Marketing to women
Article Date: Nov 03 2005
The Proficiency Group is organising the imminent Rethink Pink conference, which aims to show why women should not be marketed to as a minority.
What’s the idea behind Rethink Pink?
It’s an imminent conference all about marketing to women. Ninety per cent of marketing chiefs are men, yet 80 per cent of all office and home purchases are made by women, so that’s a huge mismatch.
What matters most when selling to women?
Don’t stereotype! You need to get the message right. You shouldn’t think that just by shading something pink it will appeal to women – marketers need to be more respectful. Today's female consumer is more sophisticated, more discerning. There have been a number of companies who’ve just featured women in their adverts but have not seen the expected improvement.
Who’s got it right?
A good example is paint. This has been sold in big five-litre cans for donkey’s years, one manufacturer made a container more like a milk carton, making it much easier for women. Another one, a drill manufacturer, made a lighter drill and it didn’t just appeal to women but also to men. Apple is a good case: it’s not just about the colour, they have made their products really user friendly, they have a nice touch to them with nice soft edges. Nike is another brand with very good marketing to women.
Which key brands happily share their secrets?
A mixture of brands like Coca-Cola, ITV and AOL, and also marketing companies will be at the Rethink Pink event. Through case studies these brands can illustrate how they solved problems. ‘How to’ is the main message for this year’s conference, whereas last year it was ‘why?’. And of the marketers, people like Saatchi & Saatchi have good experience and they’re going to be explaining how they created their successful marketing strategies.
