Womentum

Fashion after age 35?

Womentum
The momentum is now with women

I swear this will be my last post about “Desperate Housewives.” Pardon the bad pun, but it’s very fertile ground when it comes to marketing to women.

Sorry about that. Couldn’t resist.

Anyway, as I mentioned yesterday, the fact that 30- and 40-something women are now considered sex symbols is remarkable. And TV isn’t the only thing that’s suddenly noticing the appeal of this demographic. After years of believing that the most coveted audience is the young, hip crowd in their late teens and twenties, savvy marketers are (gasp!) realizing that women don’t stop buying things once they pass age 35.

Late Gen X and Baby Boomer women are in their peak earning years and enjoy HUGE spending power, yet it’s a demographic that isn’t catered to with the same attention as others. But things are changing in the clothing category. According to NPD Group, women ages 35 to 54 spent $30.7 billion in the 12 months ending last July, up 1.7 percent over the previous 12 months.

You’ve probably shopped or at least heard of Talbot’s, (www.talbots.com) but maybe not about Chico’s. Chico’s (www.chicos.com) is a successful clothing chain that targets these women in their 400+ stores across the country. With a simple sizing system, comfortable styles and an emphasis on helping customers build wardrobes, Chico’s is growing quickly and already enjoys 9 percent market share with Boomers. The company is also testing a lingerie concept called Soma that could become the Victoria’s Secret alternative for women that don’t want super-sexy, vampy styles but also don’t want to look like they’re wearing Granny panties, either.

But they’ll soon have competition from new concept stores from Gap and Gymboree. Gap’s unnamed effort will be distinct from its sister brands, Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic, officials say, and they plan to open 10 stores this year. Gymboree, better known for its children’s clothing, is dipping its toes into the water with a concept called Janeville. Gymboree CEO Lisa Harper says the ultimate Janeville target is a 38-year-old woman who’s moved beyond the college and career years into home and family. Oh, and she has a household income of at least $85,000 a year. The company already has stores open on the West Coast and hopes to open as many as 400 stores in the next seven to eight years.

Janeville is being marketed through direct mail sent to women in communities where stores are opening. Names are from Gymboree’s own database, more than 1 million names strong. This year, the company expects to launch a web presence for Janeville as well as expanded marketing.

So, here’s the question to you: Are there whole groups (of women) that you’re overlooking? Are there opportunities to expand your brand beyond your current target? Are there other age groups that are being underserved? Maybe it’s time to take a look at the old assumptions and take a fresh look.

Is 40 the new 20?

Womentum
The momentum is now with women

Exactly why is ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” so popular? That’s an easy answer for the show’s male viewers, who have made it the second most popular show among men – only Monday Night Football scores better ratings. The women are gorgeous and run around in skimpy outfits. This, in and of itself, is worthy of another post since these women aren’t of the 20-something camp. As Carrie Bradshaw of “Sex and the City” might write, “Is 40 the new 20?”

But back to the topic at hand. For women, there’s a different reason to like DH. In a TV landscape dominated by what’s called “process shows” like “CSI,” DH is a refreshing change. Instead of focusing on the how’s of a story, following the ins and outs of a criminal investigation for example, here’s a show that delves into the personal lives of characters. The who’s, if you will. Their emotions and experiences. And for women, that’s what resonates more.

Unlike other TV women, we’re allowed a peak into DH’s characters’ fears, hopes, dreams and watch as they help each other face new situations. We know what their kitchens look like. We see them in their pajamas. “I think viewers were missing that emotional involvement,” noted one media critic.

Women prefer to talk about people rather than things. Value connection instead of competition. Being understood instead of being in control. That DH’s writers know this is their secret to success with women viewers.

When you market to women, are you aware of these different values? Are you writing to these values? Are you positioning your products or services in ways that are unwittingly “male?” You tell me…

Which women earn more?

