Why She Buys - Purse Strings Tuesday 3pm EST - Live right here!

Posted on | June 29, 2009 | No Comments

On Tuesday, I will interview Bridget Brennan, CEO of Female Factor, a Chicago-based marketing consultancy. Bridget is a pioneer in developing business strategies that appeal to the world’s most powerful consumers. She is the author of Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers, which hits store shelves in early July.
- Maria Reitan

Editors Note: Apologies for technical problems with the broadcasting of the show on our site today. Happily you will find the show up shortly in our Purse Strings widget - directly under the “Recent Posts” column in the left column of our site.

Ally Bank’s Winning Strategy - Disappoint Kids

Posted on | June 29, 2009 | 2 Comments

By Holly Buchanan

I’ll give Ally Bank this, they got my attention with their new TV ads.   Being mean to kids definitely got an emotional reaction out of me.

and

What I’m struggling to understand is how showing a commercial with deceitful men being mean to kids makes me feel good about their bank.  I know they’re trying to say, this isn’t us….but they don’t spend enough time giving me an “after” picture that allows me to walk away feeling good.

I’ve been surfing the net to see what reactions others have to these commercials.  Some find them hilarious and love them.  Others are deeply disturbed and hate them.  It’s tough to tell by commenters’ names if they are male or female. But I’ve noticed that many of those who don’t like the ads are female.  (Though there are men who don’t like them either).

I think this is another fascinating example of male vs. female humor.   Women don’t like humor where someone is put down or is the “victim.”      Women especially don’t like to see children put into the “victim” role.

One of the reasons why folks like the commercials is because of the realistic looks of hurt, disappointment and anger in the children’s faces.   But that’s a double edged sword.  Women are natural empathizers.  They are relating to the negative emotions the kids are experiencing.

I don’t know whether these kids are actors, or as some of the commenters have suggested, that these were real kids brought in unknowingly to participate in the commercials.

But that just ads to the ickyness factor.

These commercials might have worked better for women if there was an “after” focus.  For example, if the kids had a piggy bank, and after the deceiving treatment, they walked across the street to an Ally bank and were welcomed and treated properly.   That way women are left with a positive image and emotion associated with Ally.

As I said, Ally Bank is certainly getting attention with these ads.  But for me, all it says about Ally is -  if this bank thinks these commercials are good, it’s a bank I don’t want to have anything to do with.

What do you think?   Do these commercials make you want to bank with Ally or not?

Program Ads Don’t Stick - The ConsumHERist

Posted on | June 24, 2009 | No Comments

by Delia Passi

Why advertise when 91% of women say that advertising does not resonate with them?  Or that 70% of women multi-task during commercials?  Or that women TiVo their way to stretching their precious down time?  You get the picture?  The commercial is out and “engagement” is in.

That’s why I’m a big believer that if you want to get her attention on the tube then branded entertainment is your ticket to connect with her.

What better way to assure that your brand is not only seen but getting the third party endorsement by having the host interact with your brand!  Lets face it, third party endorsement is the way to go.  Over 80% of women prefer to buy products or services that were recommended by someone they trust, and that “trusted source” can be a favorite program, celebrity or peer.

According to a recent study by Experion Simmons Multimedia Engagement the five dimensions of engagement are reported as:

1. Inspiration: Consumers are inspired by the message and have an emotional connection to it.
2. Trustworthy: Consumers trust a particular program (e.g. The Balancing Act on Lifetime), a magazine or website and believe it is telling the truth without sensationalizing.
3. Life Enhancing: Consumers feel they are learning about new things and places from a particular program, magazine or website, helping to make better life decisions.
4. Social Interaction: Fodder for conversations with friends and family (e.g. the Brands Women Love Tour).
5. Personal Timeout: Provide an escape for consumers who like to relax and unwind while reading or watching them.

Which got the highest marks from consumers?  #4 - Social Interaction.  No surprise here, but an important note for marketers trying to gain market share. Touch and be touched.

Delia Passi, Founder of WomenCertified® and author of Winning the Toughest Customer: The Essential Guide to Selling to Women is a regular columnist on ReachingWomenDaily.  Delia can be reached at delia@medelia.com.

