What’s the big deal about Millennial Moms anyway? According to babycenter, there are nine million of them in the U.S., and they yield about $170-200 billion in spending power. Millennial Moms are a big deal.  

Tourism is so important to the Tennessee economy, yet we could do better when it comes to attracting niche groups of women with big bucks to spend. 

Some fashionistas may have been shaking their heads when acclaimed fashion designer, Zang Toi, partnered with Shop LC, to provide jewelry for his recent spring runway show. After all, Shop LC is a retailer focused on the value-conscious woman whose average purchase is under $100, while Toi dresses the rich and famous in garments that can set them back tens of thousands of dollars. (I recently salivated over an $18k ivory knit duster with sable fur trim in his NYC studio). But co-branded partnerships are big business and can benefit both companies when executed properly.

As we speed forward into 2017, it’s hard to believe that we are celebrating our 10^th year as an agency. There have been highs and lows to be sure -- even days when pulling the sheet over my head and going back to sleep seemed like the best idea. But the sense of accomplishment that comes with building my own company has kept me energized, excited to keep learning and in a perpetual state of motion.

The face of America has changed to reflect a more diverse population, and marketers must start taking note.

At Fletcher Marketing PR, we specialize in marketing to women and the complexities that often entails. We challenge our clients to resist the ‘one size fits all’ approach and to challenge her status quo.

An expandable golf putter for growing kids. A multifunctional back seat table for vehicles. A nonprofit to help support Title IX schools.

These are among some of the business ideas coming out of Knoxville’s inaugural class of the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, or YEA!, a year-long program that teaches middle and high school students how to start and run their own original businesses.

When it comes to marketing, many companies and organizations fail to recognize the vast influence of female consumers, or worse yet, classify women as a ‘niche’ market. Not only do women control approximately 85% of purchasing decisions in the U.S., they are increasingly populating the ranks of management; thereby impacting decisions in the B2B environment as well.

Clients often ask us when paying a blogger for placement is appropriate, and my answer is — it depends. The landscape has changed dramatically over the past 2-3 years with more and more bloggers demanding fees or free merchandise in exchange for writing about your product or service. Bloggers can be a powerful tool in your media outreach arsenal if you have clear objectives and know what you want to accomplish.

We recently attended the BlogHER conference in New York City and were surrounded by social influencers like Gwyneth Paltrow (check out her blog, GOOP), and Christy Turlington Burns (check out her non-profit, Every Mother Counts).