THE WOMEN'S ISSUE

Women in Brazil: Reaching the Target Through Numbers and Intuition

Forty years ago, Brazilian company Arno advertised its brand of hair dryers with photographs of a young woman sitting serenely under a dryer at home while applying nail polish – and looking as if she had little else to do all day. Nowadays, Arno's advertisements include an edgy drawing of a group of women in bold stances quickly blow-drying a range of hairstyles and looking as if they are about to dash off to work or an evening on the town. The contrast is an apt picture of how much women's roles have evolved in Brazil.

Women always have been major consumers, but current lifestyles have changed both the motivations for and the volume of their purchases. To develop messages that appeal to women, marketers must understand the consumption habits and behaviors that drive their target. IBOPE, the largest research institute in Latin America, recently conducted two studies that yielded useful data on both women in general and contemporary mothers, specifically.

From IBOPE's research, here are a few facts about women in Brazil:

• About 37 percent of mothers who work outside the home earn the biggest income in their homes.
• Mothers consume six hours of general media per day.
• Mothers who work outside the home prefer segmented media and use the Internet twice as often as moms who stay home.
• Roughly 83 percent of Brazilian women believe it is important to stay in shape and are worried about health problems.
• Only 32 percent of women consume diet or light versions of soda, while 83 percent said they consume regular sodas.

Such statistics can be an important starting point to communication that resonates with women. For instance, the seeming contradiction in women's stated concerns about health and their soda consumption could be a great basis for a food brand to deliver a nutrition message. But it should be done in a way that doesn't chastise – and the message would be even stronger if it also gives a nod to women's busier lifestyles.

While market data is very useful in developing communications for women, it usually should supplement the communication professional's instincts. For example, women in Brazil are more and more involved in the business community. Working is a very important part of their lives. But their dreams and goals of having a good family and marriage are the same as 40 years ago. These “intangible” feelings need to be considered when communicating with them.

Several brands in Brazil have made ads that focus only on work environment or only on family life. Neither had the expected success because they were not reaching the women in a 360-degree way. Meanwhile, ones that address both aspects with balanced importance (as it happens in real life) got excellent results, as Arno did using this “mixed” advertisement.

The final fact is this: Marketers – all over the world – who keep pace with their targets, on tangible and intangible aspects, have the best shot at winning them over.

German Study: Women Think Differently

Recent studies show that 90 percent of “fast-moving consumer goods” purchases in Germany are decided on by women. That has made reaching women a current hot topic in marketing circles. To gain greater insights into the minds of these consumers, Ketchum Germany recently conducted a survey that uncovers some of the ways that women think differently than men.

From the survey of 1,000 men and women, called Women Think Differently, we know that German women not only are multi-minding, but they tend to have up to 10 thoughts in any five minutes – compared to only three thoughts for men. Similarly, 49 percent of women said they “spend more time thinking about others and what they need” than they spend thinking about themselves, while just 32 percent of men said the same.

While thinking about and caring for others can be a source of mental stress for women, it also is an important motivator. For public relations programs that promote products or brands, appealing to this “caring” factor can be a great opportunity to win the attention of women who constantly think about the needs of their children, spouses, parents or friends. But it must be done carefully – without magnifying the stress.

The survey also revealed that while 62 percent of women turn to news media as their primary source for information, women generally view “friends and family” and “experts” as most reliable. Interestingly, the reliability of these sources varied for different industries and products. For instance, for information on beauty products, “friends and family” was seen as most reliable (by 42 percent of women), but for health products women said “experts” were most reliable (38 percent). But no matter what the product, women clearly trust “friends and family” and “experts” more than media. That suggests that more public relations programs should focus on these influencer groups in addition to traditional media.

One such program that has been successful in Germany was designed to support a bonus and incentive system called “Payback,” through which women can collect points by making purchases with a special card. The program asked women to log on to a special Web site, join an online game and recommend the game to other participants. At the end of the campaign, every user was awarded extra bonus points that could be exchanged for gifts from Payback's retail partners. This word-of-mouth campaign increased the number of participants in the Payback system by 10 percent.

Until recently, that kind of Web-based campaign would not have worked for German women. For a very long time, the Internet was seen as a male tool, but today 47 percent of all online users in Germany are female. Women are catching up. What's more, a recent study (supported by Ketchum) at the European University Fresenius in Cologne showed that women tend to use more Web 2.0 tools and techniques than men. This is especially true of social communities. Women collaborate in online networks, so we see in Germany a rise of new social communities, such as Womenweb, Gofeminine, and others, with growth rates of 20 percent per month. That's a very good reason for marketers and PR experts to use this new kind of media.

