Marketing to Women – Like Your Audience
Posted on | November 26, 2007 | No Comments
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“The consumer isn’t a moron, she’s your wife.†(David Ogilvy)
More than 70% of moms believe that marketers aren’t speaking to their needs. Remember that quote about not knowing which part of your marketing dollars ‘don’t work’? Well, I’d venture a guess that it’s the part that doesn’t speak to your audience. Further, as a non-mom female… I think that “miss†applies across the board to women, not just moms.
Glam Media is the presenting sponsor for the 2008 Marketing to Women conference in Chicago and as such, I was able to address the Marketing to Moms conference attendees on Wednesday. In preparing for my 5 minutes of fame, I wanted to provide a couple of my observations from the previous day’s sessions. I thought I would be clever and point out some of the obvious contradictions between speakers and research findings but as I wrote became more aware of how those nuggets of information actually support an even greater truth: to market successfully to women, you need to know and to like your audience, not just your brand.
Throughout the conference, I heard time and again how moms feel betrayed by advertisers. One study had marketers and advertisers ranked between used-car salesmen and a politician. I don’t know about you but that makes me feel like we’re not doing our jobs very well.
What surprised me was some of the over-classification of the moms/women audience that was going on. One speaker didn’t even bother masking her disdain for a particular group of moms her company labeled “sacrificersâ€. Another referred to the Mommy Wars – they stay-at-homes v. the work-out-of-the-homes. Still another made such inappropriate and flip comments to her interview subject that it bordered on disrespect. I realize there is a danger in coloring your research findings with your own opinions when you analyze results but I always blanch when faced with “mean-girls†who are all grown up.
Women have it bad enough as girls and teenagers. Despite all efforts to equalize and level our society, girls are still groomed to be sweet and kind and well-behaved. Anyone who knows me would suspect I have the Laurel Thatcher Ulrich quote about well-behaved women tattooed on me somewhere, but I digress. The result is that most women grow up without the appropriate skills for resolving conflict. Rare is the woman who escaped adolescence without the scathing, catty gossip of her peers or the passive-aggressive exclusion/silent-treatment. For too many, these bad habits aren’t counteracted by adulthood.
I see many marketers make the mistake of focusing on one insight about their target consumers as if they are advertising to paper dolls. Moms don’t stop being women because they have a kid or two. You can’t predict happiness or intelligence or confidence by age, creed, color, geography or economic status. So why are advertisers dumbing-down the conversation to the lowest common denominator?
One of the sessions from Day 1 gave us the four most-hated advertising delusions for moms:
- The Perfectly Appointed Mom – while Jessica Denay from Hot Moms Club may protest, the moms from this study value self-worth over appearance. Having the trendiest outfit, high-heels while juggling 2.5 children and rushing through errands, flawless make-up and a professional blow-out are NOT a reality for most moms. Quit showing her that nonsense. Instead, moms credit companies like Suave who show the economical and easy way to get a little ‘me’ time back in their days. Humor + Reality = Mom Approved.The Calm, Interactive Family – a little reality goes a long way. The criticism here was almost always about the dinner table with “Thanks for making dinner, mom.†“Great chicken, mom.†Who are we kidding? The moms of the survey weren’t wishing for Stepford children, they like their family just as they are and aren’t trying to change them with dinner in a box. They’re just trying to find nourishment and togetherness the best way they can.
- The Working Moms Misconception – working moms cook, clean, work-out and have kids who love them. Quit telling working moms how busy they are, Johnny-Obvious. Yes it’s hard to make a meal from scratch every night of the week but putting together fresh ingredients with some short-cut ones is still cooking. As marketers (and manufacturers) we need to make those short-cuts healthier and package them more environmentally-friendly. Don’t show her how her life doesn’t fit everything; show her how your product fits into her life.
- The Flavor of the Year – this goes back to treating mom like an idiot. The best quote was “DO NOT put low-carb on Mayonnaise… of course it’s low-carb, it’s pure fat!†Moms aren’t morons – they read labels. Low fat, low carb, organic, Lite, and every other unregulated nomenclature under the sun doesn’t mean squat to moms if you haven’t made it healthier for her family. It all comes at a price, you take out the fat, but you add more sugar. You make it low carb, but you add more fat or sodium or any one of a hundred poisonous things that are allowed in our food. How about making a better product? Marketing a better product? Or in the perfect example of a ranch dressing advertisement, maybe our product isn’t the best option for your kids but it sure make broccoli, which IS good, taste better to them. Moms appreciate honesty. Moms appreciate balance. Quit the smoke & mirrors show and relate to her reality.
In the end, you can’t engage people you look down on, try to intimidate, lie to or outright insult. And you shouldn’t! Advertising is doesn’t have to be the lowest form of communication. We, as marketers, hold in our power the ability to inspire, to entertain, to inform and to motivate the masses. Those are noble causes! Talk to moms the way you like to be talked to but if you enjoy lies and condescension, you might do well to seek a new line of work… might I suggest politics?
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