Mission Critical - Marketing to Women

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Authors: Pradip Sinha & Prashant Banerjee,
Associate Consultant, Associate Consultant,
ICMR (IBS Center for Management Research).

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Andrea further gives the example of lawnmowers (the man goes for the power or size, while the woman wants to be able to fit it in the garage and feel like she can control it when she uses it), cars (men think more aspirationally and look for cars that are more fun/remind them of wilder days, while women in their lives will often sway them to consider what is practical before making a final purchase) and computers (men want to keep getting newer models with more memory and additional features while women want to do a lot of research and find the most practical fit that will satisfy their needs for a few years).

The crux according to her here is _ women who influence purchasing decisions consider a lot of variables before handing over their money. So, it's important for organizations that they take adequate care of these minute details while marketing and targeting their products to women. There is a sense of urgency in companies to secure the loyalty of women consumers, because when women buy brands, they stick to that particular brand for a long time.

The success story of Amway, the network marketing company having a turnover of $4.9 bn in 2003, proves this very well. Marketing to women needs lots of creativity and flexibility.

In this context, the Internet best serves the purpose. Internet is becoming a comfort zone, friend and true advisor for women to buy things (being a time saving, convenient and 24/7 shopping with more space) from the privacy of homes. Women are using internet services differently from their male peers and have become the majority of the web users and online shoppers in the US. Women make up almost half of first time web users who shop online. Many companies are on their way to making online buying more flexible with more and more information about their products on the web.

Companies should try to earn the trust, faith and loyalty of today's mothers as there is a tendency among women to pass on whatever they do to their daughters. Have you ever asked a woman why she uses a particular brand or product? The answer will be my mother used it and so am I.

Celebrating Mothers Day or any other family day will be fruitful for companies. There are many companies which use this bond to promote their products, prime among them is Pears. Its advertisement on TV, shows a beautiful mother using Pears soap for bathing; her little daughter wonders what makes her mother's skin so beautiful and she discovers Pears soap in the bathroom . The Clinic Plus shampoo ad also reflects the same bond. Dr Evelyn Bassoff, an eminent expert on parent child relationship writes in her book, Cherishing over Daughters _"Mother is the child's most trusted interpreter, she is the one who defines the child's inner and outer world by telling her what to approach and what to avoid in this world, what to like, love and what to hate and dislike. She is the one who gives the feelings to her".

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