Marketing to women that connects, example 3: Kotex.
The period. It's the monthly reminder of how as women, we are all connected. It punctuates our lives with bloating, back cramps and chocolate cravings. For years, maxi pad advertising has tried to connect by showing women dancing through fields of flowers in white pants or the tired blue dye absorption ratio demonstrations. In fact, up until a few years ago, a pad with wings was the only innovation in this industry. But this Kotex campaign broke the cycle and was revolutionary because of its honesty. It acknowledges and apologizes for how lame maxi pad advertising has been. Kotex laughs at itself and therefore brings us in on the joke. As women, we must laugh in the face “Aunt Flo”, so PMS doesn’t get the best of us. The U by Kotex website continues with the “Get Real” campaign and invites women to engage and share with the company and their friends. They can create their own period video spoofs, and even design their own maxi pad. I love that the visual when this fun feature is loading is a white pad filling with blue liquid--that is spot on! I hope other companies can learn from Kotex when it comes to Marketing to Women and break the cycle of bad advertising…even if for a moment it feels unsettling like a hormonal rollercoaster ride. How do you really feel about feminine product advertising? Do you think they are really connecting with the ladies? Want to see more, check out the first post in my series 20 examples of Marketing to Women that Connects.
Innovative healthcare marketing example #8.
I like this Abilify ad for a simple reason. The cute grey blob. He symbolizes depression, which is not so cute, but somehow Abilify has made him kind of endearing. He's in every cartoon frame, following the not-as-depressed-as-she-was lady around, signifying to us that her depression is always there. In some way, shape or form. He starts out as a black hole she falls into, but once she gets out, he becomes smaller and shorter, as she gets her depression under control.
By the end of the spot, it's clear this lady is the boss as she picnics with her family and he flattens into a grey blob on the ground. I like the simplicity of the imagery that gets this rather distressing disease information across in a light, original way. It's also clever how the advertiser gets all the disclaimer blah blah out while showing the cute grey blob sitting on a chair taking notes on the disclaimer info with her, bobbing along on the family walk to the picnic site, etc.
I can't say I know a lot about the drug effectiveness (altho people have posted some pretty nasty YouTube comments), but I can say this is an effective spot. Take a look and let me know if you agree.
Is 2012 the year of the stay at home husband?
It’s really easy to find stories about the hard knock life of professional women. There’s not enough equality in the workplace, not enough good childcare, not enough balance at home, not enough hours in the day. . . It’s the (true) stuff of many, many magazine articles.
But, this Bloomberg BusinessWeek story Behind Every Great Woman, I’m happy to say, is not one of those stories. Instead, Bloomberg Businessweek profiles a few women who’ve made it to the top of the corporate ladder without having to sacrifice their marriages, children, or sanity.
They did need help though, and they got it from their husbands. These men chose to scale back on their careers, or give them up completely, to be supportive corporate spouses, household managers, and primary caregivers to their children.
The stay-at-home husband (or partner) is far from a new phenomenon. Who among us doesn’t know a stay-at-home dad? Okay, maybe two.
But the point of the Businessweek article is: that number is about to rise as women continue their ascent in the workplace. (Unfortunately, men have lost more jobs in this poor economy than women and that’s contributing to the shift as well.)
So, what does this mean to us marketing to women experts? Our business model is shaped by the fact that women—whether they work outside the home or not—are their household’s primary decision makers, money managers, schedulers, social directors and myriad other roles responsible for 83% of all consumer purchases.
If more men start staying home while their partners work full time, this fact might change. (I sure hope it will!) And that means the way we do business at Brogan will have to change, too, just as it did when the internet took over the planet, and as it is again in the era of the smart phone and tablet.
Even though that will send me and my colleagues back to the books, you won’t hear anybody cheering more loudly than me.
Now I’m just wondering how long it’s going to take before the stay-at-home husbands graduate from being newsworthy tokens to being a force to be reckoned with (and marketed to).
What do you think? Are you seeing this shift in your community?
She the People, hear it roar.
Media for women.
This is a term that makes some people shudder, picturing a pink ghetto where pundits ponder vapid topics like hemline heights and dating etiquette. But others see women’s media as I do—a useful way to reach an audience with a particular point of view.
A new political blog from the Washington Post called She The People does a particularly good job of it, I think. The bloggers (all female) aren’t content to just search the news tickers for sound bites about Hillary Clinton and Michelle Bachman. On a recent day, there were posts about Newt Gingrich’s latest gaffe and a diet book protest in front of the British parliament.
