Womenkind Opens Doors

NEW YORK Four partners, including former Lowe worldwide CEO Jerry Judge, have launched Womenkind, an agency that will use a network of women to conceptualize and execute ads designed to appeal to females.The New York agency, which opened this week with funding from institutional investors, will also provide business consulting and technology solution services. The other partners are a former creative team from Ammirati Puris Lintas—Kristi Faulkner, 39, and Sandy Sabean, 44—and former WPP Group chief technology officer Steven Leitner, 37.The premise behind the startup is that women make some 85 percent of all brand purchases and yet are often not influenced by traditional brand messages. As a result, Womenkind argues, most brands fail to meaningfully connect with a powerful buying force."A significant amount of advertising messages fall on deaf ears," said Judge, 57. "They're inefficient. They don't speak the right language. It's a matter of creative efficiency."Womenkind plans to round out its leadership team with a chief client officer, chief strategic planner, executive producer, chief financial officer, human resources manager and general office manager.To execute work, the agency will rely on a pool of mostly female freelance talent that includes creative directors, art directors, copywriters, marketing executives and producers. The talent, which Womenkind dubs "mavens," will be hired as needed, therefore minimizing agency overhead. To develop ideas, markets or direction for brands, Womenkind has assembled a group of "muses" that includes small business owners, mothers and activists. The muses will function as a standing focus group and will communicate via a password-protected Web site as well as regular lunches, salons and phone conversations.Womenkind's business plan calls for donating 5 percent of the agency's profits to help disadvantaged women. Such assistance could flow through charitable organizations identified by Womenkind's clients, according to Judge, who remains a part-time advisor to Cunning in New York, where he is non-executive chairman.For media services, the agency has forged a "strategic partnership" with WPP's Mediaedge:cia. The media shop will provide channel and media planning as well as buying services.Judge declined to say how much the startup has raised thus far, but said funding was coming from at least three "female-orientated companies." As planned, the partners and in particular its female partners will own a majority of the shop.Womenkind opens without any clients. It plans to target categories such as automotive, financial services and pharmaceuticals and more generally marketers that "almost have it right or believe that it is imperative to get it right" when it comes to reaching women, according to the agency's business plan.

Brand Marketing

Womenkind Opens Doors

Andrew McMains

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