Trends in Marketing to Women in the U.S. and Beyond

Marketers realized awhile back that women buy nearly everything. And for almost everything else, we heavily influence the purchases. As a result, the marketing industry in the U.S. has developed numerous conferences focused on reaching women, multiple books offering advice, and a wealth of statistics on this important target. Clearly, marketers are getting smarter. But many still are asking how to best win the attention of women who already have many other responsibilities and interests vying for their time.

Here are four marketing trends that are driving effective programs to reach women in the U.S. and beyond:

Using women to reach more women. Women are finding more solutions from each other than from marketers, and marketers know it. Terms like “alpha moms” and “influential consumers,” though relatively new, are now a regular part of our marketing lexicon, and savvy marketers are going after these influential women to reach the rest. When Nintendo introduced Wii, influential moms were the first target audience and were invited to demos in the homes of their friends. That tactic proved to be a successful platform for reaching the primary purchaser of family game systems: mom.

Public relations has a strong role here because it can deliver credibility, and credibility is one of the four cornerstones of reaching female consumers – along with messages that connect quickly, “surround-sound” communications (involving multiple venues and sources that women interact with) and consistent confirmation. Female consumers see “friends and family” as the most credible source of information, so public relations programs aimed at women should consider ways to deliver messages through women – such as word-of-mouth tactics.

Local is driving national. Things that happen on a grass-roots level – that is, local events – often are more relevant to women's daily lives than national events. A number of companies and brands are conducting local-market efforts in targeted cities before evolving their efforts nationally. Those in-person friends and family interactions serve to help brands build real relationships with women because they are relationship-based. If a friend recommends a product or solution and she has no commercial reason to do so, it's authentic. Interestingly, the friends and family dynamic is now growing to include online friends – encompassing women who have never physically met. This makes it easier to spread an effort from a local level to a broader one.

Events must be dual- or multi-purposed. Women are multi-tasking and multi-minding more than ever before. In some ways, that has made it harder to draw them to a single-purpose marketing event. So some marketers have figured out that an event will have greater appeal for their targets if it is something that can be done with a mother, a daughter or a girlfriend. For instance, one bank provides a “bring a girlfriend” invitation to an informational session on preparing for college tuition. Spending time with a girlfriend is an added incentive to go out and learn something.

This tactic is smarter still when marketers enable women to do such double duty in a path that they would already cross. That could mean holding an event in a location that is on the way to work or home – if not directly in someone's house. All are ways that prevent busy women from having to go out of their way.

Moms want marketing to reflect their whole lives, not just motherhood. Information about how best to address a scraped knee or manage a teen's after-school activities almost always will appeal to moms. But being a mom is just one part of a woman's life. Companies looking for ways to appeal to women beyond their roles as mothers should consider partnerships with Web sites and social networking sites where women are flocking in droves. One such site is Mommy Track'd, which is all about the interplay between the two parts of moms – the working side (whether inside or outside of the home) and the kids' side. Besides information about great children's books or how to sustain breastfeeding after going back to work, there is great content about things that are important to women as women, such as great spas and girlfriend getaways.

Chinese Women: Buying Power and Social Status Are Growing

Today's Chinese women possess social status and buying power that are stronger than ever as women play increasingly important roles at work and at home. This imposes a challenge to a society that traditionally has been dominated by men, but it presents a major opportunity for marketers.

Some statistics indicate that up to 70 percent of family purchase decisions are controlled by women, and recent research by MasterCard projects that the total spending of women in China will continue to grow, reaching about $525 billion (U.S.) by 2015. That would represent an increase of 59 percent over $330 billion in spending in 2005. Driving this consumption are career women in urban areas. In addition to expected roles of purchasing products for children, older relatives and friends, these women live a “consumption-driven” lifestyle. According to common statistics, 65 percent of female consumers spend more than 60 percent of their monthly income on purchases.

China ranks No. 2 in the global luxury market, and women's desire for luxury brands and products continues to grow. This is true not only in major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but it also applies in secondary markets, including Shenyang, Tianjin, Huaerbin and Quingdao. As women seek luxury goods, they also are very concerned about product quality and safety. So the indication for marketers is to take a long-term view and develop effective public relations programs to build brand trust and reinforce credibility.

