Marketing to Women

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A White Paper by: Liliana Rodriguez, Franklin Street Marketing, Richmond, VA & Lisa A. McCluskey, Memorial Health Care System, Chattanooga, TN A Fresh Outlook on Marketing to Women: Moving away from the pull of the past and towards the push of the future. * *

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Today’s rally cry is no longer why market to women, but how to market to women. Because guess what: not all women are the same, and it’s about time we try to find out who they really are and what they really want. This white paper provides the information you need to successfully market to women and understand what it is that drives their decision making process.

Transcript of Marketing to Women

Page 1: Marketing to Women

A White Paper by:

Liliana Rodriguez, Franklin Street Marketing, Richmond, VA &

Lisa A. McCluskey, Memorial Health Care System, Chattanooga, TN

A Fresh Outlook on Marketing to Women: Moving away from the pull of the past and towards the push of the future.

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Have We Gotten it All Wrong?Today’s rally cry is no longer why market to women, but how to market to women. Because guess what: not all women are the same, and it’s about time we try to find out who they really are and what they really want. This may seem obvious, but many marketers around the world still aren’t getting it right. In industries such as automotives, home improvement and electronics, marketers seem to lump women into one category: the soccer mom who makes the majority of household buying decisions. Same goes for healthcare: she’s the healthcare decision maker of the household, but then what? Why aren’t we delving deeper? Why aren’t we rejecting stereotypes and actually trying to figure out the different personas of women? Saying “women make most of the household decisions” is not enough. We have to get to know them and understand them in order to persuade them. Because when it comes down to it, women want to be taken seriously and have marketers understand their needs, no matter what their age, income, education, marital status or career may suggest.

Today’s Woman: A Force to be Reckoned WithMarti Barletta, president of TrendSight and author of Marketing to Women: How to Increase Your Share of the World’s Largest Market, says, “Women are the no. 1 economic opportunity in America, the largest market segment in the world, the chief purchasing officers of just about everything consumer, corporate or small business— and most importantly, there is no close second.”

Women control most of the consumer spending decisions worldwide, and in the U.S. most of the corporate and small-business spending decisions as well.

Household Income:Women bring in at least half of the income in 55% of U.S households.In 27% of U.S. households, single women are the sole earners.30% of working wives earn more than their husbands.

Consumer Spending:Women operate as the “chief purchasing officers” in almost all households, and they are estimated to make 80% of all household buying decisions. In addition to traditional female categories of spending, women are responsible for more than:

50% of all do-it-yourself purchases.51% of electronics.89% of bank accounts.80% of healthcare.

Corporate Spending:In corporations, they constitute 50% of managers and professionals.Women have accounted for 70% of all privately held start-ups and small businesses over the last 15 years.

Women and the Internet: Women account for 60% of Internet users.They use the Internet to manage their lives, from shopping to health and wellness research, to social networking and paying bills online.

Word of Mouth: Women are 3x more likely to share personal stories with a friend than men.64 million US women regularly share advice on products or services.25 million of them wield their influence online via blogs and social networking.

These statistics clearly show that women cannot be seen as a niche, but rather the majority of your audience. But in order to truly connect with our women, we must delve a little deeper. We must identify, understand and appreciate their personas to help us create relevant messages that will stick.

Marketers must understand that women are elusive. Today’s woman is modern and confident, yet still holds onto some of the traditions of the past. So while they don’t want to be associated with the nuclear family of the ‘50s, they also don’t want marketers to assume they are so modern that they don’t value traditional family roles. Marketers must move away from the status quo and towards a fresh approach that mirrors the attitudes and thinking of the current female segment.

Past, Present and FutureTo help us get to know the woman inside the mother, wife, grandmother, caregiver and daughter, let’s take a trip down memory lane and review who women were then and compare it to who they are now.

The last thing a woman wants is to feel is pigeonholed into a segment or stereotype. As Fara Warner, author of The Power of the Purse, suggests, there is a bit of tension between the past and the present. While women continue to hold a stronger position in the corporate world and choose to be single, they still hold onto some of the traditional roles and responsibilities of the past. They cherish family and friends yet push hard up the corporate ladder. They hope for the engagement ring even though they may out-earn their potential husbands in the workforce. Understanding this natural tension between the past, present and future that many women face is a big step towards brand loyalty.

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Unfortunately, many marketers still hold onto a definition of the nuclear family where men’s and women’s roles are clearly defined. As we all know, we are entering into a brave new world full of technological, social, economic and environmental changes that aren’t conducive to the nuclear family model of the 1950s. Our culture is one

that uses iconic individuals to represent each decade of change. Here’s an overview of the icons and the women they represent. By reviewing them, two important points emerge. One, not all women fit into the icon mold, and two, we truly are a part of an ever-changing, often unpre-dictable society.

