ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
What's Your Marketing-to-Women IQ?
By Tiffany Meyers
Women are the lead users and influencers in virtually every consumer category. So when Bridget Brennan, founder of the Chicago-based marketing consultancy Female Factor, meets marketers who say there's no difference between the way men and women view their products and services, she can't help but wonder if they're missing an opportunity to secure a competitive edge. "So," she says, "I give them a little quiz."
Do you know enough about your leading ladies? Take Brennan's quiz to find out.
Q: What are the features of your product that are more preferred by women than men?
"Many people will be wildly surprised to find that the two genders are often attracted to completely different things," Brennan says. If you go deep with women, she adds, their insights could inspire entirely new marketing innovations. While you were busy advertising your product's precision-engineered widget, for example, your female consumer may have fallen head over heels in love with a practical detail you never thought mattered. Turns out, it does.
Q: What are the sales rates of your product by gender?
Brennan finds many marketers can't cite the specific gender breakdown of their customer base. So what happens if you find out the dominant buyer and influencer of your purportedly gender-neutral product turns out to be a woman? "It would be like selling products to Canada for 20 years and then realizing that most of your customers are actually Japanese," Brennan says. "It would – it should – change everything."
Q: Is your sales force trained to approach male and female customers differently?
"Women are very practical creatures," Brennan says. The female consumer is not likely to be seduced by speeds and feeds. But her palms might just get sweaty with lust for functional details that promise to make her life easier. Salespeople are wise to junk the jargon, speaking to women's primary concern instead: What will this product do for me and my life?
Q: How do your customer service calls split along gender lines?
"Marketers spend millions on messaging designed to get your attention, but the minute you call them – and they actually have an opportunity to have a one-on-one dialogue with you – that's where they skimp out," Brennan says. Want to get women buzzing about your service? "How about answering the phone with a live human being when she calls to set up her utilities? Because that is what women would talk about."
Q: How many women are involved in the development of your creative concepts?
"Men think racing the car next to them off of a stoplight is normal," Brennan says. "Women think complimenting strangers on their shoes is normal. So men and women might as well be from two separate countries, given how different our gender cultures are." When it comes to developing creative concepts, women – fluent in the subtle language of female gender culture – make sure nothing gets lost in translation.