Marketers already are starting to factor women's attitudes and sensibilities into their approaches. For example, using sex appeal in marketing has become more popular and is proving to be an effective element in attracting and engaging female consumers. As for public relations, specifically, influencer programs are increasingly being used to add value and credibility – most notably in the areas of fashion and lifestyle, where women are easily influenced by their perceived role models.

There has been great success with influencer programs that rely on celebrities and artists, as well as senior editors and columnists for fashion publications. For example, celebrity seeding programs for Samsonite and LensCrafters have been underway in China for the past two years. Outreach that provides product samples to relevant celebrities and chief editors has generated a lot of positive feedback about the products and favorable word-of-mouth about these brands. The messages get spread on blogs as well as through fashion shoots, editor's choice pages and books. As a result, consumers look for the exact style and model referenced in these information sources.

Online communication is a promising area for reaching Chinese women. While online retailing is still in its early stages in China, the country has one of the world’s most established Internet infrastructures and user bases. Of 168 million total Internet users, 45 percent are female. Social media and online communities are growing fast and having a major influence on purchase decisions as consumers use the Internet to share feedback about products. Along with auto and digital products, cosmetics and other women's products are among the hottest topics being discussed. Some marketers already have begun establishing systems for monitoring and analysis of these online conversations, and the area clearly is ripe for companies to use online word-of-mouth to promote their products and brands.

• Reaching Women Voters
  Susan Molinari
• The Googling Mom
  Gur Tsabar
• Women 50 to 70 are the Golden Bull's-Eye
  Marti Barletta

Women 50 to 70 are the Golden Bull's-Eye

Women between the ages of 18 and 54 are coveted targets of marketers. And no wonder: They're fashion-conscious consumers, young mothers, and working women – all in need of a multitude of products and services. But there is a potentially more powerful audience that marketers often miss: women 50 to 70 years old.

Research from New Strategist publications shows that this age group has both the highest household incomes and the highest net worth in the U.S. Women this age shop not only for themselves and their spouses, but for children and grandchildren, too. And as baby boomers move into midlife, women will make up an increasing percentage of the population. So they have more money, they make more decisions, and they're growing. It's hard for me to think of a consumer industry where these women are not the bull's-eye.

They are the healthiest, wealthiest, most educated, most active and most influential generation of women in history. I call them PrimeTime Women™ because they are in the prime of their lives and because they represent the prime target opportunity for marketers – handling 80 to 85 percent of the spending decisions for households in the peak years of their spending power.

That said, PrimeTime isn't a generation; it's a life stage. Women in their 50s and 60s return to their “real” selves and care less about what other people think of them. With young children out of the way, they have both money and time, and they are seeking experiences rather than more material things. They also are looking to build their personal legacies.

When developing public relations programs, here are some ways to make your story more relevant for PrimeTime Women:

Use storytelling and anecdotes. Create interest among your audience by including stories about people and sharing secrets and surprises. And build a bond of commonality when you choose people that make them feel “she's just like me.” Make sure your stories are authentic and believable.

Go beyond the bare facts and capture their feelings. When you quote, make the speakers “excited,” “relieved,” “surprised,” etc.

Focus on “real” people. Use descriptions that show dimensions. Don't just say, “Susie Cook, 56.” Instead say, “Susie Cook, 56, an avid cyclist and Bruce Springsteen fan. . .” Be sure to depict women in social situations that are active and interesting and that are not limited to couples.

Provide a lot of information. PrimeTime Women are lifelong learners and keep physical, mental, and electronic drawers full of magazine and newspaper clippings of information that they “might just need someday” for gift giving, party planning, travel itineraries, etc.

Encourage community/civic activism. Consider creating an advisory panel of women in your community (and beyond) to aid in product development, respond to surveys, test products, react to marketing campaigns, and generally have a voice in how your company can meet their needs. Look for local women business owners as examples and mentors who can help lead your company down the PrimeTime path. This not only makes for a great PR story, but it also creates word-of-mouth among their PrimeTime Women peers.

Use expert testimonials and credentials. Help these women find the answers they are looking for as they comparison shop. Doctors can answer health questions and make recommendations with authority. Financial experts can speak to the financial tools and solutions women can use to balance their portfolios. Dietitians can delve into nutrition and wellness needs. Travel experts can suggest some wonderful pleasurable pursuits. All of these experts can be great assets in a public relations plan.

Reaching Women Voters

Women are powerful in politics. The 2008 U.S. presidential race has cast a bright light on this fact. But even absent a woman on the ballot, it's important to understand the weight that women voters now carry.

