How Women Like It

How Women Like It

By Mallika Naguran

They like it soft, they like it hard. They like it slow, then fast. Once gratified, they would love to do it all over again, but this time, somewhere else exciting.

What on earth are we talking about? Waiting to exhale - that's how women feel about marketers of products and services. It doesn't matter what sort of goods - handbag or tissue box, fast car or slow cooker - women want to be touched in a way they will remember while purchasing, and (you guessed it) want more of.

Media matters. But the problem is, women are pretty misunderstood. Most marketers tend to lump women with men in their wham-bham-thankyou-mam marketing plans.

Perhaps they are overworked with tight deadlines. Too small a budget for market research. Too busy chasing creative ideas with catchy slogans and graphic images that would clinch awards but not enough thought on an important word - how.

The medium is the message. Sure. But who is the receiver of the message? And have you figured her out right?

Is she prudent, careful about her finances and makes considered purchases? Check. Then why on earth did she splurge on that branded wristwatch for him that's twice her monthly salary when she was out shopping for groceries? Even she doesn't know.

According to Leo Burnett's MissUnderstood 2005 Singapore survey, 59% of women admitted to having made an expensive impulse purchase within the last three months.

Now what sort of woman would do that? I am guessing the Life Seeker. A survey conducted by the Omnicom Media Group (OMG) end 2005 unravelled five broad classifications of women (see boxed copy). The Life Seeker is likely to be single, outdoorsy and prone to making impulsive buys. The converse would be the Classic who cringes when approached with anything dramatically new.

It may be good news to some marketers. Or bad news to others. But one woman just isn't the same as the other. And this poses a problem to the marketer who has to work harder in figuring out what sort of woman would buy his product.

An expert on consumer behaviour chips in. "As in any kind of marketing, to successfully market to women, you need to have a clear understanding of the women you want to target, because not all women behave in the same way," professor of marketing Jikyeong Kang with Manchester Business School says.

Which makes figuring out how to penetrate them even harder. Who says women were easy?

Some Like It Soft

Singapore-based research says the top source of information for women is magazines. According to Nielsen Media Index 2006, women prefer soft news like entertainment, fashion and beauty, and hence choose lifestyle publications over business journals.

OMG's Wonders of Women study based on 2,500 college educated women over 15 regional cities dug up something similar. It found magazines (editorial and advertisements) rank highly as a source of information and as key influencer to making purchasing decisions.

Interviewing a focus group of 305 Singapore women, it found 47% of them read Her World, 32% Cleo and 28% Female. Niche titles like Reader's Digest 5.9% and National Geographic Magazine 1% are lower on the take-up rate. Lower still are business publications such as The Economist 0.7%, Forbes 0.3% and Asian Financial Planning Journal 0.3%.

Women are less inclined to browse through hard news in newspapers as well, apparently. The women told Omnicom researchers they consider dailies informative and up to date but somewhat untrustworthy due to government regulation.

In terms of television, though average in terms of viewing according to Nielsen, women veer towards watching shows for entertainment such as reality shows and dramas.

Which is why the television, newspapers and magazines remain key advertising platforms for most of the brands I talked to. Kenny Lim, group product manager of Luxasia who manages nearly 100 brands says, "We focus primarily on traditional media in TV, print and press as they have the most productive reach in our market."

"As a distributor with a shared responsibility of building our principals' brands in our market, we face an interesting challenge of finding a good balance between executing big feel-good campaigns and ones that are productive to our bottom line; both important to the development of the brands," he says.

Branding and awareness generation are reasons why Mercedes ads can be found in lifestyle magazines. Helfried Scharf, head of external affairs and communications at Daimler says, "We market cars according to the intended perception and target it the same at both male and female customers."

The company recognises women are increasingly becoming influencers and decision makers in the purchase of luxury cars despite having no specific data. I'm told that Mercedes sports cars have found a soft spot with women.

Rather than having an advertising campaign targeted at women, the company prefers to host joint events with fashion houses such as La Perla with gilded invitations going out to readers of "prestigious trend magazines" like Elle and Style. "Through these lifestyle events, we engage them," Scharf says.