1950s: Leave it to Beaver: Ward and June Cleaver— they represented the perfect nuclear family. Back then, 80% of Americans were married.

1960s: Gloria Steinem: The ultimate feminist, one of the first popular culture “liberal” female role models, proving that women can work and make it big in the man’s corporate world.

1980s and 1990s: The Supermom who could have it all: Career, mini-van, children and a husband who didn’t help around the house. Baby Boom, Mr. Mom, and Working Girl are examples of movies that epitomize the Supermom.

2000s: Revolutionary America: Taking the best of what prevailed and combining it with the freedoms and greater ideals of today.

According to Business Week, in 2000: 50% of Americans lived in non-traditional family structures where the heads of the household weren’t married. Over 60% of women over the age of 16 worked.78% of adults receiving long-term care at home get their care from unpaid family and friends.Women spend 50% more time providing care than male caregivers. 48% of couples lived together unmarried.

So, what does all of this mean?

It’s no longer enough to know that women are the most important consumers with a lot of money to spend.

It’s no longer enough to know that women influence

80% of buying decisions. And it’s no longer enough to know that 77% of women make the healthcare decisions of the household, an acknowledgement that often passes for an understanding of the female healthcare market.

The future requires a deeper understanding of how the trends in women’s social and economic status will continue to transform women and the world around them. Once we understand this, we can train ourselves to think outside and beyond the “icon” of the decade and be the leaders in how to attract women to a brand or product.

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Not only is it important to review the female personas of the past and present, we must also analyze the differences in marketing strategies between the old and the new. The social and economic changes of our society directly affect how we speak to women. These changes are often the catalyst for why women’s roles and relationships change, therefore affecting their attitude towards a retailer’s service or product.

Following are five simple ways to weigh the strategic indicators of the past and present and help you put yourself in the shoes of the elusive female.

1. Old Way: Ideal / New Way: RealInstead of emphasizing idealistic portrayals of women’s bodies as model-thin (with no context for women who weren’t size 2 or 20-years-old), the new way emphasizes beauty as an internal expression, with all body types and all ages welcome.

Show emotion.Talk with her, not at her.Immerse her in your brand through context.

2. Old Way: Control / New Way: PowerIgnore the stereotype for the 80s and 90s that all women are harried, harassed and in search of timesaving tools. The new way castes women as the CEO of the household, who exercises the power to make informed decisions for herself and her family. These decisions are made both with her heart and her mind.

Allow the marketing to empower her to make the best decisions.Recognize she makes decisions both rationally and emotionally.

3. Old Way: Fear / New Way: HopeThe old way emphasized fear and guilt tactics to cajole women into purchasing products and services, such as a fear that she isn’t beautiful enough or isn’t providing her children with nutritious meals. The new way offers women options for improving their lives through products and services. Also, women appreciate and connect with corporate responsibility; they find hope in companies that are doing their share of improving and sustaining today’s world.

Fear and guilt tactics do not work; in fact, they alienate women. Give her options for improving her life through products and services.

Show her emotion.Show her how she can help others or how your company is achieving a greater good.

4. Old Way: Quantity / New Way: QualityBecause of advances in social and economic freedoms for women, they are a bit elusive. They are who they want to be; their personas are no longer defined by the once idealistic June Cleaver. They make informed decisions on product and services based on their individual interpreta-tion of a better quality of life.

Don’t emphasize the “do more, buy more, be more” mentality.Women want a quality experience with every product or service. Show her how to simplify life so she can relish in the quality of her life.

5. Old Way: Features / New Way: PurposeDon’t assume women are OK with a smaller version of a man’s product. At the same time, they do not want to be pointed out as “unique.” Today’s woman wants a service or product to both function as she hopes it will and be safe and purposeful for her and her family.

Women do not want to feel like you’re selling them a smaller or pink version of a man’s product or service. Don’t boast to her with fancy facts and figures, she won’t make an emotional connection.Like men, women base 85% of their decisions on emotional factors.

Using these five observations can help evaluate if your strategy to reach women tends to pull your audience back towards attitudes of the past or push them towards the new and improved way of evaluating their lives.

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5 Strategic Indicators to Help Gauge What Women Respond To

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So Who’s Doing it Right, and How Do They Do It?As mentioned before, most healthcare marketers have only touched the surface of marketing to women; most don’t think beyond the concept that 80% of women are the healthcare decision makers. But don’t worry, we aren’t too far behind some of the best marketers to women.

