M2W Marketing to Women Conference Summary

One of the things I love most about the M2W Marketing to Women Conference is the sheer number of smart, insightful, and downright fun women.  My shortest dinner was 3.5 hours. 

My only wish is that we would see more men at this conference. Men are absolutely welcome.  As Thomas Jordan pointed out in his book Re-Render the Gender:

"While women control over 80 percent of all purchases, over 70 percent of all advertising is created by men."  

So guys - I'm sending you out a challenge and hug- come to M2W.  You need to be here.  And the women would love to see you and include you.   (And lest you think this is about marketing feminine products - presentations this year and last focused on Harley Davidsons, auto racing, sports marketing, car design, Best Buy - technology, and social media.  And chocolate - a whole lotta chocolate - which meant a whole lotta happy women - trust me - you're missing out.) 

Ok - nuf said.

Overriding Themes of This Year's M2W Conference

Social Media - There were definitely two camps on this subject - those that are true believers who think the opportunities here are huge, and those who think this social media thing is complete B.S.

We saw some case studies, like Ore-Ida's "Steam and Mash" product launch.  The brand worked with She Speaks to create a micro-site, sampling, and WOM campaign online.   The CEO thought it was one of the most successful product launches he had seen.  A test population of 16,000 led to over one million mentions.  I'll be blogging more about this case study, but it addressed one of the concerns about social media, which was - is it scalable?  Can I reach millions of people this way?

I think one of the most important points about social media is that it is a powerful amplifier of word of mouth  "And she tells 2 friends..." has turned into "and she tells 265 Facebook friends and 679 Twitter followers....."

Authenticity - Women are looking to themselves to make a difference in the world.  It is a new era of personal responsibility.

Women are looking for substance - you have to stand for something. 78% of women say leading companies are driven by values.

"Edgy" "excess" "too much fun" and "living life large" are being replaced by "giving back."   Women want to know what you stand for.

Women are feeling suspicious and wary, feeling "wronged."

Authenticity means something is worthy of acceptance or belief. 

Women are responding to more authentic images.   (NOTE - I'm working on a research project and finding stock photography may not be as effective with women.  She seems to be responding more to real people with real stories).

Context matters.  What's ok in a TV show may not be ok in a commercial.  A funny edgy scene may work in Sex and the City, but may not work in a commercial. Be careful with the tone in your commercials.   In the Motherhood was a huge success online as a web series, but the ABC TV version simply didn't connect with viewers and appears to be canceled.  What happened and what can advertisers learn from it?  Ah....yet another blog post that's coming.

Women are more deliberate in their shopping/buying process

Instead of asking "do I want it," she's asking "do I need it."

Women are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

53% of Americans say the recession is causing them to go online to research products and suppress impulse buying.

Women right now are looking for value, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are looking for cheap.

Women are paying attention to detail.

A woman's buying process is longer.  Good enough isn't good enough - she's looking for the perfect answer. 

She is more expensive to acquire, but cheaper to keep - because she's invested more time in her decision, she's more confident in that decision.  There's a higher psychological cost if she walks away.

Research about what's really connecting with her

Women have more mementos (in their car and other places) to remind them of "what's important in life."

Women are more polite, relational, indirect, feelings and needs oriented. 

If she complains and you handle the complaint and satisfy her, she's even MORE likely to recommend you than if she had a good experience.

Make it easy for her to complain.

Don't think just because you have a loyalty program that she is loyal to you.  Marti Barletta said it best :

"United Airlines is my airline.  I hate them.  I'm tied to them with handcuffs because I have over a million miles with them.  They call it a loyalty program, but there's no loyalty there."

What's up with images of powerful women?  Why do they always have their arms crossed?  (This was part of a presentation by Melissa Read Ph.D. at Engauge Digital - It also will have its own separate post - it was that good.)

Mary Lou Quinlan has a new book coming out about why women tell half truths.  it was a fascinating and funny presentation that answers the question as to why focus groups and surveys don't always work. It was just cruel to tease us with that fabulous information then make us wait til November for the book to come out.  There's a word for girls like you. (Can't you give us even a sneak peak at a few chapters???)

Kelley Styring has a funny and insightful research project about how women use and feel about their cars -

Women "wear" their car.  The exterior is the face we show others.  The interior is our "authentic self."  The front seat is our workspace.  The back seat is the kids area and garbage bag. The trunk is "where things go to die."  

Fast food napkins -why don't we ever throw them away? (We always keep them "just in case") OMG - that is SO true!

Conclusion

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  I'll be updating you with more about the M2W conference in upcoming blog posts.

More to come.....

Ok - if you want more now - check out Patti Minglin's M2W day one recap and M2W day two recap.

 

Comments

[Robin]

Hey Holly, thanks for the great review. You obviously got a lot out of the conference... and took great notes! Looking forward to your write-up on Dr. Read's presentation.

[Joe Vizi]

Holly, I am a man I yes, I do love Chocolate! I would love to attend the next one of these conferences. Actually the word "conferences" may be a bit weak, how about: "Experience"? I love your view on this topic.

Joe

[Holly Buchanan]

Robin - write up on Dr. Read's presentation coming next week.

Joe - great point about "experience" - I'll pass that along to the "experience" promoters :)

[Order Tadalafil]

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I'll be updating you with more about the M2W conference in upcoming blog posts.

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[Sports Web Design]

Definitely lots of opportunities out there for women. Much more than 5-10 years ago. For marketers, women have the power and should be evaluated even more so than men when launching a new product or service.

[truck rental]

I think you are very right when you say that woman "ware" a car, they actually "try on" any other product! Because to a woman - a product means so much more then just a thing she uses- it means a life style, an approach, a statement. It makes it so much more fascinating marketing to woman!