andHow To Reach Women

The Soccer Mom Myth: Michele Miller & Holly Buchanan Talk About Getting Real In Marketing To Women

One of the advantages to business blogging is the opportunity to check out new business books before they hit the market. Michele Miller and Holly Buchanan, fellow M2W experts, sent me an advance copy of their newly released book, "The Soccer Mom Myth," to review. As long-time readers know, we consider mothers the most stereotyped market in the world today and the concept of Soccer Moms was one of the first and worst violations.

After reading the book, I sent Holly and Michele a few questions to further illuminate their perspective.

aH: There have been several books published on marketing to women over the last several years - why write this now? What did you think had not been, or was not being, covered?

H:There are a couple of really good books on marketing to women out there. But what we focus on is - not only how women are similar, but how they are different. Not all women think alike. We wanted to show marketers how, even women that look exactly the same on paper, may have very different needs, questions, motivations and buying processes.

We also wanted to focus on marketing to women online. The internet is quickly becoming the single best place to market to women. We wanted to to show marketers how to tap into this powerful medium.

M:Our mission for this book was to give readers some "nuts-and-bolts" ideas of exactly what they can do to improve their business. Knowing it's important to market to women and reading about theory is one thing - actually applying that knowledge is another. It was our mission to have every reader walk away with an idea they can try.

aH: In the section on personas, you give an example of a cruise ship company with four different female personas to appeal to and go on to describe how each of them might see a different start page that matches their buying style - can you explain a bit further about how the company would do that?

H: Make sure that on your home page, or landing page (where the personas first land on your site) that you answer or link to the answer to each persona's biggest question. If one persona just wants to buy your product, have a big button that lets them go directly to a "buy now" product page. If another persona's biggest question is "why are you my best choice?" provide a link to a page that talks about your competitive advantages. If another persona cares most about who you are and what your company values are - provide a link to your About Us page, and if the final persona wants to know details about your product and how it works - you might provide a link to a product demonstration. The key is - you don't try to force them into a set pathway -you let them choose whichever link is answering their most important question.

M: If we're talking about brochure copy or a website, a business needs to make sure they're answering ALL of the questions their potential customers might have. Some women might want to know what kinds of special events are happening on ship; other women need to find out exactly what amenities come with each cabin. For some women, it's very important to know they'll have enough "alone" time on ship - are there designated "quiet zones?" Each woman has a different reason for traveling, so the company has to spend quality time thinking about everything they offer.

aH: What market segments do you think have the furthest to go in getting it right with women and why?

H:Some traditionally male dominated industries still have a ways to go, but I've been really pleased to see a lot of positive marketing to women efforts in the consumer electronics industry, home improvement, and auto dealerships, just to name a few. The single biggest problem is that all marketers need to get rid of stereotypes and do the extra work to really understand the changing needs of their audiences.

Even industries that have made great strides can blow it if they aren't consistent across all of their efforts. If the car dealership is targeting women, and does a great job with their ads, but the woman comes in and sees all male management, and the sales person asks if anyone else will be involved in the purchase, like her husband or boyfriend, all of your good work in marketing will go out the window. The entire culture needs to change, not just your advertising.

M:I, too, have been pleased to see strides in the consumer electronics industry; financial planners seem to be getting it, too. The sad thing is that in EVERY industry, there are only one or two shining examples of companies doing it right. We're still only at the beginning of the marketing-to-women era - it will take years before momentum is really gained.

aH:We're clearly in a challenging economic time when budgets are being scrutinized and ROI is more important than ever. If you had to advise brands on just one aspect of marketing to women to invest in, which would it be and why? In other words what's the one thing you think every brand MUST do to sell to women?

H:Well, I'm a little prejudiced, but I truly believe you must have an online presence. Whether that is a website, or a blog, or creating an email campaign, or posting a video on You Tube. There are now more women on the Internet than men. Women are turning to the Internet as a trusted source to get information on all sorts of products. Something like 70% of all purchases (onilne and offline) start online. So if you want to get on her radar screen, you better have an Internet presence.

You also mention ROI - the great thing about the Internet is - you can measure it! You can track and see exactly what customers are doing, where they are clicking, and how many or buying from you, or signing up for your newsletter, or downloading your white paper. There are so many opportunities for testing and optimization to get the most from your Internet marketing. It's really an exciting time for marketers.

M: I couldn't agree more! For women, the Internet is a godsend, and it doesn't have to be difficult to give her an extraordinary experience with you online. You also have an exponentially increased chance at maintaining her loyalty if your website really kicks some butt. :-)

To learn more of Michele and Holly's pearls of wisdom, you need to grab a copy for yourself. We found the persona development section and strategies for blog and website creation particularly user-friendly and actionable.