DeBeers quickly picked up on the trend that women in America were staying single longer, either because of a successful career, or because social and economic changes over the past 50 years have allowed them to realize that they do not need to marry in their early 20s. They can focus on careers, travel, and personal passions while looking for Mr. Right.

In 2003, DeBeers launched the Right Hand Ring campaign that reached this persona perfectly: women are powerful, independent and financially able to buy themselves a diamond ring, yet they maintain and hope for traditions, like the love of their life presenting them with an engagement ring. The right hand ring represents empow-erment and success, while the left hand still represents love and commitment.

Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty is another great example of how a company used the right strategic indicators to connect with women. The campaign talks to women in a real way giving them hope and confidence both in their own beauty and in the Dove products.

Nike launched NikeWomen in 2001, a campaign and cultural shift that changed the way we perceive female athletes. They realized female athletes are feminine, but tough, and they wanted their running shoe and sports bras to perform the way they do. Nike began to develop products build for a woman’s body, and went away from creating a pink version of a successful man’s running shoe.

These companies have been successful in marketing to women because they looked beyond the stereotypes and typical gender roles that have been popular for decades. They were not afraid of taking risks to try to capture the elusive female audience. The strategic indicators men-tioned above are in line with how DeBeers, Dove, and Nike found relevancy with women. For some, the product needed to be changed; for others, the product had been around for decades. It was just a matter of speaking to women in a real, honest way.

What’s interesting is that even the leaders of the industry hadn’t been doing it right—it’s only been five or so years since they’ve broken through the status quo. This is good news for healthcare marketers —we are not that far behind.

Here’s a closer look at some of the leaders in marketing to women.

DeBeersToday, 60% of women are in the workforce and a growing number of them are choosing to stay single and live alone. These changes in women’s economic and social status have provided them with many choices and opportunities that were once off-limits. While today’s woman is strong, independent and financially stable, her ties to traditional roles that once defined her as wife and mother remain. Now, women decide when, how and if they work in a family or career or both.

Once DeBeers realized that women hold onto American Family traditions (marriage in particular) but lead independent, career-minded lives, the outcome was remarkable.

DeBeers couldn’t keep advertising the “I love this woman” man-on-one-knee engagement ring commercials without alienating the group of women who were choosing the path of career and single life. However, at the same time, DeBeers could not risk alienating the traditional women by switching gears completely.

Creating the Right Hand Campaign tapped into both audiences. The ads so clearly spoke to both sets of women—those who longed for the left hand engagement ring and those who had the means to give themselves a diamond ring but were still traditional enough to want a man to give them the engagement ring.

The right hand ring was created with diamonds, of course, but DeBeers made sure the right hand ring stood out. The styles of the rings are vertical, instead of the traditional horizontal shape. They also sport clusters of diamonds as opposed to the traditional solitaire. A woman wearing a right hand ring epitomizes a confident, successful female who lives in the moment, yet respects the values and traditions she grew up with.

A diamond is forever, whether it’s on the right hand or the left hand. However, DeBeers’ thoughtful campaign moved beyond a generalized statement or stereotype. It captured the essence of how the changing social, econom-ic and technological world affects their core and most important audience.

By moving towards talking to women in a more inclusive way that demonstrates both power and honesty, DeBeers is able to talk to both female audiences they seek to connect with. In fact, their honesty with audiences on both sides of the diamond fence (traditional and indepen-dent) allows the message and the product to stick with both. From a woman’s perspective, finally, someone understands who they are and what they want.

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Results: By 2004, women buying diamonds rose by 11%. By 2005, the right hand ring became a $4 billion market.

Example of DeBeers Right Hand Ring print advertising

DoveDove took a risky approach to reach women by taking a stab at its own industry, which continues to feature 20-something models with unrealistic body images. Dove realized that although women may want to “lose 10 pounds” or “hope for blemish-free skin,” the use of unrealistic models in advertising was not resonating with the target female audience. Women today do not associate beauty with the Barbie mold of the 50s. And, more importantly, a product does not define how beautiful a woman is. Today beauty is individuality, honesty and openness.

Dove began to feature real women in its advertising as it launched the Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004 to widen the narrow definition of beauty the industry had set. Not only were women of all sizes and ages, with imperfections and blemishes, on all Dove’s new advertising, they were all shown in their underwear. The women featured are clearly comfortable with their imperfections and proud to display those beauty marks, which become a mark of who they really are.