Womentum
The momentum is now with women

A quick post today updating the wage gap issue. The Census Bureau reported yesterday that African-American and Hispanic women with college degrees earn more than college-educated white women. Here are the numbers:

• $43,700 for a college-educated Asian woman
• $41,100 for a college-educated African-American woman
• $37,800 for a college-educated White woman
• $37,600 for a college-educated Hispanic woman

Interesting. Of course, white men earn more than everyone.

Anyway, economists speculate that these numbers might be the result of minority women working more than one job and putting in more than 40 hours a week. In addition, some fields like the sciences offer financial incentives for women entering the workforce.

So for us marketers, this new information leads to the question: what do the faces in your advertising look like?

Say Goodbye to Soccer Mom

Womentum
Turning the male-centered marketing model on its head

Much has been written and said about the breakaway TV hit of the season, “Desperate Housewives.”
(http://abc.go.com/primetime/desperate/) That it’s an over-sexed primetime soap, glorifies adultery, and normalizes mothers taking their children’s ADD medication. It’s also been said that it’s a smart, addictive, character-driven look at the (sur)real lives of today’s suburban women. No matter which side you take, here’s a fact: it’s the most popular show on TV. And it’s raising some questions about the state of today’s moms.

In the interest of complete disclosure, I should tell you that I watch it every Sunday night.

Columnist Ellen Goodman (http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/goodman/) recently confessed her feelings about the show as well, stating that she’s fascinated with the struggles of Felicity Huffman’s character, Lynette, a former high-profile exec who gave up her career to stay at home and raise her children. “It’s Lynette that speaks the truth to power – the power of the updated and eternal myth of mommyhood. The “truth” is that even a woman who purposely chooses to be a full-time mom can be one nap away from losing it. The “truth” is that mothers who would throw their bodies in front of a truck for their children also fantasize about throwing their kids in front of a truck. Okay, a little wooden truck.”

One of Lynette’s recent storylines involved her sneaking some of her sons’ ADD medication to help her finish making all the costumes for their school play. Her “mother’s little helper” turned into an addiction, and she later confided in her girlfriends that she felt like a failure as a mom. Personally, I found this admission one of the most honest moments on TV in recent memory. In an age when we all know reality TV isn’t really real, here’s a scripted show that has the courage to talk about the deep struggles facing women.

It’s a conversation that involves words like choice, challenge, decision, struggle, ambivalence, guilt, and stress, according to Myra Stark, (http://www.saatchikevin.com/workingit/myra_stark_report2004ideastrends.html) director of knowledge management at Saatchi & Saatchi, a global advertising agency. She posits that the Mommy Wars are now an internal debate raging in the minds of today’s Gen X and Gen Y women. While society in general is more accepting of working mothers, Xers and Yers are abandoning the work world in favor of being full-time parents. In fact, for the first time in more than ten years, statistics show a decline in workplace participation of married women – down six percent in three years and still dropping.

June Cleaver is long gone. Supermom fell down from exhaustion. The old soccer mom stereotypes are disappearing from the radar. Security moms are on the rise. It all begs the question: What do we really know about today’s moms? And are we marketing to them in ways that are meaningful? Talk amongst yourselves…More on “Desperate Housewives” tomorrow.

The Shrinking Wage Gap

Womentum
Turning the male-centered marketing model on its head

One of the oft-heard truisms about women is that we earn 78 cents for every dollar men earn. Well, there’s good news and bad news about the wage gap.

The good news is that the wage gap is narrowing between younger women and men. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women ages 20-24 earn almost 94 cents to the male dollar. If you’re between 25 and 34, you’re taking home about 85 cents to the male dollar. Between 35 and 44, well, your paycheck reflects only three quarters for every dollar bill your male colleagues are banking. The wage gap is widest between white women and men – with women taking home 78 percent as much as white men. Black women fare much better at 90 percent while Hispanic women pocket 88 percent as much.

Now here’s the bad news. The Institute for Women’s Policy Research reports that if the rate of progress between 1989 and 2002 continues, women won’t be paid dollar for dollar with men for more than 50 years. Bummer. I’ll be retired by then.

So Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com) magazine recently asked several high-ranking female execs for their advice to overcome the wage gap. Representing companies selling videogames to creating cell cultures for medical research, these women have been there, done that and succeedede at it. Their advice?

1. Accept a job with responsibility for the bottom line.
2. Enter a field that rewards emotional and financial risk-taking
3. Work longer. More hours, more weeks, more years.
4. Go where they need you. Even if it’s in Podunk.
5. Choose technology and science opportunities over arts or social sciences
6. Be your job. Pick something you can become and love. Don’t turn off the job with the office lights.

Wage gap or not, women no longer have to rely on Ward Cleaver to bring home all the family’s income. In fact, in the majority of the country’s households, women contribute half or more of the household income. And in nearly one out of three homes, women’s paychecks are bigger than their partner’s.

Sound like an opportunity? You betcha. An opportunity with womentum if you ask us.

He pays. She pays more.

Womentum
Turning the male-centered marketing model on its head

Gillette, the maker of the hugely successful Venus (www.gillettevenus.com) razor designed for women, recently made a bold announcement. It’s going to charge the same price for some men’s and women’s personal care products.

GASP! But we’re used to paying higher prices for the same things. Research from American Demographics (http://amiga.adage.com/de/ad/) indicates that in general, women pay more for haircuts, dry cleaning, clothing alterations, cars, underclothes (and don’t get me started about how much bras cost!), and health insurance. Men, it seems, also come out ahead when it comes to buying auto and life insurance. And actually, Canadian legislators have just introduced a bill to make gender-based pricing a human rights violation!

But back to razors. For years, manufacturers charged more for personal care products on the assumption (you know what they say about assuming) that women care more about their appearance and are thus willing to pay more. Turns out that women, savvy shoppers that we are, instead simply bought men’s razors that were essentially identical to the women’s and refused to pay the difference.

Gillette’s newest Venus razor, the Vibrance, is a battery-powered model that’s equal to the M3Power the company markets to men. Both will be priced between $10 and $12. The company is counting on women to pay a premium for the added technology, a bet that will most likely pay off. Women are the ultimate comparison shoppers and know added value when they see it. They’ll even whip out their debit cards when they see products with worthwhile benefits.

Venus is hoping to reclaim its leadership spot in the $200 million razor category. Venus sales are slumping and the brand is now number four with sales of $73 million. A new, comparably priced razor with benefits just for women? That just might do the trick.

The End of Men?

Womentum
Turning the male-centered marketing model on its head

I did one of those keep-the-engine-running-even-though-I’m-home-in-the-driveway things while I finished listening to a recent report on NPR’s All Things Considered (www.npr.org) called The End of Men. In a Joe Palca report, two noted anthropologists from Rutgers University weighed in on the rise of women in society and how men are being impacted.

Lionel Tiger, (http://anthro.rutgers.edu/faculty/tiger/index.html) author of The Decline of Males and originator of the “male bonding” theory, painted a bleak picture. Men, he argues, are being socially marginalized and are increasingly turning to dead-end activities like watching mind-numbing hours of sports, surfing the web for porn, and taking drugs.

His colleague, Helen Fisher, (http://helenfisher.com) author of The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How They Are Changing the World, countered that men are still in most positions of power and aren’t on the verge of obsolescence. More than 90 percent of all senior executive positions in leading corporations are male, she observed, and in the House of Representatives and Senate, females comprise less than 15 percent of elected officials.

Fisher, a poplar public speaker on gender differences, said that society is moving more toward a balance that resembles traditional hunter-gatherer roles. Women, Fisher said, are economically, socially, and sexually powerful in these cultures. Our culture seems to be moving toward a more gender-balanced model and offered this advice for men – “With more and more women entering the job market, and more and more being successful in middle management, what men seem to want to know is what are the natural talents of women and how can I use these natural talents in my business to get ahead?”