These weren’t “women’s” stories, per se, but they were told with an eye and ear for the way women read the news. We’re looking for nuance, context, and a perspective that includes ourselves and minorities. She The People has all that, in my opinion. And so does Slate’s equally smart blog, XXfactor.
Not everyone agrees with me. Feminist blogger Jessica Valenti doesn’t want female or minority offshoots of general publications. She’d rather see more female leaders and reporters working for the pubs’ main sections.
To that I say—our society is segmented whether you like it or not. And it’s not just divided along gender, race, or class lines anymore. Dream up any and every subculture, and you can find it on the internet.
Trying to wade through all of that to find news that’s relevant to you can be daunting. Readers need curators. And that’s where blogs like She The People (whose motto is “The world as women see it”) come in.
Of course, marketers benefit from niche publications. But readers do, too.
That’s why I’ll be browsing She The People for political news this election year. I just like it. I like the bloggers’ savvy tone and I like the smart (but readable!) content choices.
I even like the part of She The People that Valenti hates most—that slash of red lipstick in the logo. Rather than offensive, I think the lipstick is bold and powerful. Like a pair of bright red lips, this blog owns its femininity—in a big way.
What do you think of niche blogs like She The People and XXfactor? Are you reading or rejecting them?
Axe Body Spray attempts to attract women with Social Media.
Axe has been marketing to men since their introduction to the United States in 2002. A typical ad has been a classic scenario of nerdy guy before he sprays Axe getting no action from the ladies and then after he sprays on Axe he becomes a chick magnet.
Well now they are expanding on their demo and starting to market an Axe body spray to women. They have created a robust Social Media campaign called Anarchy. This campaign consists of a real-time, user-generated graphic novel. In other words, you write what happens next and Axe will publish the excerpt. You can go to YouTube, Twitter or Facebook to engage in this extensive promotion.
Here is my question:
Will the Axe strategy of marketing to women work?
Let’s assume their target demo is women 18-24. I did a little research, on this demo, in Nielsen @Plan. This is what I came up with…women 18-24 who have purchased deodorant or a fragrance within the last 6 months are 12% less likely to collect comic books. However, the male counterpart target is 51% more likely to collect comic books. Traditionally speaking, men are more into comic books than women.
Coming from an agency that specializes in marketing to women, I can say using Social Media was the right avenue to market to women. Those same women (as above) are utilizing and more engaged on social networks than the men. Men are 8%* less likely to make a comment or post on a social network, whereas women are 26%* more likely to comment or post.
I personally like comic books. However, reaching the masses, I’m just not sure their creative strategy will work. This makes me wonder if they have a male creative team who may not know what women want. Do you think the strategy will work?
*Source: Nielsen @Plan
Innovative healthcare marketing example #7.
Academic Medical Center advertising can be boring. All trying to push the research and education angles, with lots of high tech blah blah and no break-through messaging. Not so at the Medical University of South Carolina. Their "Changing What's Possible" TV campaign is a refreshing gripper. Patient stories unfold in a unique way with beautiful, touching footage. Each spot is narrated by a different doctor but the great thing is you don't know it's a doctor until the very end, when the doc says "I came to MUSC to change what's possible in cancer care" or whatever the clinical area is. The patient story is the star and we are convinced and humbled by the fact that this doctor came to this hospital to offer patients treatments that don't exist anywhere else.
The epilepsy spot is my favorite. Maybe because I have a nephew with this disorder which is preventing him from taking drivers ed like all the other kids in his class. The spot focuses on Independence Day, juxtapositioning a hometown parade with an older male patient opening his door to celebrate independence from the fear of epilepsy. All due to the revolutionary surgical procedure developed at MUSC which has helped thousands of epilepsy patients.
Take a look at this Healthcare Advertising Award winning spot and let me know if it makes the emotional connection for you like it did for me.
HelloGiggles and other media target women through user-generated content.
Moving in to 2012, social media continues to be a highly influential form of marketing. There are many contributing factors to social media’s success, one of them being user-generated content. The users personally help continue to grow these sites with their posts and contributions.
That being said, it was only a matter of time before other media caught on. In studies we have read, it shows that women trust information coming from their peers more than other sources. It doesn’t surprise us that sites and publications targeted towards women have taken notice and started to apply this to their own brands. HelloGiggles, a site started by women, including TV star Zooey Deschanel, is complete with content for women. They have witty and humorous posts about current events, entertainment, reviews, etc. The women behind this site understand the concept of user-generated content and have made a call for contributors to their readers, giving them a personal chance at being a part of a wildly successful site.