Dove’s advertising also pointed out that all its beauty products are tested on “real curves.” Women connected with this campaign because they saw themselves in these women; they reminded them of their sisters, friends and neighbors, and with that came a sense of loyalty, comfort and familiarity.

Women connect more with a company that provides them hope—either for their family or for the larger community. Another reason why Dove has been so successful reaching women is because of its commitment to social and corporate responsibility. The second prong

of the Campaign for Real Beauty focused on public service announcements and awareness of body and beauty image issues with young girls. Dove’s mission is clearly defined through its initiatives like the Self-Esteem Fund, which helps educate and motivate girls with eating disorders and low self-esteem. It openly admits that its own industry is a big culprit of putting body image pressure on young girls today. Small portions of every Dove product sale go towards educational workshops around the country, helping young women uncover their true beauty, feel happy with themselves and ignore the narrow view of the rest of the beauty industry.

The Web plays an enormous role in the Campaign for Real Beauty. The microsite features an entire viral campaign with mini movies, testimonials, ways to volunteer for the self-esteem fund and tips and advice from both real women and experts.

Results: Dove’s strategy was so out of the box that it benefited from free publicity. $4.6 million in media was generated from free press coverage alone. By 2004, the firming lotion sales exceeded forecasts by 110% (includes both U.S. and Europe). Website visits:

4.5 million users have logged on since 2005. The average length of stay is 5 minutes. The average number of pages viewed is seven.

Examples of Dove’s print advertising campaign

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NikeWomenIt wasn’t until 2004 that Nike realized women athletes and sports fans were not like male athletes and sports fans. Women did not want a pink version of a man’s running shoe or athletic apparel. They weren’t idolizing professional sports teams the way men did, and they certainly didn’t want to be seen as girly, petite female athletes playing men’s sports.

Nike finally approached young female athletes with a “feminine but tough” strategy. Shoes and apparel were tested on real women’s feet and bodies. Nike figured out that women still wanted a fashionable look with quality and purpose—it had to keep up with their endurance and physical performance.

Nike is also in the middle of launching NikeWomen retail stores across the country. Women no longer have to walk to the back of a Nike store to find the women’s section. These stores will be solely dedicated to meet every female athlete’s needs and desires.

Following is an example of a print ad that succeeds in targeting the “feminine but tough” females by speaking to them in a real and accurate way that depicts who these young, powerful female athletes really are. This ad is Nike’s way of letting these women know Nike finally gets what they want.

So How is All This Relevant to Healthcare Marketing? It’s important to get inspiration from marketers outside of healthcare, because let’s face it—women form loyalty and brand recognition with retailers much more often than they do with a healthcare system. As we study the non-healthcare industries that are marketing to women well, we can incorporate strategies that have been successful in building relationships with these women and begin to turn the tables on healthcare brand loyalty.

Looking at our 5 strategic trends (Real, Control, Hope, Quality and Purpose), we can apply the new ways of marketing to women across all industries. Now let’s take

a look at some of the leaders in healthcare that have begun to pave the way towards female consumer brand loyalty.

Mount Carmel Women’s Center, OhioThis spot opens up with a montage showing real women’s breasts—fully clothed, of course—and pokes fun at breasts being the most gawked at and talked about body part in the history of humanity. It uses humor and lighthearted-ness to talk to women about the importance of breast health screenings. Instead of scaring women into getting a mammogram, this spot tells us the facts in a real way, the way girlfriends might talk about breast health to each other. It uses honesty and humor to relay a hopeful message that this health system offers breast health excellence.

Park Nicollet Health System, Minneapolis, MNThis ad for the system’s breast center focuses on real women with real issues. This campaign not only gives a nod towards the busy multi-tasker, but takes it a step further to offer a convenient solution for how she can quickly squeeze in a mammogram. Unlike the clinical or scare tactics approach, this ad shows that the health system understands who she is and what sheis hoping for: a health solution with a meaningful and easy-to-grasp purpose.

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This campaign demonstrates a lighthearted, yet informative approach to serious ailments such as stroke, cancer and heart disease. The health system researched what women were used to seeing from their favorite retailers— color, patterns, attitude and imagery, and incorporated fresh, modern elements into its service line and event marketing.

This fresh approach speaks to women in a real way, the

way she would to her best girlfriend. By showcasing pow-erful, confident, real women and providing useful health and wellness tips, the target audience gained a sense of empowerment.

This resulted in trust, loyalty and the establishment of this health system as the women’s choice in the area. Mar-tin Memorial also saw a 25:1 return on investment from its event marketing campaigns.

