Marketing to Women: He said/She said something else!

Why is marketing to women so important? According to "Why She Buys," a great book by public relations practitioner Bridget Brennan, "gender is the most powerful determinant of how a person sees the world and everything in it."

If our gender plays such an important role, why do some marketers fail to take this into account? It could be because in spite of the great amount of brain research that has been conducted, companies still tend miss the boat when applying the knowledge of biological differences to their customer bases.

Brennan cites the example of the "ugly Snugli." Popular baby company Evenflo was experiencing a huge decrease in sales of its Snugli baby carrier and executives couldn't seem to figure out why. Upon seeing the product, Brennan says she knew immediately what the problem was....the drab brown color and bulky feel was not something that women, especially stylish ones would have jumped at the chance to wear.

By redesigning the Snugli as a fashionable accessory, the company was able to boost sales and received fabulous press for it. Selected by Oprah Winfrey for her "World's Largest Baby Shower," the product sold out online almost immediately. The brand team now uses Mommy blogs and online communities to keep abreast of their customers' needs and opinions. By taking into consideration the audience (women!) and its needs and wishes, Evenflo was able to inject much needed energy into an already great product!

If you have a great product, but you feel like it could benefit from a better understanding and reach of your market segment, you've come to the right place!

Tags:
Marketing to Women, know your audience, marketing tactics, campaign