone in the head with a can may be funny, but does it tie in directly with your brand and product?     “People who buy this soda enjoying pinging people with soda cans.”   Not quite sure how that works.

Compare that with the Volkswagen commercial.  Having a magical, fun moment with your kid resonates with a lot of people (especially women).  It also happens to fit in with Volkswagen’s humanistic, quirky brand.

I think this commenter on Bob Garfield’s article summed it up best:

Let’s all remember that great advertising, and remarkable brand-building should never be about a single execution. Yes – it is important that the execution meet its core objective(s) – create awareness, position or reposition the brand, and/or drive immediate sales. The important thing is how that execution fits into an integrated, sustained campaign that builds bonds with consumers and moves them to choose the brand when they are ready to purchase.

I suspect that no one went out to buy a Chrysler or a VW yesterday after the game, but if the stewards for these brands are wise, they will continue to shape their individual brand messages and personalities consistent with the emotional and practical need of their target audiences.

Judith Ricker, Market Probe

This ties in directly with Tony Fannin’s point about the power of integrated marketing, especially with women.

And look at that last sentence – “If the stewards for these brands are wise, they will continue to shape their individual brand messages and personalities consistent with the emotional and practical need of their target audiences.”

At least part of the super bowl audience (certainly the women) plus, at the time of this writing, 29 million online viewers found something in the commercial that met an emotional need and that was consistent with the Volkswagen brand and personality.  In my book, that’s a win.

Holly Buchanan is the co-author of  The Soccer Mom Myth – Today’s Female Consumer: Who She Really Is, Why She Really Buys. You can read more at her blog Marketing to Women Online