Mom on the Go Network - Purse Strings Today - 3pm EST LIVE

Posted on | June 23, 2009 | No Comments

Maura Steblay & Taiha Wagner of 'Mom on the Go Radio'

My Guest today on the show is Taiha Wagner. Taiha is the founder of Mom on the Go Network… where she hosts a regular Webcast for busy moms. Taiha comes from a health and wellness background and is focused on meeting mom where she’s craziest… caring for her family’s welfare. How does she do it? Find out on PurseStrings.
- Maria Reitan

Hard to Please - The ConsumHERist

Posted on | June 18, 2009 | No Comments

by Delia Passi

I was pressed for time and didn’t come up with a blog topic, but offer this bit of amusement in its place.

My wife always wanted a riding lawn mower.

She works all day and was always tired when she came home from work and thought that a riding lawn mower would help her get the yard work done quicker so she would have more time for the chores inside the house.

SO, being the handy sort of guy that I am, I made her a riding lawn mower. I guess I thought she would squeal with delight or something and give me a big hug. To this day I have never been able to understand why some women are so hard to please. Read more

Eddie Bauer - Climbing to Higher (Brand) Peaks

Posted on | June 18, 2009 | No Comments

By Robert Passikoff

Eddie Bauer, the iconic outdoor-clothing chain that sold goose-down coats to Mount Everest mountaineers and modern outdoor clothing to ski- schussing college students, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday.

Eddie Bauer has been struggling to repay its debt. And the fact that consumers slowed down spending on anything but necessities can’t have helped. In fact, the falloff came as Eddie Bauer was attempting to pull off what would have been a multi-year turnaround. “Eddie Bauer is a good company with a great brand and a bad balance sheet,” said Neil Fiske, the company’s CEO, though the retailer also said stores, catalog business and Web sites would continue operating, and that they will honor all customer gift cards, returns, and their points program.

According to our 2009 Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, Eddie Bauer was just edged out of 1st place by J. Crew, another iconic clothing brand, whose ascension was largely aided and abetted by the patronage of Michele Obama, with L.L. Bean a distant #3.

On the marketing side of things, Eddie Bauer recently celebrated a new line called “First Ascent,” outfitting two mountaineers as they took on a climb of Mount Everest. On the financial side of things, there are plans in place to sell the company for $202 million to CCMP Capital Advisors.

A judge still needs to approve the sale, and other potential bidders still could emerge. But based on engagement and customer loyalty levels, whoever ends up buying the brand is pretty sure to end up on top of the world.
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Robert Passikoff is President of Brand Keys, leader in consumer loyatly measurement and brand consulting.

Only in a Woman’s World - Frito Lay - Purse Strings - Tuesday 3pm EST Here LIVE!

Posted on | June 15, 2009 | No Comments

- missed the show? listen to the podcast - find it in our PurseStrings widget - left side of this page, right under ‘Recent Posts’

Only in a Woman's World

On the show this Tuesday, I’ll be interviewing Becky Frankiewicz, VP Women’s Portfolio Marketing at Frito-Lay North America. We’ll be talking about the company’s new campaign to launch their female focused product line-up through a campaign called “Only in a Woman’s World.” Why did a company such as Frito-Lay decide to focus on products to appeal to a very specific side of female consumers and how is it paying off?

- Maria Reitan

Do Men and Women Have Different Design Preferences?

Posted on | June 12, 2009 | 1 Comment

By Holly Buchanan
Whenever I’m in a meeting about website design, I hear terms like “good design,” “bad design,” “professional design,” “unprofessional design.”   It always makes me ask the question - how do you know?

In my marketing to women online research, it’s been hard to find credible research on what website designs appeal to men and to women.  I have three big questions:

1. What criteria determines whether a design is “good” or “bad”?
2. Do our own preferences influence what we consider to be good design?
3. Do men and women have different design preferences?

Gloria Moss finally answers those questions in her new book Gender, Design and Marketing. Gloria Moss was part of the University of Glamorgan research study that found men prefer websites designed by men and women prefer websites designed by women.

If you are a company marketing to women, heads-up.   That slick black website with all those sharp edges and compartmentalized information may not work for her as well as a brighter more open website design with more curves and less formal font.

The research in Gender, Design and Marketing points to many differences between what women prefer and what men prefer.  Here are just a few:

• We are drawn to images of people of our own gender.
• Men are more likely than women to create design with a technical look.
• Women prefer rounded shapes to linear ones, and detailed surfaces to plain ones.
• Citing a study by Franck and Rosen - “whereas male subjects drew faces in profile, female subjects drew them in full frontal position.”
• Women prefer the use of more color, especially brighter colors.
• Men prefer subject matter that depicts “comparative advertising appeals.”    Women prefer subject matter that depicts “harmonious relationships.

These preferences are pretty deeply ingrained and start at an early age.