Social Aspects Of Internet Cause Girls' Computer Usage In Key Areas To Outpace Boys

Years ago, I had the honor to be involved in the launch of a pretty innovative product line, Purple Moon, designed to engage grade-school girls in computer use at an age when interest dropped off pretty dramatically just as boys attraction to computer games led them to play for hours. The theory was that if there were computer games that got girls as excited as Doom or Myst did boys, it might create a comfort level with technology that would later open doors in computer, math and science careers, which have woefully few women.

Brenda Laurel, founder of Purple Moon, based the company's package of CD's, an interactive web site, and (launching later) books, all linked via a set of characters led by a spunky redhead named Rockett. "Friendship Adventures For Girls," as the series was called, were based on 6 years of research that found girls were more interested in social aspects of play than the achievement oriented goals of shoot-em-up's like Doom. Unfortunately, Purple Moon got steamrolled (and later acquired) by Barbie and the well-oiled machine that is Mattel.

But Brenda's research and resulting theory - that social interaction and storytelling would be the key connector between girls and computers - is finally being borne out today. Not in CD-Rom's or online gaming, though that audience is growing, but in blogs, social networks and podcasts. Even better, according to this New York Times piece(oddly posted in Style & Fashion instead of Technology) their computer usage in these key areas is outpacing boys, and by quite a few percentage points. As quoted in the article:

Indeed, a study published in December by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that among Web users ages 12 to 17, significantly more girls than boys blog (35 percent of girls compared with 20 percent of boys) and create or work on their own Web pages (32 percent of girls compared with 22 percent of boys).

Girls also eclipse boys when it comes to building or working on Web sites for other people and creating profiles on social networking sites (70 percent of girls 15 to 17 have one, versus 57 percent of boys 15 to 17). Video posting was the sole area in which boys outdid girls: boys are almost twice as likely as girls to post video files.

Seems Laurel was dead on, but missing one additional element that neither she nor the girls themselves could have imagined back then - storytelling with established characters, even with the option to create their own, perhaps limited the canvas a bit too much. What ultimately has gotten girls going is an entirely blank slate (whether this translates to more women in tech careers has yet to be seen). Knowing this, marketers might reverse their thinking a bit - instead of trying to get girls involved in contests or campaigns that are developed within the company, perhaps recognize some girls who are already innovating all on their own and become part of it. Sponsors of indie music podcaster emogirltalk.com, run for the last three years by now 17-year-old Martina Butler, include Nature's Cure and GoDaddy.com, who wisely realized they couldn't have done it better themselves.

For more on Purple Moon, the research behind the concept and why it failed, in Laurel's own words, read this fascinating article, which includes Laurel's thoughts on why research is still critical in product development.

When Marketing To Women, Grey Is The New Pink

As marketers, as Americans, as humans, we long for simplicity. When faced with complex concepts, that often include contradictions we immediately reach for our virtual gardening shears (the big ones that require two hands) and start lopping (can you tell I've been pruning my rose bushes back...). This make sense as simple is both communicable and actionable and ultimately, we all want to get stuff done. However, increasingly, it is an approach you pursue at your own peril. Forget just today's women (I have yet to attend a conference where research on women is presented where the vast majority doesn't make us sound like we are all selfless givers who put everyone else first, drive out of our way to recycle, and write checks to non-profits in lieu of shoes and make-up) tomorrow's are even less easily definable. In this NY Times piece, Peggy Orenstein points out the complexity of understanding what appropriate "girl" behavior even means today (for boys we are holding at: don't get caught playing with girl stuff) and how this generation of mothers, who learned that "you can do anything" translated to "you will do everything," is still negotiating the messages they want to pass on to their own daughters. Hillary Clinton's ongoing attempts to strike the right feminine balance is citied at the beginning of the article as the real-life illustration of this paradox. She's also examined in this Wall Street Journal article by Peggy Noonan, which asks if Mrs. Clinton even has the capacity to lose gracefully. The theory is that she has not spent much time on the losing end over the course of her life, so either she will discover some previously unimaginable reservoir of grace or her head will explode (my words, not Noonan's).

