Marketing to Women Part III
Dec 3, 2007
When marketers assess whether their products are meeting women's evolving needs, they fare better when they talk directly to their targets. McDonald's did this with much success a few years ago, says Fara Warner, author of Power of the Purse, when it realized that women today are different than they were 30 years ago. "Women had really evolved, and McDonald's hadn't," says Warner. Declining sales of Happy Meals prompted the fast-food giant to bring women in to talk about what they want to eat. More salads and healthier items in the Happy Meals, they replied. Incidentally, 40 percent of McDonald's salads are sold to men, says Warner. "Focusing on women gave more choice to everyone."
Now in some locations McDonald's is removing its indoor playgrounds, which moms consider "germ factories," says Warner, and replacing them with Starbucks-style seating and wireless Internet connection. Warner speculates that multitasking moms will welcome the chance to get online. "For most mothers I know," she says, "if it doesn't happen online, it doesn't happen."
Indeed, the Internet is a major gathering place for today's women, and savvy marketers are tapping its power to provide information, and create community and conversation around the brand.
More and more women are researching products before they buy, which gives manufacturers an opportunity to understand their products. "If you want to make it onto [a woman's] radar screen, provide quality information on your Web site," says Holly Buchanan, who writes a blog called Marketing to Women Online and is co-author of an upcoming book entitled The Soccer Mom Myth—Today's Female Consumer: Who She Really Is, Why She Really Buys. For example, a television manufacturer shouldn't just show different models; it should actively explain the difference between the many technologies available—HDTV, plasma, rear-projection, etc.
Sometimes it's even better if the information isn't about the brand, but rather driven by the information priorities of the brand user. Some marketers are creating conversation around important issues in women's lives, and wrapping the brand around that. Dove is a standout in this field with its award-winning Campaign for Real Beauty, engaging teens and women around the subject of body image and the media's unrealistic standards of beauty. To date, nearly 4.5 million people from around the world have visited the campaign's online home, www.campaignforrealbeauty.com, which features discussion forums, tools and articles on boosting self-confidence.
Social networking sites are the best way to reach women under 30 today, says Warner. Young women go online primarily to interact with friends, she says, while their mothers log on to research a health issue or Google a celebrity.
Another online community of women bonding around a brand is Pampers.com, which claims some 500,000 registered users who visit to find and share information on child development, caring for newborns, etc.—oh, and pick up a few coupons for Pampers products while they're at it.
And all that sharing on such sites serves double duty, also giving marketers firsthand consumer feedback to help guide product development and initiatives. "Smart marketers are monitoring blogs, product reviews and discussion forums to see what their customers are saying about them. It's an unprecedented opportunity to hear what your customers really think," asserts Buchanan.
Indeed, in this age when the consumer is in control, attentive listening is imperative. (And it's been well-documented how highly women value that!) The Internet and other interactive forums make it possible—and measurable and actionable—to see and hear what they want, to speak their language and use it in a meaningful way to establish brand connections. For successful marketing and media targeting women, it's all about the relationship.
Tea and cookies, anyone?
For More on Marketing to Women:
Marketing to Women Part I
Marketing to Women Part II
Marketing to Women Part III
Politics: The Way to Women's Purses?
Automakers Getting Up to Speed
