Marketing to Women Online

Better Characters Make Better Commercials

Ever have one of those "aha!" moments?   Mine usually come at 3:08 am.   No kidding - there is about a 7 minute window but it's almost always between 3:05 and 3:12 am.  Must be something going on with my biorhythm.

What was my "aha" moment?  I've seen this commercial about a dozen times - the diamond anniversary pendant commercial.  You know the one - the guy gets up in the middle of the night and puts a beautiful 3 diamond pendant necklace on his sleeping wife.

I really like the guy in that commercial, but I couldn't figure out exactly why - until 3:08 this morning.   Was it the beautiful diamonds he gave to his wife?  Was it the cute way he put the necklace around her neck?  Was it his amazing sense of romance?   No - it was because he shut the window. 

Right after he gets out of bed, he shuts the window.  It was obviously cold outside, and had probably gotten cold in the room - and he didn't want his wife to be cold.    That's what sold me on this guy.   It was extremely subliminal - but it worked.  (probably because it was so subtle)

What happened at 3:08 am this morning is - my synapses fired and I connected the commercial with an article Bryan Eisenberg sent me about character development.   That article is a must read for any marketer who wants to truly connect with their audience.

Here's why it's so powerful...

Write From a Different Perspective

It was one of those late nights when I couldn't sleep and was channel surfing.   I came across a Bravo marathon of Top Chef.  I'd never watched the program before, and am NOT a fan of reality TV.  But I was immediately hooked.   I watched 4 episodes in a row.

What really interested me was the last episode - where I found a classic example of clashes of male/female communication style and clashes of personality type.

A team of 4 lost a challenge.  They were up on the chopping block (no pun intended).    The team leader, Elia was in the hot seat.   The judges were about to make their decision as to who would go home - from what it looked like they were saying, it might have been the team leader Elia.  But Mia jumped in and said to send her home, instead.  She said Elia had more talent in her little finger than anyone else on the show. 

The male judge's reaction was - "I've never thought of you as a quitter."  "I can't believe you're just giving up like this."   And he sent Mia home.

I know these shows are edited and produced to provide maximum tension.   They may have manipulated what the male judge meant - but what blew me away was - how could this judge accuse Mia of quitting?   In my book - she won. She was about the only chef who showed any integrity.  Her values were more important to her than winning the show.   Boy did I respect that.   

But from the male judge's point of view - this is a competition.   Yeah it gets tough.  You fight and fight hard.    Offering to go home is quitting.   You are a loser.   

So which point of view is right?  They both are.    From a male and a competitive point of view - Mia quit and lost.  This is an every chef for himself competition.   From a female and humanistic point of view - Mia fought for her integrity and won.  She bonded with a fellow chef and put that person's needs above her own.

Where am I going with all this?  As marketers, it is almost impossible for us not to bring our own bias, our own preferences, our own point of view to the advertising we create.

Women and Gift Giving

Some of the best gifts I've ever gotten in my life were from men.   I'll never forget my boyfriend in college who showed up for our first date with a lovely bottle of champagne...in a garbage can.   He didn't have any other way to chill it, so he emptied out his waste paper basket, filled it with ice and bubbly, and walked across campus ignoring the jeers... "Did you have to get so dressed up just to empty your garbage?"  But when he arrived at my doorstep, the champagne was cold.  Romantic and resourceful - you gotta love it.

But while men can be wonderful gift givers, even in our modern world, it appears women are responsible for the majority of gift giving.   A good friend once commented that she has the Rolodex of all her husband's family and regularly sends out the birthday and holiday gifts.   She simply puts the card in front of him and tells him to sign it.   "Who is this for?" he may inquire. 

"Angela Denny"

"Who's that?"

"That's your aunt, honey."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes - she got remarried last year, remember?  Denny is her new last name."

Women know the gift is important, but so is the presentation.  One of the best reasons to shop online is the ease of shipping gifts.    No post office visits.  No extra steps.

But why do so many online retailers fail to let you know what your gift options are until you're in the check out process?   The gift options might even influence the sale.  In other words, if she knows you offer gift wrapping and a customized card, that might influence her to buy from you instead of another retailer offering the same product.

Here's an example - magazines.com clearly points out that they have gift options on the product page - BEFORE you add to cart.    I wanted to order Gourmet magazine as a gift.  Right on the product page, they have a gift box icon with two links - "Print a Gift Announcement" and "View all Gift Announcement Options".  And they have lots of options, including the ability to choose when you want your gift card delivered. 

2006 - It Went That Well, Huh?

We’re sitting in the café marketplace having a business breakfast, (these Texans know how to grill up a mean frittata) we’re having a pretty intense discussion, but I can’t seem to take my eyes off the bus boy.   

Was he that hot?  No no, it was nothing like that.  I found myself fantasizing about what it would be like to be him – about my job requiring nothing more than clearing tables - gather up the dirty dishes, put them in the plastic tub, take them to the kitchen.

This is not to diminish the job of busing tables – I did it for a few years and it’s physical work.   But what  would it be like to have a job that simple – where you could go home at the end of the day and leave work behind…where your boss could look at the tables, see they were all clean, and know you’ve done a good job….where failure and success have clear boundaries….where you don’t wake up in the middle of the night in a sweat having nightmares of never ending tables with plates you can’t seem to clear away no matter how hard you work. 

Sign one – bus boy envy

Then I go back to the hotel and the soda machine is out of water – completely out, all 3 buttons.    I attacked the machine.  No – I didn’t just yell at it – I physically attacked it.  I pounded its face and kicked it in the shins.   I threw my shoulder into it hoping to topple it on its side and extract water from it like blood.

Sign two – irrational soda machine attacks

Realizing that I was attracting unwanted attention from the fellow guests deciding they didn’t really want that soda/water if it meant going near “that crazy lady”, I went to the hotel fitness center.  40 minutes into my treadmill session I actually started to tear up – I was thinking about my father.   90 minutes later, I finally got off, well- got off isn’t exactly what happened, I stopped walking and went to push stop but missed and went flying off the back of the machine into a heap on the floor. 

Sign three – losing it on a treadmill in a crappy hotel fitness center.

Have you ever looked longingly at someone who has a job that looks so much easier and simpler than yours?   Have you ever felt beaten down by the world and found yourself taking it out on those who don’t deserve it?  Have you ever done your best to escape and run away from your fears only to find no mater how fast and far you run, they catch up with you anyway?