This Either/Or analysis doesn't give enough credit to the complexity of the world's most analyzed woman today (Britney Spears notwithstanding) and it's not an approach that should be taken when trying to understand your own female customers. Whether they love her or hate her, those who write about Hillary most often choose to reduce her to simple terms and ignore any of her characteristics or behaviors that don't support their conclusion. More of a woman or less of one because [fill in the blank]... Guess what, this is just the tip of the iceberg. As women continue to graduate in greater numbers and have children both sooner and later and flow in and out of the workforce, we as marketers will have to come to terms with the fact that a) broad categorization and cute catch phrases - soccer mom, hot mom, etc. - are archaic and woefully inadequate; b) contradictions are inherent and not to be ignored.

Get used to Grey. It's the new Pink.

Want to hear great stories about your brand? Do something to inspire them.

Sometimes you are traveling, going a zillion miles a minute, and thinking you've been neglecting your blog and wracking your brain for a good post topic when one just drops out of the sky, or into your email inbox as it were. This one is courtesy of Kimberly Palmer, author of the Alpha Consumer blog for US News & World Report. Kimberly recently wrote this post re: several companies who are soliciting stories from consumers as a way to connect and create marketing content, which is clearly directed toward women. She questioned how many women would really have the time or interest to post stories online. Below is part of an email I sent her, which seemed ideal to repurpose for this post:

I think storytelling, like consumers co-creating ad campaigns (Doritos) or products (a new Mountain Dew) is a idea that was grounded in something genuine and then got taken in a more contrived direction. What is fascinating to me is that companies are much more interested in soliciting stories for marketing content than they are in doing the things - providing extraordinary service, for example - that inspire people to want to share their stories - such as this excellent posting re: Zappos that has made its way all over the Internet.

Bottom line: If you want people to share great stories about you the first step is to give them something worth talking about. Believe me, they will.

Mothers: The Largest, Most Stereotyped Market Today

We've been down this road before - in May to be exact - when Alpha Mom was the new buzzword and marketers were scrambling to reach them. According to an Ad Age article (reg. required) posted on Monday, brands with Super Mom messages are turning off real moms, who are kicking perfection to the curb in favor of average. While it is not inconceivable to us that the Super Mom ideal is a turn-off for many, the real turn off is creating a neat little bucket with a catchy slogan (Alpha Mom, Slacker Mom, Yoga Mammas, Hot Moms - the list is endless) and shoving all mothers into it. Since the first Clinton campaign coined, and actively solicited, Soccer Moms, marketers have been coming up with snappy terms to niche mothers, yet never in history has "mother" encompassed a more diverse group. Women are having babies in their early twenties and early fifties, and every age in between. Some are divorced, some are married, some have never been married, some work, some are self-employed, some have nannies, some make their own organic baby food from scratch for the entire neighborhood - just to name a few of the possibilities. Our guess is that real moms aren't just offended by Super Mom messaging, but any blanket messaging that tries to force them into a mold that doesn't fit.

Our message - figure out and reach out to your own customer segments of mothers and learn what they need from you. It won't net you a catchy name, but it will help you create a genuine connection.

Chevron Says We're All In This Together - But Not All Of Us Have Billions To Get Out Of It

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday (sub. required) on a new push by Chevron to “reshape its image as an energy company that cares about climate change just as much as ordinary folk do.” According to the article it is the biggest global campaign the company has ever run and was inspired by the lack of energy knowledge among average folk.

The germ of Chevron's new campaign originated this year when the company asked focus groups in the U.S. about energy issues and was shocked at how ill-informed people were, says Helen Clark, the company's manager of corporate brand and reputation."They were saying things like 'We need to drill for more ethanol,'" says Ms. Clark. "I was amazed at the lack of information."

The article goes on to describe the content of the ads, the storytelling on the revamped corporate website and the www.willyoujoinus.com site, which recently added a online game called Energyville, where players have to virtually power a city of millions while minimizing environmental impact.

Then we learn, the campaign is not aimed at “people at the pump” at all, but rather policy makers, “thought leaders” and “influentials,” who, as reporter Guy Chazan points out, are “constituencies whose goodwill is crucial for major energy companies seeking new opportunities to drill for oil.”

Oil companies must address issues like environmental impact and, naturally, the message is complicated as BP, the pioneer in this area, learned when news of their fatal refinery explosion and Alaskan oil spill butted up against their feel-good Beyond Petroleum campaign. In years ofrecord profits, the message must acknowledge current business realities (yes, we make money selling oil) and be managed in a manner that provides clear information and manages expectations (but here’s what we’re doing today to address the energy crisis). Trying to shift the burden, no matter how gently, to the consumer, assumes that we all have equal power in making these changes, which is, quite simply, false. While the ads are very well made, designed to tap into emotions around family and human potential, what a more genuine statement they would make if they put just some of the millions spent on it into developing alternative energy forms. Beautiful ads cannot avoid that conclusion, and the “people at the pump” are more than smart enough to come to it.

