Paint By Numbers: Why Marketing TO Women Makes Me Uneasy

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Paint By Numbers: Why Marketing TO Women Makes Me Uneasy

Fast Co is on my shortlist of go-to news sources for innovation and new ideas in business. It’s also a go-to place for design. They have columnists who I really respect and admire, people with experience and associations I continually learn from – so I was surprised to find a really simplistic ‘top ten ways to market’ type article on how to reach women because I don’t think women can be marketed to in a paint by numbers way – but also I like to think we are moving beyond the idea of ‘marketing to’ and instead thinking about catering to – meeting needs, enhancing lives, engaging with authentic and meaningful stories, which is a very different thing then marketing. Development by design rather than development by changing the message, that’s what I believe in.

The title of the article is: Women Dominate The Global Market Place; (yes, true) Here Are 5 Keys To Reaching Them (already smacks of sinister intent). I’m going to now go through some assumptions within the article that I think need addressing and then arrive at the surprise ending where the author lists beliefs that I think are totally true and where I think the article should have begun, instead of ending. Maybe the author, like me years ago, feels she has a lot more to say but instead worries that these paint by number articles of well worn facts are the only thing that people will read because it’s what they expect and what her shareholders and clients expect. (Not that I ever really did that. I just thought I should.)

Okay so how do you sell to these unsuspecting women? Here’s how:

First this pull quote stuck out like a sore thumb: To reach women, Sprint has refocused away from tech industry jargon.

When I was working at a well-known and revered ad agency way back in 2005, an individual that I shared an office with had the nifty idea of reviving a first generation consumer PC brand by marketing it to women. They too thought we should steer clear of any technical jargon that these pink-and-shopping-loving women didn’t want to be bothered with. I went to work trying to prove that this was an insulting misstep. I looked through my friend Andrea Learned’s Don’t Think Pink book that came out at the time, also about marketing to women, and another book by Marti Barletta that is cleverly entitled Marketing To Women. (I interviewed Marti at the ReThinkHer conference in 2009. You can read that interview here.) All of my efforts with said computer company strategy were in vain. Of course women could only understand computers if they were packaged as fashion accessories, you know, like in Legally Blonde? My research was looked upon as a complaint of sorts, and a dismissible one at that.

The Sprint example goes on to say: (Women are) ‘juggling so many roles that we have an opportunity to help her be as productive as possible.

Now, in-store communications tell a more lifestyle-focused story with imagery and customer-centric language that helps customers understand the benefits and relevance of the technology, rather than focusing on the pure tech specs of the devices themselves.

We’ve also increased the personal service levels in our stores, with programs like ‘Ready Now.’

Great. But isn’t that not just about women but about how the Internet and technology is becoming a seamless part of our lives and not some newfangled wires and bytes gadgetry for famed IT nerds in dark rooms? Isn’t it 2011? Don’t you people have ipads and twitter accounts? I’m working on an upcoming conference and one of the speakers will talk about the Outernet, another word for this online/offline merging. Its not women, it’s modern life.

Number 2 on the list is “Join Her Circle.”

Something is just not right in that kind of language. It reminds me of pedophiles hanging on the schoolyard fence. Personally, I have noticed a handful of new @whatwomenmake (twitter) followers who are interested in selling things quite overtly or are SEO experts who can increase your followers by three turtle doves and a partridge and a pear tree. Why are they following What Women Make? Because I have passed the 1000 follower mark. That’s why. Not because they are interested in what women create or innovation or business or any of the other values and interests I share daily on Twitter.

The fact is if you come from a good place, you can enter someone’s brain space. If you are being strategic and that’s not who you are, you’re taking a big risk personally and professionally.

Another point made in the article, on the point on the list that dictates “Understand her similarities” (and then later ‘Understand Her Differences” phew) is that companies should be offering unique ways to make the shopping experience easier and more fulfilling. Yes, of course they should. That’s the beauty and delight of good design and services and products that are integrated into real people’s lives, the lives of both men AND women.

Point number 5 starts to wise up advising:

* Respect that she is not a niche group with a single answer
* ~~Join her circle,~~ listen to what she is saying and ask her opinion
* Acknowledge her influence and include her above and beyond the point of purchase
* Understand that she is a holistic thinker when making every purchase decision

Now what I say to that is, Her, him, everyone.

You can find the article here. via Fastcodesign