The impact of gender on consumer behavior and marketing to women is the foundation of my knowledge, but is by no means the limit.  My expertise in that field has led to a deep understanding of the hows and whys of consumer behavior and the interconnections between consumer values, cultural trends, and decision-making. All of which leads me to sustainability, a business and life focus about which I am passionate.

Here’s why:  Early on in my marketing career, I saw that gender differences, consumer behavior and cultural trends could never be kept to their own silos. Gender roles and stereotypes have an effect on the way consumers behave and the way businesses see and respond to those consumers.  Sustainability, thought it may get spoken of as such, is much more than a “trend.”  It is a movement that will greatly interweave with gender and consumer behavior, in my mind.  Evolving my work from “marketing to women” into sustainable business that incorporate women’s insight and buying behavior is key.  And, it is where my expertise naturally fits.

What I can do for you given my unique web of knowledge:

• I give conference and corporate-scale presentations to spark a sustainability fire, and share with your audiences about how to best engage consumers and/or internal conventional thinkers in a whole new way of living and working.
• I provide content, filtering all the new research and cultural cues on where sustainability is heading and how you can join the journey.
• I consult to help your company connect dots in confirming that the pursuit of sustainability is your best (I say, only), future-thinking decision.
• I build community by, with, around and through your content and brand story.  There is nothing like building relationships by way of Twitter and then watching the connections spark for sustainability.

A little background:

In 2000, I co-founded ReachWomen and began regularly writing for online publications. Within a few years, my business partner and I had published Don’t Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy – And How To Increase Your Share Of This Crucial Market (AMACOM, 2004). The feedback from readers continues to be great, and it was a true honor to get glowing reviews from the likes of Harvard Business School, as well (“[Don't Think Pink]” is rich in practical suggestions and interesting stories, with an easy-to-read style.”). In 2006, another of the book’s greatest fans, Soundview Executive Summaries, included an excerpt of DTP in their own compilation for Penguin, The Marketing Gurus: Lessons from the Best Marketing Books of all Time.

I’ve contributed to many industry-leading blogs, and online and traditional publications over the years including HuffingtonPost.com and my own Learned On (Women). My posts are also often linked from TomPeters.com or included on 3blmedia.com. Over the years, I’ve been quoted in, or interviewed by, Ad Map, The New York Times, AdWeek, public radio’s Marketplace, the Los Angeles Times and more. I contribute commentary for Vermont Public Radio on topics related to sustainability and have written a number of eBooks including:

• Beware the Gender Trap: Marketing to the 21st Century Consumer
• Marketing to Women for the Common Man

When I’m not writing, I present at industry conference and corporate events. In recent years, my audiences have included the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, the Urban Land Institute, the Photo Marketing Association, the Gulf Marketing Review (Dubai) conference, and the American Gem Society.

I have a BA from the University of Michigan and am currently pursuing a Master’s in Sustainable Business through Goddard College, located right here in my super sustainability-oriented home state of Vermont.

I’ve come to realize that my given last name, Learned, is no accident.  Since childhood, I’ve been fascinated by a very broad range of topics and have explored what that means in my years of work and for my clients.  The term that best describes my approach simply emphasizes my innate spirit:  Polymath – n. very learned (Merriam-Webster’s 10th Edition).  (I couldn’t make this stuff up.)

Through speaking, consulting and writing, I aim to energize businesses to engage their consumers and organizations in a whole new sustainably-minded way.