Martin Memorial Health Systems, Florida

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Key Implications1. Talk to your women

They know what they want and if you ask them, they’ll help you. Informal, “feedback groups” with women provide spring boards for spontaneity. They can help you create more transparent, empowering and compelling messages that your female audiences want to hear and will trust. Remember that today’s women seek information and readily share what they have read in health or self-help books, women’s magazines and on the Internet.

2. Debunk stereotypesAppreciate how quickly our social and economic environment changes. The changing environment makes the female market more elusive. That’s why it’s essential to stay on top of female consumer trends to avoid getting wrapped up in stereotypes.

3. Focus on purpose, not featuresWomen want to be in control of their healthcare destiny, and they are hoping your brand will help them find the answers they are looking for. By positioning your brand with a wellness and life-style solution rather than just a product or service-centric approach, you are building her trust because she sees you understand what is important to her.

4. Always evaluate how you talk to women The ever-changing social and economic trends will effect how she responds to your product or service. Remember and refresh the “new way” of reaching the female audience.Talk to her with honesty and openness.Show her how your product or service can provide her and her family hope towards achieving a healthy quality of life.

Parting Thoughts Women are the majority consumers for all things healthcare and non-healthcare. We can no longer assume as marketers that knowing a common statistic about women means we really know them. We must study and talk to women in order to know what they want, and more importantly, how they want to be marketed to.

If you have comments or a story to share about marketing to women, we would love to hear from you. Email us at the addresses below.

About the AuthorsLiliana Rodriguez is the account supervisor at Franklin Street Marketing in Richmond, Va., a full-service market-ing agency that specializes in healthcare marketing. She has extensive experience in developing integrated, strategic marketing initiatives targeted to women and baby boomers. She also oversees the agency’s customer relationship management services.

Before Franklin Street, Liliana lived in New York City and worked on marketing and advertising efforts for both Columbia Business School and the American Museum of Natural History. Liliana has been a guest lecturer at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Undergraduate Healthcare Marketing and PR class, as well as received recognition for marketing campaigns from Aster, Addy and Virginia’s Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations. She is a graduate of Boston College, Carroll School of Management.

Liliana can be reached at [email protected].

Lisa McCluskey is vice president of marketing and communications at Memorial Health Care System in Chattanooga, Tenn. Prior to her recent promotion, Lisa was director of marketing and communications for Martin Memorial Health Systems, the largest health system on Florida’s Treasure Coast. She oversaw a team of marketing and public relations specialists, graphic designers, and marketing reps that build the system’s brand while growing share of market. Her strategic tiered approach to physician marketing aligned physician practice building with corporate goals resulting in more than 30 percent overall increases in charges.

An effective communicator, Lisa has received the international Award of Excellence in the Communicator Awards competition for Martin’s community magazine, For Your Health. She also led her team to recognition by Aster, Apex, the Service Industry Awards, Florida Public Relations Society and AdFed for her campaigns.

Lisa has a Masters in Business Administration from Nova Southeastern University, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and a Bachelor of Arts from Marycrest International University, Iowa.

Lisa can be reached at [email protected].

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Acknowledgments Marti Barletta. (2006). Marketing to Women: How to Understand, Reach, and Increase Your Share of the World’s Largest Market Segment. Chicago: Kaplan. Emma L. Carew. (June 14, 2008). “New Medical Ad Focuses on Speed and Convenience for Patient.” Star Tribune: Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. (http://www.startribune.com/business/19933084.html). Jenny Cordina and Shubham Singhal. (June 2008). “What Consumers Want in Health Care.” McKinsey Quarterly. (http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Health_Care/Strategy_Analysis/What_consumers_want_in_health_care_2145). Pam Danziger. (2006). Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience. Chicago: Kaplan. “Internet is the Essential Medium for Women.” (June 2007). Burst Media Online Insights. (http://www.burstmedia.com/assets/newsletter/items/2007_06_01.pdf). Kelly McCormick. (May 6, 2008). “Gender Bender: Motivate Your Sales Force to Sell to Women in Four Easy Steps. (http://www.managesmarter.com/msg/content_display/sales/e3iaa484be5224a3bf42428bffd3dac0951?imw=Y). Michele Miller and Holly Buchanan. (2007). The Soccer Mom Myth: Today’s Female Consumer: Who She Really Is. Why She Really Buys. Austin, TX: Wizard Academy Press. Fara Warner. (2005). The Power of the Purse: How Smart Businesses Are Adapting to the World’s Most Important Consumers-Women. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Ethan Watters. (2003). Urban Tribes: A Generation Redefines Friendship, Family, and Commitment. New York: Bloomsbury.

Created by Franklin Street Marketing.Visit us online at franklinstreet.com.

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