Rethink Pink 2006

Marketing to Women Conference

Keynote speaker Fara Warner, top US journalist and author of "The Power of the Purse"gave the conference a cracking start with some terrific insights into "How smart companies are adapting to the World's most important consumers….Women.

Fara covered admirably for Mary Brown, co-author of new book on Boomers called "BOOM" who was unable to make it. Fara explained that  llfestages were not determined by age, more by attitude. "Boomer women aren't invisible…they are invincible" enthused  Fara.

The Nike insight was fascinating. Finding the Goddess after Michael Jordan, Nike recognized that women…'Boomer women' in particular, drive fitness trends e.g. average age and gender of adventure travelers is a 54-year-old woman.

A number myths were busted e.g. women are the majority of Internet users--everything from gaming to shopping; women age 35 to 45 have the largest online representation;  women buy the majority of computer and electronics.

The hottest tech items for women over 40: digital cameras, blogging software, video iPods, YouTube, Facebook. Kodak discovered quite late that women are the "chief memory maker" and were cyber-savvy not cyber-scared

 
Home Depot the US#1 home improvement store chain discovered the megatrend towards 'Gender Inclusivity' whereby increasingly 'couples' were visiting stores together and feminised the right side of stores to create a more 'homelike' situation for easier decision making…the "power partners" strategy. A brilliant presentation.

Tess Wicksteed  planning director of Pearlfisher, a top rated speaker from the 2005 conference, was in great form. She challenged brand owners to get smarter at helping women make the most of their bodies. Tess took delegates on a journey of human needs over the past 20 centuries and the challenges marketers need to meet in helping their brands maximise our bodies, our health and our wellness.

Neil Perkin, marketing director at IPC Media opened up with a challenge: how can brands  connect with women in a multimedia world?…especially when they are so short of time…'the new scarcities' as he called it.

According to Mintel, almost two thirds of women believe there are not enough hours in the day whilst 51% of them describe themselves as busy compared to only 35% of men. The initial results from Touchpoints echo the seismic shift that is taking place in media consumption. A significant proportion of consumers find advertising intrusive. Worse than that, almost 90% of them find that some messages appear with an 'irritating' frequency.

We all listen to the radio while on the internet, text on a mobile whilst watching TV. Research has shown that women are more adept at multi-tasking than men. So if you're placing a message in front of them the media you choose could be critical.

The internet encourages interaction and involvement. Research has shown that magazines are the least multi-tasked medium. Both media speak to women one-on-one. Both drive unique connections. Both build and foster communities of like minded women. The difference between actively and passively consumed media has never been more important. If you're a planner trying to connect with women, take note.

Tamara Gillan, head of SPF15, creator of Mindset Marketing, gave a tremendous insight into the Superdrug success story:

"From the moment women book their summer break, they have occasional thoughts about their holiday. The nearer it gets, the more often they think about it. And, the more they worry. That 'first bikini moment' is approaching, which is not a nice thought. Unless you have the figure of a supermodel, you've been there and you know that it's true."

"Just imagine that you know these women: their names, addresses, mobile numbers, where they're going, when their holidays are. Isn't that terrific? It can be ... if you have 700 stores across the UK selling summer holiday products. Now, you have knowledge — and the potential to use it."

"Last summer, the 'Mindset Marketing' concept helped Superdrug make the leap from knowledge to increased profit. It involves everything from text messaging to traditional advertising. It's worked brilliantly. Already, more than 120,000 women have actually asked to be targeted with sales material. And, the result is switched store loyalties, more frequent shopping, increased average spend ... and rocketing sales."

Right mindset…on message…right media…and of the moment

Dianne Ridgway Cross (pic below) partner at US communications agency, Frank about Women, opened up the afternoon sessions by giving entertaining and enlightening insights into the 4 dimensions of a real woman. Dianne highlighted the problem that 75% of ads and marketing campaigns show a lack of understanding of women…even when women have been the creators!

Dimension 1: The Body. The need to personalise marketing…to empower ME…"I am an enigma…deal with it!" Dianne stressed the importance of reconciling what women respect with what they idolise; reality not perfectio…at any age.

Dimension 2: The Heart. The importance of putting family first…babies…pets..and being respected for more than just being a mother and adapting to her multitasking lifestyle.

Dimension 3: Her Mind. Real women are independent and speak their mind and contrary to many marketers belief have a great sense of humour…so you can poke fun without man bashing.