Interestingly, the MissUnderstood 2005 survey revealed Asian car marketers seem oblivious to the growing role that women play in car purchase in the household, with findings of nearly 63% of women indicating car advertising does not address the female influence.

Some Like it Fast

New world media such as the internet and wireless technologies are fast gaining traction. According to the 2006 Nielsen Media Research Media Index, more people are turning away from traditional media, while there's increase in the usage of the internet and cable TV.

While there's a disappointing lack of data to pin point Singapore female activity in this realm, overseas surveys hit the note. The Synovate 2007 Affluent Thai Woman report reveals that 55% of women surveyed have internet access at home and 63% view surfing as a leisure habit. This illustrates that affluent Thai women are tuned into the world and actively seek information on new products and services.

In the US in 2006, according to professor Kang, about 70% of all women in the US went online, 67% of them made online purchases, and this is expected to increase to 74% by 2010.

She notes women 55 and older have increased their online purchases by more than 120% during the last several years. "You will soon notice a similar kind of trend elsewhere, especially in places where broadband penetration rate is high," she says.

Ofcom published a report that outlined what has been dubbed "the feminisation of the Net". It showed women aged between 25 and 49 in the UK spend more time online than men.

The trend was partly the result of more sites having content relevant to women. And the trend, it was reported, was not restricted to young singles or career women. A report from the European Internet Advertising Association showed 62% of mothers regularly surf the web and 34% watch less TV.

The move towards cyberspace is credible, causing tectonic shifts in the mindset of traditional media. Dailies and magazines are sprouting online editions, many interactive. Female magazines such as overseas-based Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and In Style rely on glitzy internet content to keep their faithful readers oohed and aahed within the safe comforts of home or office.

Jackie Newcombe, managing director of IPC Southbank, publisher of Marie Claire, says, "The web is a huge opportunity for media owners, especially magazine publishers. We have both the knowledge and understanding of female audiences and the content to create really engaging sites for women."

Indeed, there's a plethora of women-only portals on every topic imaginable - from beauty, travels, handbags to mountain biking. Social networking and user-generated content are the buzz; with niche portals like Handbag.com, the relevance of content means a better quality and more receptive audience for advertisers.

Publishing houses are well placed to address women's needs. Online versions of Her World and Simply Her in Singapore, however, dampen hopes in getting quality editorial content at the click the mouse. Patronisingly, teasers are offered, indicating little choice for the female PMEB to catch up on the latest online but to crawl out of her busy work cubicle into the sun to secure a copy.

On the other hand, I found the ins and outs of anal bleaching on marieclaire.com's British version at fingertips when my boss wasn't looking. Explaining the rationale of having online versions of magazines, Allen Loh, managing director with SPH Magazines says, "Our two active websites www.simplyher.com.sg and www.herworld.com offer complementary features to the print edition and regular web-exclusive promotions to our readers and online community."

"Moving forward, more interactive features will be introduced to deepen our engagement with readers and offer our partners additional channels to reach out to their target audience," he adds.

What has worked well for SPH magazines though is resorting to non-print based marketing activities to strengthen brand loyalty. The company launched the annual Nuyou Time with Cortina Watch to showcase its exclusive watches to its readers. The recent Shape Run showcased health and well-being products and services. "Branding events and promotions connect our readers and business partners," he says.

Marketers and brand owners spending the bulk of their advertising dollar on traditional media in the age of web 2.0 are simply not keeping up with the times. It could be attributed perhaps to lack of official Singapore data to guide marketers on the internet's potential for brand awareness, customer engagement and sales. One company has hit the right cursor, though, in striving to sell a traditionally male-dominated product to women.

In 2006. the attractive Sony Vaio CR series was launched, hoping to find a place on women's laps. "We embarked on a viral marketing solution which was successful," Leon Pereira, assistant PR manager with Sony Singapore says. The company also placed print ads in dailies and women magazines and staged a fashion event "for brand impact".