Taking this a step farther is Ladies Home Journal. In a recent article from Ad Age, it has been announced that starting with their March issue, the publication will now dedicate a significant portion of each issue to content written by the readers. With a circulation of 3.2 million, it is the largest print publication to make this switch in style. The editors of LHJ think it will help gain some needed traction with advertisers and the next generation of LHJ readers. They are also hoping this change will help engage their readers and build a more loyal community.
What do you think of this shift towards user-generated content? Would you rather read articles by your peers or professionals?
Is Lego Friends' marketing friendly to women?
I was pleased to hear that Lego recently launched a new line for girls called Lego Friends. My two sons love Legos (love might actually be too weak a word for their Lego obsession) and as a parent, I like them, too. The stackable bricks encourage creativity, concentration, and even math skills.
You’d think it would be a no-brainer to build on the brand that parents love to love (except for those moments when you gouge your bare foot on a Lego piece left on the floor). But apparently, creating and marketing Legos for girls is very, very hard. A Friends cover story in Bloomberg Businessweek even included a “Lego Girl Graveyard” with a sizeable line-up of failed past attempts to reach the pink side of the playground.
Friends, Lego has vowed, will be different. The company fine-tuned the line so exhaustively, its market researchers have been compared to cultural anthropologists.
So, I checked out the Lego Friends marketing with eager curiosity and high expectations. When I clicked to the website, I was . . . a little perplexed. Lego Friends is character-driven because pretend play is just as important to girls as building with bricks. The plastic figures have names, personalities and interests and they look more detailed and pretty than the famous, boxy Lego minifigure. They also look quite young—just like the 7 or 8-year-old girls in the Lego Friends commercials.
So why are the animated characters on the website so adolescent? They have shapely, figures, sculpted cheekbones, and the wide, almond-shaped cat eyes do not happen without the help of mascara. They do a lot of giggling and hugging. They’re not yet Barbies, but they’re definitely sexier than their plastic counterparts.
I bet little girls love these cartoons. But as a mom—you know, the one who’s going to be viewing the website and buying the products?—I’m a little turned off. I accept that Lego made many of the Friends sets a little stereotypical, from the beauty salon to the fashion design studio. That’s what girls ask for in focus groups. (They obviously don’t know how cool women-led ad agencies are.)
I’ll even tolerate the fact that the building aspect of Lego Friends looks less intricate than that of many “boys’” Lego sets.
But when it comes to marketing, we all know grown women are the target. And I think Lego misfired with this website. That’s a shame, because the sweet, age-appropriate Lego figurines are a welcome change for those of us who are Barbied, Bratzed and Disney Princessed out.
I’ll be interested to see if women look past the mixed message of the Lego Friends website and buy the sets for their young daughters.
What do you think of the new Lego Friends line and its marketing?
Brogan & Partners featured for our mistake of the month.
I just finished reading “Start Something That Matters” written by founder of TOMS shoes Blake Mycoskie. I picked up the book after learning that Brogan & Partners was featured in a call-out box. Blake recognized us for our long-standing tradition of honoring mistake of the month with a $50 reward. Each month at our agency meeting, while celebrating our hero of the month and our BVP (Brogan Values Perfectionista), we also share the mistake of the month. The only rule—you have to nominate yourself. Celebrating mistake of the month has helped contribute to our open and honest culture while also helping others to avoid making the same mistakes.
This is just one of the many traditions that makes our company truly great. When I walked in the doors 18 years ago, I never dreamt that I’d be working for the same company today but what I’ve found inside our walls is a spirit and an energy that inspires me every day. Whether it’s helping a company with a branding reboot, building a snowman for the Friendship Circle, raising money for breast cancer, walking for the Rainbow Connection or holding a party to benefit FORCE, our Board of Directors and employees are continuously thinking about how they can make a difference in this world. In our day to day worlds, we are working with our clients to make a difference in their companies—some of which we’ve worked with for over 20 years. This year we celebrated our 27th year in business and we are looking forward to the next 27 years. Big thanks to our clients, friends, neighbors and employees who are the reason we are able to continue doing great work. Wishing all of you much success in 2012 and beyond.
A tide turns in marketing to women.
I love the recent "My Tide" commercials. Have you seen the one where the father uses his “me time” to French braid his little girl’s hair?
He had me at “I’m a stay-at-home dad.”
The spot featuring the parents of triplets (and three brimming baskets of laundry) is adorable, too. But I’m also intrigued by the message it sends, which is: maybe it’s time to rethink all this recession-era penny-pinching.