Studies show that women’s natural talents are particularly well-equipped for management and leadership roles in the new economy. Judy Rosener’s (http://web.gsm.uci.edu/~rosener/) book, America’s Competitive Secret – Women Managers, outlines female management traits including
• Linking workers instead of ranking them
• Working interactively
• Sustaining productive relationships
• Sharing information comfortably
• Viewing the redistribution of power as a victory
• Accepting ambiguity
• Relying on intuition as well as rationality
• Flexibility
• Appreciating cultural diversity

In another research study of 425 executives, female managers were rated higher than their male counterparts in 42 of 52 skills measured. These skills and characteristics aren’t exclusively feminine, of course, but these reports suggest maybe it’s time for more men in management positions to get more in touch with their feminine side.

Biker Babes?

Womentum
Turning the male-centered marketing model on its head

One of the things we’d like to do is highlight examples of companies who are doing the right things to reach women. And some of these companies might be a little unexpected. This is one.

Check out www.harley-davidson.com. That’s right, the home of every boy’s fantasy of straddling a roaring engine between their legs is now extending a leather-gloved hand out to women.

According to the company, motorcycle sales to women have rocketed from 2 percent of sales in 1985 to 10 percent in 2003, when women purchased 23,000 bikes.

The new section on their web site, called Time to Ride, features four areas – Why Women Ride, Riding Stories, Learning to Ride, and the History of Female Riders. In the Why Women Ride area, Harley says it’s all about adventure, camaraderie and freedom. Spot on, Harley. The most popular form of travel for women right now is adventure travel, especially for Baby Boomers, Harley’s sweet spot. Camaraderie? Women value connections and there’s almost no one who’s succeeded in building more relationships around a brand than H.O.G., the Harley Owners Group. Harley’s made sure that there are plenty of stories from other women on the site. Women can even submit their own stories and join the Harley community before they ever buy a bike. And finally, freedom. With all the demands on women today, who isn’t looking for a few moments of precious “me” time?

So this made us curious. How are these reasons to ride different for women than for men? We found the answer on Harley’s web site. Adventure, freedom and friendship were also mentioned for men, but so was this: “The flowing curves of the fenders, the smooth lines of the fuel tank…the visual muscle of a big V-Twin engine…and, of course, the sound.”

Think women care about the visual muscle of a big V-Twin engine? Probably not. But women will care about how easy it is to ride the bike. Earlier this year, Harley had the foresight to make slight mechanical changes in all four of its Sportster bikes including lower seats, smaller hand grips, and easier-to-pull clutch levers that make them more female-friendly. When you’re marketing to women, the product must fulfill the promise or trust us, you won’t be the only one hearing about it. She’ll tell two friends, and they’ll tell two friends, and you know the rest.

A great example of the differences in communicating with men and women. And there are plenty. Stay tuned.

Women Plan. Men Drive.

We recently delivered our “Women Plan. Men Drive.” marketing travel to women presentation to Visit Charlotte (www.visitcharlotte.com). The group is a collection of local attractions, hotels and restaurants and we met at the Museum of the New South (www.museumofthenewsouth.org), one of Charlotte’s newest destinations.

Here are some highlights from the morning:
• Women make 70% of all travel decisions and 88% of all family vacation decisions
• Sadly, 72% of women say they feel misunderstood by the travel industry (Hotel and Motel Management, May 2000)
• The Travel Industry Association is predicting an upswing in travel this year and numbers should climb to pre-September 11th levels.
• Baby Boomer women are making the most travel decisions, mostly online
• On vacation, women want to go somewhere new and learn something new
• Women are traveling more and more with other women
• The “new” adventure traveler is now a 47-year-old woman in a pair of size 12 hiking pants instead of a 28-year-old male
• Women are the new road warriors. This year, women are expected to comprise half of the business travel market, an increase of 5000% since 1970. I just love that statistic!

We covered a lot of ground, too much to cover here, including more on women and business travel, how the industry is responding, and tips for communicating effectively with women.

Travel isn’t the only category where women make the majority of decisions. What is your industry doing to talk with women in meaningful ways?