They are not fixated only on themselves, they love the truth, categorically do not accept imposition, favor companies and products that care not only about their own enrichment. Knowing and accounting for these basics of women’s marketing is a simple and win-win way to the wallets of women who manage 80% of family budgets.
About 17 million views on Youtube alone. Children’s, model, age, men’s versions. At least 10 imitation parodies with almost 5 million views on the same Youtube. The unspoken title of the best marketing campaign of recent times and the status of the best female advertising work of “all time”. It’s all about the Dove brand’s Campaign for real beauty.
The secret of its success, which has lasted for several years now, was the audacity of the authors of the project. They were not afraid to move away from cliches and stereotypes and started to deliver their advertising messages with non-powdered images. Dove first tested, and then raised to the rank of an axiom, the fact that for women consumers, real is better than ideal.
To come close to the success of this campaign is not an impossible task. And to solve it, you first need to understand that women – the most profitable and influential buyer (because they buy for themselves, their families and for work), and then accept as a fact that this consumer has a special attitude and expectations of the product, its presentation and promo. This means that the laws of sales to the fairer sex are not universal and require careful study.
Serious attitude. No condescension!
Women have always fought for equal rights. Today, more and more often, the level of their salaries is approaching that of men. Moreover, according to numerous studies, men’s average income has risen by 5 percent in the last few years, while women’s has risen by 10 percent. This data suggests two things at once: the female segment, as a fast-growing consumer market, is worthy of meticulous research and work, and women deserve equal treatment.
Especially considering the fact that ladies have become more active in “men’s” purchases. They can afford and buy home stereos worth $10 thousand, confidently go to the construction store and buy tools for home repairs, they choose where to get credit and which ski resort to go on vacation.
And to win this consumer segment, it’s not enough (as many think) to pitch the product in pink and decorate it with Swarovski stones. Everything is much more complicated. Women have higher expectations than men, and they will evaluate brand presentation on a more complex scale of criteria.
“When making any important decision, women want to be more informed than men. So, for example, when making a decision to buy a car or take a vacation, which involves the consent of both men and women, men choose two or three options. Women do their own research. This means that they usually take on all the work of researching the product, which is an extremely important part of the purchasing process that most companies leave out. When a woman offers three possible choices for a vacation, new furniture or a car, that means she’s already ruled out 10-20 or more options,” says Marty Barletta, one of the world’s leading experts on women’s marketing and president and CEO of The TrendSight Group (USA). Hence the following law…
Give her a choice!
Women love shopping. For her, it’s a form of leisure. She wants to buy fashionable dresses from the variety on offer. Attractive appearance, different levels of characteristics, calorie, etc., several options for color design, the opportunity to get a bonus as a gift … You want to win the consumer – offer her options!
“At first glance, it may seem that women choose a beautiful design and bright packaging. But the functionality of the product is also important to them. Design is one way to create the mood a woman needs at the moment. The most successful products are those that allow the fairer sex not only to buy the necessary thing, but also on an emotional level to get satisfaction “.
Women control $20 trillion of the world’s annual consumer spending (by comparison, the GDP of India is $1.2 trillion and China $4.4 trillion. Data for 2009).
We listen, we understand, we enter into a dialogue.
An active battle against stains and germs, the status of the home “Minister of Economy” – the images reigning in the advertising space hardly reflect the true desires and aspirations of a woman! They are a demonstration of a complete lack of understanding of what she lives for and what she wants.
According to Gigi Carroll, senior vice president, creative director, DraftFCB (Chicago), a she-campaign implementer for more than a decade, women today are more diverse than ever. They want to be recognized and accepted for who they are, marketing professionals to make their lives easier, products to help, and manufacturers to surprise and delight them. “They want you to know that most of them don’t have perfect lives, and neither do their children, their home,” says Gigi Carroll.
Her words are backed up by numerous studies, experts and practitioners.
For example, several years ago, the Institute of practitioners in advertising conducted a large-scale study. It was attended by about a thousand women and girls from different social backgrounds. Each of them was shown a series of commercials and prints advertising women’s brands. After watching the commercials, the participants answered the same question: “Would you like to be like the woman in the commercials?” The results were surprising: 92 percent of those surveyed answered “strongly no.” In other words, the classic advertising images of women have nothing in common with real-life women. Another explanation for the success of Dove!
$13 trillion is earned by the fairer sex today, and in a year that amount could reach $18 trillion.
A woman’s nature suggests community. She seeks understanding with real people, situations, real use of the product and real reactions that will show that you have accepted her for who she is.
And for the sake of that understanding, women are willing to go after brands that are interesting to them. Brands should not only listen to the opinion of the female audience, but also actively communicate, offering different interactive formats,” emphasizes the expert.
Think beyond self-interest
Ladies are extremely important to the idea of helping those who need it. They are happy to know that by making a purchase, they will help others. This fact sometimes becomes a fundamental criterion when choosing a brand. And procter & Gamble knows this very well.
“I recently saw a new ad for gas stations reporting that they are leaders in reducing emissions into the environment and have achieved this in their eight years of operation. In a market of numerous well-established competitors, this new competitor stood out as a criterion that I cared about. The next time I see such a station on the road, I’ll service it,” Marty Bartlett confirms in his own words the viability of the above-mentioned law.
Don’t get hung up on sex.
Experts in women’s marketing unanimously assure that sex does not sell. And it never has. It’s a lazy way to sell. It may grab attention for a short time, but if you want to create a long-term commitment to your brand, you’ll have to put more effort into it by rigorously following the laws described above.
p.S. It’s interesting that pro-women’s marketing campaigns (if they don’t exclusively promote women’s products) sometimes surprise more than just those they target with their monetized response. Try to satisfy the female segment of the market, and you’ll be surprised how much the male audience will respond. As they say, meet the expectations of women, and you will exceed the expectations of men.