Triplets are expensive, explain the parents as they fold tiny T-shirts. (Or rather, Dad sort of flops the shirts around, then hands them to Mom to fold properly. Nice shout-out to the female target audience!)
“So, we switched to the bargain detergent,” Mom says. “I found myself using three times more than they say to, and the clothes still weren’t as clean as with Tide.
“So we’re back to Tide,” Dad declares. “They’re cuter in clean clothes.”
I like that Procter & Gamble shoots straight in this ad. It doesn’t try to gloss over the fact that Tide is one of the pricier laundry detergents on the shelves. Instead, the spot simply explains why Tide is worth the extra money. And in these economic times, that’s noteworthy. So much of current advertising is all about going for the rock bottom price. But if anyone is weary of coupon-clipping, sale-scrounging, and not necessarily getting a quality product for our trouble, it’s women, who are responsible for 83 percent of all consumer purchases.
Maybe this Tide commercial is a sign that recessionistas are ready to go a different way, at least for small items like laundry detergent. I’ll keep my eye out for more advertising like this.
What about you? Are you detecting an attitude shift towards frugality these days?
Facebook fun for a cause and for marketing to women.
There are many reasons to love Facebook. I think I’ve just found another.
Here’s what I mean. Check out the Olay website. It’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it? All glamorous black shadowing, glossy red accents, dramatic splash effects and seasonal sparkles.
Now take a look at Olay’s Facebook page, specifically its “Defuzz in Defember” campaign.
Here you have a fresh-faced model wearing a phantom mustache. She’s advertising the company’s charitable campaign for December: buy Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo, and Olay will donate a dollar to the National Breast Cancer Foundation (and give you a $3 discount, to boot).
To spread the word about defuzzing for a cause, you can add a pink mustache to your Facebook picture. And you know me, I can’t resist any opportunity to advocate for breast cancer research. Check out my cute ’stache here.
A glamour shot it’s not. What it is is a cute, lighthearted way to raise money for a great cause.
A fun stunt like this might not make it into an expensive ad campaign, but on Facebook, a company can be creative and cheeky. It’s the perfect counterpart to an every-pixel-perfect TV spot or print ad.
In other words, with the dual platform of advertising and Facebook pages, a company can have its glamour and its goofiness, too. And since we know women are a complicated target audience, that multi-prong approach can only be a good thing.
What do you think of the Defuzz in Defember campaign? Have you seen any other creative campaigns lately on Facebook or other social networks?
Using social media to cut through Christmas chaos.
This time of year is all about tradition. Pulling out your heirloom ornaments and tree. Making batch after batch of your mom's beloved Christmas cookies or your grandmother's famous potato peirogis.
And let's not forget the traditional poring over your to-do list or standing in line at the post office. The menu-making and scheduling, the decorating, angsting about gift choices, and baking.
Of course, part of what's magic about this time of year is the old-fashioned, high-effort "homemadeness" of it all. So, if you and all your forbears have always made (and chilled and rolled and cut) your own sugar cookie dough, by all means, do it again this year.
But when it comes to some of your other tasks, using social media can help you break with tradition -- and give yourself a break with some (classy) hoilday helpers.
The first that leaps to mind comes from one of our clients, The HoneyBaked Ham Company. Being the youngest of three, I've never actually had to host my own holiday dinner, or make my own ham, but why would I? HoneyBaked is a win-win timesaver. Not only is the ham made for you, it's a venerable brand that has become its own tradition. So you can serve it without a twinge of guilt (and send your husband to pick it up!)
What's another high-maintenance holiday staple? The gingerbread house. That's a lot of candy-gathering, baking, and building for something you're not even going to eat. But buying a pre-fab kit can feel a little lame.
The solution? Google your local cooking schools for a house-making class like this one. You get all the fun of building the house with your child and bringing it home, while the instructors assemble the supplies and clean up the mess afterwards!
Finally, there's the shopping. By now, we're all weary of both the shops, the parking lots and the endless internet. (Do I really need 1,130 choices to buy my sister a nice clutch purse?)
That's why I've begun to let the internet do the shopping for me. In addition to Pinterest which we've mentioned here before, there are a growing number of websites that not only curate a small collection of high-end gift chocies for you, they also offer deals. Here are just a few of my favorites:
And by the way, if all this inspires you to ditch those DIY sugar cookies, I've got just the thing for you -- pre-baked and ready for a photo-op-worthy decorating session.
Have you found online routes to cutting corners without cutting the class this season? Share your intel in the comments!