Dimension 4: Her Spirit. Real women's closest connections are with other women, invariably cause ar socially related…don't ignore this. Real women are givers and religion is important. Dianne called on marketers to "Embrace the new reality"

Jane Scott marketing director at Five TV, gave an in-depth study of the processes involved in the creation and promotion of their 2 new channels: Five US and Five Life.

Jane stressed the key thought processes in targeting the right audience: authenticity, the power of listening, undersatanding motherhood and the feminisation trends of society.

Nicola Armstrong, group account director for iris Female, gave a powerful in-depth study of the wonders of word-of-mouth-marketing. She stressed the importance of research in understanding women; building empathy, keeping messages real , short and sweet; and finally, thinking carefully about the right location in which to deliver the message. The WonderBra story an excellent case study.

Fara Warner chaired  a speaker panel debate to discuss two questions: 'The feminisation of society…is it happening?' and 'How liberated is the female consumer?' and took questions from the delegates.

In summary, delegates expressed strong satisfaction  with the quality of speakers' content,. In answer to the question: "How well did the conference meet your expectations?" – the survey gave a 75% approval rating. 71% of the survey stated they would attend Rethink Pink 2007 (Date to be confirmed shortly).

peter@rethinkpink.com

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Order the Presentations/ Notes Now 

BOOM: Marketing to the
Ultimate Power Consumer…

The Baby Boomer Woman
30 June 06

By Mary Brown and Carol Orsborn, Imago Creative
(Book to be published AMACOM, Sept 2006)
With Baby Boomer women spending well over a trillion dollars a year (in the U.S.) on goods and services, the days of women 40+ being ignored by marketers are numbered. Overthrowing stereotypes of aging, the groundswell of awareness is no less than a marketing revolution, with an increasing number of companies discovering that Baby Boomer women are not a niche market—but in many cases, the marketplace, itself.

BOOM presents a comprehensive guide to identifying, reaching and influencing Baby Boomer women featuring insights and case histories from 40 top visionary marketers, including executives from Intel, Ford Motor Co, Seabourn Cruises, Citigroup, Wellpoint, and more. These contributing demographic marketing experts give readers access to immediately applicable insider intelligence.

BOOM, the only and first book telling marketers how to market to Baby Boomer women, is doubly unique in that it centers on original research regarding adult development, with cutting-edge application to motivational research for all adult segments of the consumer marketplace.   

To read the first chapter, visit http://www.imagocreative.com/subscribe_content/boom_ex.php

Rethink Pink 2006 Conference – Top Speaker Announcement

How to motivate the mis-understood majority

The Power of the Purse

How smart companies are adapting to the
World's Most Important Consumers—Women

3 July 06

Join Fara Warner, author of The Power of the Purse: How Smart Companies Are Adapting to the World's Most Important Consumers--Women and well-known freelance journalist contributing to Fast Company, The New York Times and other international publications, as she offers a deeper perspective on how some of the world's biggest and smartest companies are discovering the immense social and economic power of women—and reaping the rewards of that discovery.

During the past five decades, women's access to money and power around the world has transformed the way they approach brands,

business, products, and services.

Women now influence the vast majority of purchasing decisions in virtually every industry and every category of business. Moreover, every year, women gain direct control over trillions of dollars in new wealth as they continue to advance in education and the workplace.
 

But despite that wealth and power, women have remained a little-understood and often misunderstood consumer market. They have been considered a "minority" instead of the majority.

She also will explore how companies that knew women were their most important consumers—think Avon and Procter & Gamble—had to learn anew what it takes to reach new generations of women.
 

Finally, she will explore how the economic and social revolution that has brought such consumer power to women in the developed world is now making waves in the world's most dynamic consumer market—China.

Fara Warner is a contributing writer to Fast Company. She has written

extensively for The New York Times, Time, Inc. and other national publications. She's been a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal,covering advertising, marketing, media and consumer trends in Asia and e-commerce and the auto industry from the Detroit bureau.

She holds a Master's Degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and received a Knight-Wallace Fellowship from the University of Michigan.
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Programme                                    Venues                             
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Who's attended?
a top class line up of leading brands that
attended Rethink Pink 2004

Programme

Speakers

Introduction - About Rethink Pink! Conferences...
Top Tips - Latest tips on Marketing to Women
Goodies - Added extras to the Rethink Pink experience

Rethink Pink! - The UK's first Marketing to Women conference was organised by the Proficiency Group. Main sponsors were Cosmopolitan and iVillage, the leading women's website in the USA and UK.

226 marketers – agencies and brand owners attended the one day conference at London's Paddington Hilton.

See a bullet point summary of some of the key messages presented by a top class line up of leading gurus and marketing agencies: See full report here