Marketing to Women Online

What Advertisers Can Learn From a Women's Film Festival

Last weekend I attended The Athena Film Festival - a celebration of women and leadership in New York. 

The festival included films by and about women.  The subject matter highlighted the wide diversity of women’s leadership in both real life and the fictional world.

Film is a medium known to nearly all people in nearly every part of the world. And films have power. They create conversation. They reveal truths. They inspire. Through feature films, documentaries, and shorts, the Festival will explore what makes a leader

So many things struck me about the movies, the panels, and the festival as a whole.  There are so many amazing women's stories that aren't being told.   There are so many inspirational women leaders who we aren't being acknowledged.  There's a desperately needed point of view that's not being heard.  The Athena Film Festival is one gigantic step towards changing that.

But there was another theme throughout the festival that really got my attention - and it was this:

The Power of One Good Friend

As I sit right smack dab in the middle of the holiday marketing season I am inundated with ads of families, couples, parents, romantic partners.....but there's one relationship that's glaringly missing from the ads...

Friends.

Sure there are ads with female friends doing their holiday shopping together. But where's the ad with the woman/man/kid shopping high and low to find the perfect gift for their best friend?  

When you DO produce a commercial about true friendship, it stands out.

Volkswagen Scores Two More Winners

If you want to reach moms, show great dads.

If you want to reach dads, show great dads.

So many commercials feature the "doofus" dad.   So when I see a commercial that portrays fathers in a positive light, I notice.  So do moms and dads everywhere.

You can drive when we stop to fill up

Here's a great example of a spot that features a great dad while also demonstrating a distinct product benefit.

Zestra - Bringing Women's Sexual Satisfaction Out of the Closet

How long have we all been waiting for the women's equivalent of Viagra?   There is a STUPID amount of money to be made with such a product. (Drug companies currently make $2.5 Billlion on Viagra, Cialis and Levitra each year.)

Did you know research shows women actually suffer from sexual dysfunction more than men?  

Women - 43%

Men - 31%

Pharmaceutical companies have done research in this area, but women's bodies and sexual function are far more complicated than men's. 

Then along comes Zestra

 

Marketing to Women Success Story - ConsumerBell

 

I've noticed a trend recently.  Many of the companies doing the best job of marketing to women are.....show me your shocked face....run by women.

Case in point - ConsumerBell.  ConsumerBell provides a fast and organized way for companies to communicate product recall information to save time, reduce costs, and disseminate information broadly.

Consumer Bell was founded by Ellie Cachette.  She is also the CEO. 

This company is doing so many things right I hardly know where to start. Let's take a look at why this young company is already so successful and what you can learn from their success.

The Buchanan Test - Are You Stereotyping Women In Your Ads?

 
Are you stereotyping women in your ads?  Can your ads pass The Buchanan Test? 

(The Buchanan Test was inspired by The Bechdel Test which deals with stereotyping of women in movies.)

Look at your most recent ads targeting women (or women and men if they are both your audience). 

Can you answer "yes" to the following three questions:

1. Do you feature a woman outside of the home?
2. Do you feature a woman in a role other than "mother"?
3. Is she NOT doing yoga?

Ok.  How'd you do?   You'd be surprised how few commercials pass this test.  Like this one from Florastor.

What I Learned About Marketing to Women at the Athena Film Festival

 

There are a lot of similarities between Hollywood and the advertising industry.  Both are largely run by men.  Both feature atrocious portrayals of women, or don't portray women at all.   Both try to play on women's insecurities.  The Advertising industry is especially guilty of this.

I hear many advertisers saying, "But that's what sells products."  

But there is another way, a better way, a more powerful way, to sell products to women.  A way that will resonate with her so deeply she will switch brands, be your biggest fan, and spread your message to her friends and family as well. 

I saw this "better way" in action at the Athena Film Festival in New York. The festival featured films by women, and about women.   The theme of the festival was, "Women and Leadership."  Here are the lessons I took away about marketing to women.

Marketing to Women Lesson #1

You will have a better product/commercial/campaign if women are included at every level of the creation process. 

Marketing Video Games to Women - Kinect

It's not often I find a technology product that scores an "A" in marketing to women, but Kinect makes the grade. Here's why Kinect does a superb job of marketing video games to women.

How Kinect is marketing to women

• Great name. It's very close to "connect" one of women's favorite words. Kinect also has cool simple sound to it.
• Commercials focus on people, not the technology. Look at all of the Kinect commercials, and the solid focus is on people and their enjoyment of the game. You see very few shots of the game itself. (The game itself is usually the main focus of video game commercials rather than the users). When marketing technology to women, focus on the effects of the technology rather than the technology itself

• Kinect stresses how easy it is to get started. Marketing messaging focuses on how easy it is to get started and jump right in. There isn't a big learning curve in order to enjoy the game. Women (and a lot of men) may not want to invest a lot of time learning before they can use technology.
• It's a shared activity. In almost every marketing image you see multiple people using the game. Kinect knows women want activities that bring people together rather than isolate them.
• Website with female friendly design. The Kinect website features several website design elements that women love - multiple bright colors, good use of white space, images of women, curved design elements, video front and center, and a focus on the benefits women value most - ease of use, fun that's good for you and customer review ratings from Amazon (which they've also added to their new TV commercial - bravo!)

When it comes to marketing video games to women, Kinect has a true winner. I could see this case being studied in marketing degree programs. And here's the added bonus, guys will respond well to this marketing as well. Do guys enjoy group activities, games that are easy to jump right in and use, focusing on the enjoyment and thrill you get rather than just focusing on the game itself? You betcha.

No matter what technology product you're marketing to women, you can learn a lesson from Kinect's highly successful efforts.

Women at NBCU Brand Power Index - Healthy Wins

 
Have you ever tried to eat healthy while in an airport?   Seriously.  

I am on a meal plan where I have to avoid caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and baked goods.  I look for lean protein, fresh vegetables, and fresh fruit. 

Try sticking to that plan while stuck in the Philadelphia airport for almost 12 hours.   Seriously.

There are no Whole Foods, or vegetable stands, or organic meat vendors.  But there are a lot of fast food restaurants.  Which brings me to the latest findings of The Women at NBCU Brand Power Index, the most comprehensive marketplace measure of the brands most talked about by women.

How to Sell Garden Center Products to Women

 
I love garden centers.  I love to just walk in, enjoy the wonderful smells, and talk to the staff who are, invariably, nice people.

I also love garden center shows.  Many of my favorite speaking engagements are at garden center conferences.  Last year I spoke to the OFA Association of Horticulture Professionals about selling to women.  Here's a short video with some tips on how to sell garden center products to women.

I talk about how women have more connections between the right and left hemisphere of their brains. Men, with their more compartmentalized brains, may be more focused on buying one specific thing.  Women are looking for complete solutions.

Watch the video to learn what turns women shoppers on and off, and how you can actually increase the average order with better listening skills.