I’ve been writing about the “ins” and “outs” and the good and bad in marketing to women for almost a decade, so there are resources galore for you in my archives. This is where you’ll find my eBook of interviews with insightful twenty-first century marketing minds (9 Minds On Marketing), my manifesto on marketing to women for the common man, and pieces focused on single women and taking a multi-sensory marketing approach. All of it is, of course, in addition to my blog posts (including those for eBrandMarketing.com, MPdailyfix.com, and Huffingtonpost.com) on topics from green and cause-related marketing to more general posts on gender trends in the marketing field - just use the search tool on this page.
If you’re looking for a specific topic and don’t find it here or in my blog archives, let me know and I’d be happy to dig deeper into my files. Just give me a call at 802-658-8319 or email me at andrea [at] learnedonwomen [dot] com.
Sometimes the stars just align and consumer trends come together in a way that seems so natural. Consider, for instance, the women’s market and sustainable business practices. If you’ve been struggling to pursue each as a separate initiative, take heart. In many ways, you will come to powerfully reach today’s … Read on >
A few weeks ago I heard Malcolm Gladwell speak to an audience of homebuilding industry CEOs about how people make decisions or judgments. That is also the general topic of his most recent book, Blink, which explores two ways of decision-making: 1) the data-driven to the nth degree, … Read on >
There’s been a recent flurry of “women’s site” activity:
- I’ve just read news of Dove.com’s new more social media-style web site. - Mom-blog, Dooce.com also recently got big coverage for its advertising sales numbers, even given the take-no-prisoners writing style of its founder, Heather B. Armstrong. - Yahoo just … Read on >
As 2007 ended and “top trends” for 2008 were released by every marketing consultant and his/her brother, I reflected a bit. How far have we come? Has marketing to women, as a field of business study, evolved as quickly as its subject has? Are there any big new trends that … Read on >
I’ve been writing about a gender trap recently - in that lots of brands are still approaching the women’s market at the extreme of the gender pendulum (in an overly “girly” manner) when they don’t need to. One way to demonstrate this is to talk about brands that are marketing … Read on >
Part of what makes marketing to women seem so complicated is the fact that their purchase decision-making paths can be a bit winding. For most women, there is more to their decision than the bullet points on your new-community fact sheets. They are taking it all in — from the … Read on >
We live in a time of commoditization, where logic/linear thinking doesn’t necessarily help us differentiate or guide our decisions like it used to. This is no surprise.
In his already-classic book, A Whole New Mind (Riverhead Books, 2005), Daniel Pink addresses this as he writes of a new conceptual age. … Read on >
Kids seem to mature through a phase of attention seeking, and that should be the case with brands, as well.
Lily, my 3-year old neighbor is a great example of this sort of human nature in action: she just can’t bear it if I’m talking to, or watching, her twin brother, … Read on >
Remember when women used to be viewed as a homogenous “minority” consumer segment? That time has certainly come and gone, as evidenced by the money that car manufacturers, hardware stores, banks and cosmetic retailers, among others, have been putting into more narrowly focused, segment-specific campaigns.
Yet single women remain one … Read on >
9 Minds on Marketing, a special 800CEORead eBook of essays based on interviews with some of the great marketing-minded authors (and a few from outside marketing) around. Originally published in October of 2006, it is now a FREE download.
Leadership and the Sexes: Using Gender Science to Create Success in Business
by Barbara Annis
"The future of corporate success (especially with women occupying 50 percent of the workplace) lies in women and men both becoming gender intelligent in negotiations." This book is HR/leadership-focused, but there are significant implications for marketing team effectiveness and the understanding of today's consumers.
Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men
by Michael Kimmel
Kimmel offers incredible insights on how young men view their own masculinity (and why). The way men think, in general, will be key to the broader gender trend conversation of the 21st century - with some major marketing implications (if you ask me).
The She Spot: Why Women Are the Market for Changing the World -- And How to Reach Them (BK Business)
by Lisa Witter and Lisa Chen
Social change driven by women - how much more hopeful about our world could you get? This book is well-written, and its nonprofit advice also applies, for the most part, to corporate marketing.
Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow
by Chip Conley
I'm a big psychology buff, so this application of Maslow's hierarchy of needs to the business realm fascinated (and resonated) with me. As Conley mentions, psychology in business has long been about "fixing it," but that won't necessarily "offer the opportunity for transformation to a more optimal state of being or productivity." Everyone can learn from this discussion.
The Sexual Paradox: Men, Women and the Real Gender Gap
by Susan Pinker
A fascinating examination of how sex differences play out over the life span. One interesting quote: "For most women it's less a question of who's able to win. It's whether competing feels good and is worth the cost."