Why Do So Many Marketing Experts Have No Love For Dove?

Since Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty launched four years ago, its seems many in our industry have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. The shoe that signals that women really aren't about "real beauty" and we can all go back to the business of selling so-called miracle cures for any and every flaw that keeps women from achieving physical perfection. This week's Ad Age reported on a slow down in Dove's sales - following two years of double-digit growth - with the launch of the brand's Pro-Age line, which featured older, beautiful, yet flawed women, being pointed to as a possible culprit. One expert opinion cited in the article:

"Dove Pro-Age is a wonderful concept, a high concept. But people don't buy concepts. They buy products," said Suzanne Grayson, a longtime beauty-industry consultant.

She said the concept does appeal to many women, but embracing unvarnished aging when anti-aging products dominate skin care is risky. "What they're saying is that [the brand] is for people who are giving up," Ms. Grayson said.

So, this would lead us to believe that women either have unrealistic expectations of looking 18 when they are far from it or they are "giving up." First of all, there's a range of responses between those two points-of-view. Second, in viewing the Pro-Age campaign, its clearly about anything but giving up. Rather, it's about looking your best at the age that you are. In fact, beauty pressures, in addition to work and family pressures, are beginning to wear quite thin on women, who now self-report "happiness" at lower levels than their male counterparts according to this fascinating New York Times article.

Comparing Pro-Age's sales to Olay's - a brand established since the 1950's around youthful skin - is not quite apples to apples. Dove, for their part, is sticking by their commitment to the Real Beauty message. When asked by Ad Age about lagging sales their response was far from taking a short-term view

Unilever didn't dispute the numbers, but Stacie Bright, senior communications-marketing manager, accentuated the positive, noting that Dove is growing more than twice as fast as the body-wash category, led by Pro-Age and Dove Cream Oil launches, so it's gaining ground in the category that's gaining ground on bar soap.

"We see it as a very successful story," she said, adding that Dove remains "fully committed to the Campaign for Real Beauty." The brand is preparing to launch its next viral video Oct. 1, she said.

"We're incredibly thrilled," with Dove Pro-Age, Ms. Bright said. "This launch was incredibly ambitious. ... We have definitely met our objectives and exceeded share expectations."

Bucking the status quo often puts brands, and people, in the crosshairs of those who are far too comfortable preserving it. Sure, Dove will have to continue to innovate, as all brands will, but they're clearly showing women and young girls that they're in this for the long haul. They deeply understand their brand, and their customers. Do you?

Four Trends/Counter-trends/Microtrends To Take And Make Your Own

Part of our jobs - no, let me rephrase that - part of our mission at andHow is to cultivate an understanding of the larger trends that are happening in business, marketing, pop culture, media and social movements so we can bring a perspective to our clients that both takes into account what's going on right now as well as inform future opportunties. This offers a context for discussion. It is a means but never an end. The only way to get to the "end" is to deeply understand your own customers and where their perspectives line up, or don't, with some of these larger trends.

Below is a small sampling of some trends that are making an impact right now. How can these inform how you interact with your customers? Understand and speak to very different motivations for the same shopping behaviors? Craft the questions you include in your next survey? How you can create more opportunities for your customers to create a more personal experience with your brand and share the results with friends, anyone, you?

Two great articles in the New York Times highlight two new counter-movements happening in consumer markets:

Read here to discover how a new breed of do-it-yourselfers have turned one of the most generic brands around into the ultmate expression of personal style.

An affinity for Made in the USA products used to be a hallmark of, shall we say the "red" states. This article explains how recent recalls from China and a concern for energy usage associated with imports is compelling the far left to check the manufacturers label before they buy.

In a controversial new book, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich slams the new trend of corporate social responsibility, and the heavy marketing of CSR to consumers, as a way for corporations and the government to avoid making truly meaningful changes. The Economist has an analysis here

Last but not least, Mark J. Penn, CEO of Burston-Marsteller and orginator of the "soccer mom" moniker (ugh), has a new, and much more appealing, book out called Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes. In this Forbes article, he outlines why leveraging counter-trends can be so powerful for brands. Keep in mind that keeping up is key. One of Penn's top 10 Microtrends is the purchasing of second homes. Based on the 2005 data he cited it certainly makes sense but oh how far we've come...

Consider yourself caught up on some of the latest. Now do what many of your consumers are already doing - take it and make it your own.

