Marketing to Women Online

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. 

 

Best Marketing To Women Campaigns of 2010

Who kicked serious booty this year with their marketing to women campaigns?  I'm happy to report I've seen more positive and effecitve marketing to women efforts this year than I have in the past.  From TV commercials, to social media campaigns, to books about marketing to women - here are the folks I think deserve a shout-out in 2010. 

Drum roll please......

Best Marketing to Women TV Commercial

This one is a tie.  Both commercials hit the mark but for different reasons.

Michelle Wie Kia Soul

 

This is the first time, ever (and I do mean ever) that I've seen a car commercial that actually made me want to go out and buy the car.  I've been preaching for years about the marketing to women opportunities at the LPGA.  Kia tapped into the marketing power of Michelle Wie, who is not only attractive, she knocks the snot out of a golf ball.  

How to Market Surfing to Women

 
You know you have truly made it in life when your voice mail says, "I'm out of the office either traveling the world or surfing.  Leave a message and I'll get back to you when I return."

That began my first phone contact with Bev Sanders the Founder and Marketing Director at Las Olas Surf Safaris for Women.   Las Olas is recognized as the world's premier surf camp for women.  How cool is that?

Marketing surfing to women

Las Olas does a terrific job of marketing to women.  Here's why:

Kindle and Tech Companies Among Women's Favorite Brands

 
What brands do women love?  It's no suprise to me that tech companies are topping the list accrding to the Women at NBCU Brand Power Index.

Women at NBCU, NBC Universal’s female-targeted ad sales, marketing and research initiative, unveiled the October results for its new monthly brand index, the most comprehensive marketplace measure of the brands most important to women. The data underscores that technology is a hot topic among women, with seven technology brands making the top 25, including Verizon, AT&T, iPhone, Microsoft, Sprint, Samsung and Droid.
 
For the month of September, the following consumer brands made the top 25:
1) Walmart 2) Target 3) Verizon 4) eBay 5) Coca-Cola 6) Ford 7) AT&T 8) iPhone 9) Pepsi 10) iPod 11) McDonald’s 12) Honda 13) Bank of America 14) Toyota 15) Comcast 16) Sprint 17) Netflix 18) Sears 19) Microsoft 20) Tylenol 21) Samsung 22) Amazon.com 23) Dodge 24) Kohl’s 25) Droid

Just in time for the holiday season, Amazon’s Kindle was the biggest month-to-month mover on the index, catapulting 216 spots from #386 to #170.

I've been a long time fan of Kindle advertising.  I noticed way back when it first came out that Amazon had ads featuring women's hands.  You  may think this is a small thing, but women notice these details, especially since ads usually feature a man's hands holding the gadget. 

Turkey and Tequila - How to Market Tequila to Women

 
On Thanksgiving as families and friends gather everywhere to eat turkey, watch football, and laugh and re-connect, I was with my family.....standing in a bathtub....drinking tequila.

Why, you ask dear reader, was I celebrating the holiday in such a....let's just say untraditional kind of way? 

It's a touching story, we'll get to in just a minute.  But first a quick marketing tip. 

Marketing tequila to women

This summer I ran across the most amazing tequila ever to pass my lips -Casa Dragones. 

Bertha Gonzales is the co-founder and CEO of Casa Dragones.  She is also recognized as a “Maestro Tequilero” by the Academia Mexicana de Catadores de Tequila.
 “It’s like being a black belt in tequila,” Gonzalez says, “and I’m the first woman to be honored with that title in what is a male driven industry.”