Real-Life Example

Look at these two examples of websites featuring celebrity news:

WonderWall

iVillage

Right now it seems the uber “cool” thing is to have a black website.  I’m just not sure how effective that is with women, especially women over the age of 25.  The reverse type is really difficult to read.   I certainly prefer the iVillage design with brighter colors rounded corners and a more open, less compartmentalized design.

Does your design attract women?

Gender, Design and Marketing, combined with my own research, has changed the way I look at design.   I recently attended an art show and was amazed at how accurately I could determine whether a painting was created by a male or female.

Even if you look at artwork, you can see how women incorporate design aesthetics and images that appeal to them, while men incorporate design aesthetics and images that appeal to them.

If you want to create advertising, product packaging or websites that appeal to and are persuasive for women, make sure you understand design aesthetics and images that appeal to women.

Compensating Mommy Bloggers - The Virtue of Transparency

Posted on | June 10, 2009 | No Comments

By Dr. Mary Lou Roberts
As I recounted in the first post in this series, I originally became fascinated with mommy blogs by watching my daughter, a new mother at the time. I gradually became aware of their potential as marketing media, although in those early days, I was thinking mostly about their value for targeted online advertising. I was also intrigued by the number of blogs that were busily distributing coupons.

I should have realized sooner that there was more to the coupon activity than meets the eye. It began to dawn on me when I saw this press release and visited the Jessica Knows blog. Her right nav bar has clear indications that she is affiliated with various brands. She also has a clear disclosure statement.

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does accept forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. We will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. The owner(s) of this blog is sometimes compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for some of our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question. This blog may contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content may not always be identified. To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

For several months there has been a lot of buzz about compensating bloggers (WSJ, subscription required) but most of it hasn’t focused specifically on the mommy blogosphere. Here’s a good example; this post explains the controversy surrounding Chris Brogan’s Kmart posts and links to Chris’s reply. The controversy raged for awhile even though Chris’ posts were clearly labeled as being sponsored.

The mommy blogosphere is so active there are now various lists of top ten mom blogs. This one focuses on the coupon blogs. I took a look at all 10 and found the following:

• Only one had a disclosure statement and it seems word-for-word the same as the one above. It probably came from the same place. Good for these 2 bloggers!
• Most of the others give clear evidence of monetization. I’m basing that on the blogs being hosted and design and navigation suggesting the use of a professional programmer.

My sample size of 11 blogs wouldn’t pass the “representative” test, but I think the results are compelling. Mommy bloggers are being compensated in various ways and they aren’t bothering to disclose it.

What should marketers do? I think it’s obvious that they should require a reasonable level of disclosure. The disclosure statement in use seems to cover the waterfront and it would make sense to require it of affiliates. Perhaps what the business is supplying to bloggers makes a difference, so I’d further suggest:

• Coupons. The mere distribution of coupons through blogs doesn’t seem to create a huge issue. Do users care where coupons come from? I don’t think so! Is there sometimes paid travel or other compensation for the couponing affiliates? It appears so, and disclosure of that would be desirable.
• Product descriptions and ratings. Full disclosure is required when products are being discussed. Consumers have come to rely heavily on peer ratings, and they want to know if the recommenders are truly peers or whether they are compensated endorsers.
• Content. Be sure to brand any content that is made available for use in the blogosphere. That protects both sides.

Wal-Mart seems to have gotten it right with their Elevenmoms blog. It’s linked to the Wal-Mart site and the bloggers and nature of their activities are disclosed. From there, it’s a matter of how well done and useful the blog is. If consumers find value, they will use it. And Wal-Mart, apparently having learned its lesson a couple of years ago, isn’t letting itself in for brand-damaging disclosures.

Transparency Rules!

Savvy Networking - How Women & Men Differ - Purse Strings - Today 3pm EST, LIVE

Posted on | June 9, 2009 | No Comments

Joining me is Andrea Nierenberg – an independent personal marketing consultant and founder of The Nierenberg Group.  She’s an expert at personal marketing and networking techniques – working with leading businesses such as AOL Time Warner, Citigroup, Coach, Estee Lauder, Georgia Pacific. She teaches “Self-Marketing: A to Z” a course she developed at New York University. Andrea is not only a sought after speaker, she’s an author of several books… the latest of which is aptly called “Savvy Networking.” So why is networking crucial to your business? Especially in this economy – if you aren’t networking then you aren’t planning for your future, much less your “right now.”   Learn how women and men’s styles differ when it comes to networking.

- Maria Reitan