Marketing to Women Online

Volkswagen's Accident Commercial

When was the last time you saw a car commercial and actually paid attention to it?  And, if it got your attention, did it make you want to drive that car?

This is a question that came up when I was discussing Volkswagen's TV commercial with the unexpected accident (click films).   Jeffrey asked me if "safety" was a women's thing.  When it comes to cars, I believe it is.   Women are often the ones driving precious cargo (kids, dogs) so I believe they are very safety conscious.

But how did Volkswagen do with their accident commercial?  Is it effective?  Does it make you want to buy a Volkswagen?

Jeff Sexton has an insightful look into why he feels the commercial does NOT work, but even better, he has suggestions for how it could be altered to be more effective.   

Insight Into How Moms Think

What do moms think?   Seriously.  What goes on in their heads?   I have read studies upon studies about moms.   I've learned about Soccer Moms, Super Moms, Security Moms, Hot Moms, Alpha Moms, Beta Moms, Helicopter Moms.

Marketers are desperate to pigeon-hole moms into easily understood categories or labels.   But I've found if you really want to understand moms - you need to just talk to them.  You need to listen to their stories.

In this series - "Motherhood Made Me...More Than a Mother,"  Redbook profiles seven moms.  They each tell their story in their own words.   I found I gained quite a bit of insight.  Perhaps you will, too.

Websites for Women - Common Mistakes Part 3

I was talking with Jean at All Moms Go To Heaven, our guinea pig site, er....our test subject, and she has seen a definite increase in activity on her site.   By fixing her home page, and and making the suggested changes to her nomination form, she's seen an increase in sales, nominations, and overall positive comments on her site.

But there's still a lot of room for improvement.

So - let's take a look at another common mistake when creating websites for women - category pages.

I've written about category pages before and how important they are, especially if you are targeting women. 

So let's take a look at All Moms Go To Heaven and see what improvements we can make on their shopping page.

The Difference Between Edgy and Creative

Tell me, really, I want to know.    Why do so many advertising creative types equate adolescent humor with being creative?   

Everyone out there wants to be "edgy".     Ok - so they try to shock you to get your attention.   Or they make a boob joke and think they're creative geniuses.   

Hey, I'm all for humor in ads.   But I see more and more advertiser pushing the line to try to get attention by being "cutting edge".    That usually means more sex, more adolescent humor, or other techniques designed to "get attention". 

These techniques do work.  They get attention.  But do they sell products?   

Read more about the difference between edgy and creative including a look at Bluefly vs. TJ Maxx.

Websites for Women - Common Mistakes - Part 1

So, you've finally done it.   You've started your own business.   You've found something you're really passionate about.  You know it's a good product/service.

So now that you have a business, you know an important first step is to create a website.  You contact good people, throw down some cash, and voila - you've got a good lookin' website. 

There's just one problem.   You're not getting any results from it.

I know.  I've heard from all sorts of women (and men) who are just as frustrated as you are.   So in a series of posts, I'm going to look at some of the most common problems when creating a website targeting women (since most of you ARE targeting women), and how to fix those problems.

Jean Johnson at All Moms Go To Heaven has bravely volunteered to be our case study.  Her site has many of the most common problems I see, so it's the perfect example to work with.

Websites for Women - Common Mistakes - Part 1 - The Home page

All Mom's Go To Heaven suffers from an ineffective home page.  Visitors see nothing but images and very little copy.  (see example to left as the actual page may have changed by the time you view this) Your home page must do two things....... 

Maternity Fashion - Understand Her Deeper Motivations

I was going through some old pictures the other day and found some great shots of my mother.   She was a stewardess (yes, back when they were still called "stewardesses") when the jets first started flying.   She wore those great form fitting skirts, blouses, and even the pill box hats.   

In another photo, where she was pregnant, with twins no less, and we were some pretty  honkin' babies for twins - 15 pounds between the two of us, she was wearing the equivalent of a boy scout pup tent.

Seems back then, the purpose of maternity clothes was to do everything you could to hide the fact that you were pregnant.   

But look at maternity "fashion" today.   Form fitting tops and pants are more and more common.    Some might argue "Well, form fitting is in today."   Trust me, form fitting was in back in my mother's stewardess days as well, so I don't think it's just a fashion thing.

I think something else is going on here.....

Con-men, Beggars, Good Samaritans and Advertising

Con-men, beggars, Good Samaritans and advertisers - what do they all have in common?  More than you think.

In his blog Stumbling on Happiness, Daniel Gilbert discusses how his experience with a bogus beggar changed his world view. He points out that advertising does the same thing, preying on our good nature.   

We are used to commercial tricks that play on our fears. The official-looking letter marked “Verification Audit” is actually a magazine subscription renewal form; the credit card company’s ominous call to “discuss your account” is actually an attempt to sell new services.

Should we now get used to commercial tricks that play on our humanity? How would we feel about a device planted in trash bins that screams “I’m stuck!” until the lid is opened, at which point it continues, “Stuck in a dead end job, that is — and if you are too, then let us show you how to make millions in real estate with no money down”? Is it O.K. to send a thousand doleful puppies into the streets with tags that say: “Thanks for checking. And speaking of checking, our bank charges no monthly fees”?

You have to read the full post to understand the power of his message - so give it a read.

And advertisers - note - Women are especially aware of attempts to con them. Are you being deceptive in your advertising?  Are you making big statements to try to get her attention that you don't follow through on?   Are you preying on her good nature?

The Importance of Images When Marketing to Women

I had an interesting discussion with a client about an image on her website.   I felt the image did not fit with the "brand" of her company.   It was a close up of a naked woman's lower face and shoulders.  She had one hand placed across her chest, her chin was slightly lowered and her shoulders slightly hunched.   

To me, the image conveyed "vulnerability".   This went against the "strong, take control" image of the brand.   In the end, I lost the battle.  It was just my opinion.

But what stayed with me was the power of that image.   It got me thinking, when marketing to women, do images matter even more than when marketing to men?   I don't think so when speaking of images in general.  HOWEVER - when that image is of a person, I think it does matter more.

Are Your Employees Hurting Your Brand?

In the famous words of Depeche Mode

everything counts in large amounts

What is a brand?  It is the experience a customer has with your product/service/company.   Women notice everything.   They have more connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain.   They have better peripheral vision than men.   

So, when marketing to women, it is even more important that your brand experience be consistent, from the packing of the product, to the cleanliness of your restroom.   

As Inside Out Branding points out - even the sales woman in the dressing room can make a big difference as to whether you become a loyal customer or walk out the door empty handed. 

Are you tracking every customer touch point?   

Dove's Pro-Age Campaign

Here's something to get you thinking...

Nearly 60% of women globally believe that if magazines were reflective of a population, a person would likely believe women over 50 do not exist.

It's tough to respond to ads when you never see yourself in those ads.  When you do see women over 50, it's almost always a stereotype in an ad for Medicare, or a financial planning service, or someone's grandmother.    Break away from those stereotypes and she will notice you and your ads. 

Dove is doing just that....again.   They are generating a lot of interest.  Check out Michele Miller's blog for some insight into how women feel about the campaign.

As usual, I was interested in how well the website was integrated into their marketing strategy.  I think they did a pretty good job this time.  But I do have one suggestion (Come on Dove, you didn't think you were going to get away that easy :)....

There is some awesome information, but it is completely buried in the FAQ section.   Some of this should really be front and center in their campaign. 

I was curious about the products - if they aren't supposed to stop aging, what are they supposed to do?