Since 1964, women in the United States have voted in higher numbers than men, and the gap has grown steadily. Women began voting at higher rates than men in 1980, and in 2004, the voter turnout rate was 60.1 percent for women compared to 56.3 percent for men – with women outvoting men across every racial and ethnic group. Adding to this, women now are bringing their purses to the polls, too, making more financial contributions to campaigns.

Consider that women make more than 80 percent of consumer purchase decisions, and this is no surprise. Women are the ones watching prices rise at the grocery store, the doctor's office and even the gas pump. We also are primary decision makers on issues such as health care and school selection – key topics that often drive election debates and voter choices.

Political strategists have not missed these facts. Campaign rhetoric as well as media reports and analyses scarcely fail to address the importance of women voters. But very little is said about real, effective strategies for reaching women. That could be largely because women are not monolithic. Many differences drive the way we choose candidates. Still, any political campaign should carefully consider both how and where it is reaching women – and how to stagger messages for various segments, such as older women versus younger women.

When the 2008 presidential election is all said and done, I believe a big question will be “Where did women get their information?” The Internet has played a major part in this election, but it still is viewed largely as a medium for men. But more and more women are accessing blogs and otherwise catching up to men on Internet use. A major difference is that men tend to use the Internet to get news, while women use it as a research tool. This presents an opportunity for candidates and their supporters to provide substantive information online that could help sway women voters – especially since women also make up the majority of late deciders and swing voters. Yet campaigns often miss it.

For instance, BlogHer, an online network of more than 1,400 women bloggers, conducted a December 2007 survey that found, among other things, these facts:

• 55.8 percent of women bloggers were turned off by candidates' tactics to reach women (such as “Women for Obama” and “Moms for Hillary”) and
• 94 percent of women bloggers wanted to hear directly from the candidates via BlogHer – and not just from their spouses or other supporters, as some campaigns had offered.

Of course, the issue goes beyond presidential elections. Women are an important part of the electorate that any campaign should be trying to tap into. And the so-called “Sex in the City Vote” should be a priority. For the first time in our nation's history, the number of unmarried women – including those divorced and widowed – in the eligible voting population is equal to the number of married women. They each represent 26 percent. But many don't vote. Efforts such as WE tv's WE Vote '08 and others by organizations like “Women's Voices. Women Vote” are trying to mobilize these women, and savvy campaign strategists should, too.

For both this growing group of unmarried women and for married women, the key will be identifying the issues that matter most to them – including ones that have nothing to do with their marital status – and the communications channels that they are most likely to turn to.

The Googling Mom

Mothers are known for searching for solutions – whether it's a recipe for a quick meal or a way to stop the kids from fighting. But a certain kind of mom is in a constant state of searching. Instinctively, she seeks out answers for herself, her family and others. She is the “Googling mom.”

Predictably, search engines are one of her primary tools. Women in general tend to use search engines slightly more than men. According to the 2007 media usage survey conducted by Ketchum and the University of Southern California, 69 percent of women use search engines, compared to 66 percent of men. But the Googling mom does more than use search engines; she treats online resources like friends and family – turning to the Web for wisdom on questions that she is certain someone must have had before her.

However, she doesn't rely on search engines alone. Online or off, the Googling mom is constantly searching for answers. And the answers can come from a longtime friend – or the person she's standing next to in line at the supermarket – or just as easily from a useful Web site, a social network or from the words printed on the packaging of a product.

This presents a great opportunity for marketers who want to reach moms. Take the e-retailer that gives mom everything she needs to return unwanted purchases, including an adhesive return label and a sealable return pouch she can simply stuff into her mailbox. By eliminating yet another undesirable trip to the post office, the marketer's actions do more to address the Googling mom's concerns than most words ever could.

Similarly, companies also must rethink the way they position themselves online. First, they must realize that having a Web presence is, at most, 1 percent about showcasing their wares to the world and 99 percent about fulfilling the needs of their target constituencies. And toward that end, companies must produce content that is both relevant and conversational.

Public relations can help companies and their brands evaluate the wide array of conversational assets they have at their disposal and prepare them to use those assets in two ways:

1. To maximize dissemination: Content must be created in a way that effectively taps into society's conversational realities, ensuring it spreads like wildfire – online as well as offline.
2. To take advantage of the Web's native indexing mechanisms: The next time a Googling mom is searching for answers online, the brand should be easily accessed as a ready resource, with content that is relevant to moms' concerns.

Simply put: Companies that successfully provide answers to Googling moms at their most critical moments of search are guaranteed to engender a lifetime of loyalty.