An Old Brand Tries to Shed Baggage While A Young Brand Finds Growth In Customer Ideas That Are Truly Sweet

Note: this is not an apples-to-apples comparison. Particularly, as we're going to be talking about luggage and soda, which doesn't even fit the apples-to-oranges metaphor. But, stay with us, there is a point. Two articles that came to our attention today - the first about cult beverage co., Jones Soda, in Beverage World and the second about uber-reliable Samsonite's quest to reinvent itself as a luxury brand in the Wall Street Journal (sub. required).

Jones' innovations, like personalized bottle labels and wacky flavor names, are ideas that came straight from their consumers, motivating the 11-year-old company to delve into personalization long before The Individual was TIME's person of the year. At $39mm a year in revenues and a new contract with the Seattle Seahawks, the consumer still is in the driver's seat with this co., even when it's not as easy to execute as a fun product name. As reported in the article:

Late in 2006, the company introduced Jones Soda in 12-ounce cans sweetened with pure cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup and has since converted all of its Jones Soda products, making it the first national brand sweetened with pure cane sugar. [Jones' founder and CEO]Van Stolk says he made the move after numerous requests from consumers, yet admits the process had its challenges.

“Financially, you probably can’t justify the conversion in the first year, or maybe even two or three years, but it’s the right move. You have to run your company for the long-term and this is a long-term right decision,” he asserts.

Contrast this with Samsonite's struggles to convince consumers their bags are as hip as Coach or Louis Vuitton. In addition to a much needed design overhaul, (bags featured above were created by Alexander McQueen) the brand has included celebrities in it's print ads ranging from NASCAR driver Danica Patrick to Virgin founder and CEO Richard Branson. Recently Samsonite retained Christina Ricci as it's first Hollywood spokesperson. In the article, brand experts muse on whether the name will ever be able to support a luxury positioning and overcome it's over 90-year legacy as the sturdiest suitcase around. Our question is where the consumer voice is in all of this? Coach, which Samsonite Chief Executive Marcello Bartolli cites in the article as a brand he admires, invests heavily in consumer feedback, as reported in one of our earlier blog entries. With Ricci tapped as a spokesperson, and the company's efforts to entice Sarah Jessica Parker and Cameron Diaz with free product in hopes they'll be photographed with the bags, seems the market they're going for is primarily women. How about engaging those customers in a dialogue? "Sturdy" may not be able to be overcome, but should it? What advantage does it have? Could it be blended with fashion/sex in a cool and interesting way that doesn't ask shoppers to suspend reality? The tough/sexy message could be pretty irreverant and appealing. Take one of Jones' spokeswomen - LA Ink's Kat Von D. Ricci may be tough in certain roles but as a petite waif who likely doesn't tip the scales past 100, Kat has it all over her on sturdy and Von D's sex appeal is undeniable. If Samsonite makes their customers a partner in this turnaround, the way Jones has from day one, the opportunities for engagement and growth will feel less like target practice and more like a direct hit.

A Financial Services Provider Uncovers The Power of Heart

One reason to actively listen to your consumers is that their feedback, on the surface, doesn't always make logical sense. Take a financial services firm specializing in retirement. Product experts, corporate and marketing types brainstorming their messaging would likely want to feature rational benefits like a track record in building wealth or history of weathering the Depression or other market-shaking events. TIAA/CREF, which primarily serves teachers, academic, medical and research professionals, recently learned from its customers that it wasn't leveraging a key competitive advantage - its non-profit status. The new campaign, which touts the .org portion of the company's URL, was created by Modernista based on focus group findings. Gareth Kay, who leads account planning at Modernista was interviewed by Stuart Elliott for today's issue of the New York Times about the new approach:

“We talked to a bunch of participants and a bunch of prospects in focus groups,” Mr. Kay said, referring to actual and potential clients of TIAA-CREF, and the emphasis on TIAA-CREF’s nonprofit status “felt like an interesting place for the brand to stand.”

The dot-org focus led the focus group members to perceive TIAA-CREF as “more focused around their needs,” he added, and “unique versus the competition.”

Part of the compaign platform is a new powerof.org website, where the company leads with its message of Financial Services for the Greater Good and business approach rooted in the "heart of a non-profit." Neither "non-profit" nor "heart" have traditionally been associated with financial success, but clearly communicate a level of caring that clients and potential clients feel is missing within the industry. Will it be enough to overcome some of the issues that have recently plagued TIAA/CREF, which sound decidedly .com in nature, including IT challenges that disrupted account access as well as complaints about increased management fees? The proof will be in the execution behind the message - .org in BOTH name and deed.