Digital advertising solutions with the likes of MSN and Yahoo drove web traffic to Sony's website resulting in high sales, especially with pink and red models. In a typical viral marketing program, a product springs to live when one emails or chats or surfs the web in the form of ordinary web banners, expandable banners, text links, emoticons, downloadable videos, and more.

Professor Kang is not surprised. "In 2003, in US, women spent more on technology items than men. Some surveys actually indicate that given the choice, women would prefer technology items over jewellery or holidays," she says.

"Women are more interested in the online platform that allows them to save time researching and buying. Basically, they are saying, please tell me how this product or service is going to improve my life. Now, that says to a manufacturer or a retailer that they need a totally different approach in selling to women and how they can influence women's purchase decisions," she adds.

Some Like It Fun

It's official. Girls just want to have fun.

In MissUnderstood, 83% of women surveyed liked funny commercials better than other ads while 43% felt ads aimed at women were not as funny as those targeted at men.

Younger women like the cheeky and exaggerated brand of slapstick humor while older women prefer a kinder, gentler approach - one that ties in a product with truths all women can identify with.

Moving beyond message, the medium can be fun too. In launching Paul Smith Rose fragrance, 250 stalks of roses were handed out to women aged 18 to 35 at Raffles Place MRT station. These women later became part of 600 new names registered over counters to redeem a vial of the perfume, just over a weekend.

"The BTL campaign was developed as a celebration of the love between Sir Paul Smith and his wife Pauline," Luxasia's Lim says. A mix of exposure was achieved through outdoor, magazine, in-store and commercials on TV Mobile. Recognising new fads, Lim ventured mobile phone solution for customers to win a hamper and to download a catchy TVC jingle.

The download of a ring tone at $0.50 could have been a deterrent (fee was determined by and payable to TV Mobile which manages the promotions), but Lim was confident. "I have faith that people will share the ring tone with their friends - a bit of viral marketing," he says, adding that the brand awareness campaign cost $70,000.

Women in India aren't an exception when it comes to having fun. "Why should guys have all the fun?" is not a slogan from the feminist brigade but a tagline for the TV and print campaign depicting happy, empowered women driving away with Hero Honda's new offering, Pleasure - a 102cc gearless scooter.

A market study pointed out the upwardly mobile Indian women in the 18 to 25 years group wanted wheels of their own that were light, compact and fuel-efficient. What ensued was a creative mix of media to captivate their attention plus makeovers of 22 Just2her stores across 20 cities.

Women could preen in front of the long mirrors to see how well their scooter suited them, with colours from sleek silver to sexy red to choose from. An all female staff attended to them in a warm and friendly setting. In just two weeks, the company sold 5,000 scooters, a figure that thrilled the makers and ad agency FCB Ulka.

"The truth is that women love to laugh," the MissUnderstood study concludes, "Products like shampoos and laundry detergents might not seem as conducive to those great, funny ideas as beer, but when it comes to traditionally feminine categories, your female consumers would welcome a lighthearted approach, instead of yet another tired celebrity endorsement."

So choose your medium carefully when engaging women. She'll love you if you stoke her fancy. The right way, of course.

[Box out 1]

Segmentation of women among affluent and better educated.

Lifeseeker - 22% (likely to be single, impulsive)

Privileged Carefree - 25% (Age 20+, from better income family)

Superwoman - 22% (age 35+, balances career and family, decision maker especially in family matters)

Cosmopolitan Girl - 14% (Early adopter of trends & technology, leading up to superwoman,)

The Classic - 14% (Down to earth, non-materialistic, decision maker especially for groceries)

Source: Wonders of Women 2005 survey by Omnicom Media Group

[Box out 2]

Sources of information for women

For Health supplements

1. Professional advice

2. TV (programmes, advertisements)

3. Word of mouth

4. Magazines (editorial, advertisements)

5. Newspapers (editorial, advertisements)

8. Internet

 

For Unit Trust & Insurance Products

1. Professional advice

2. Newspapers (editorial, advertisements)

3. Roadshows

4. Internet

5. Point of sale

 

For Air Travel

1. Newspapers (editorial, advertisements)

2. TV (programmes, advertisements)

3. Internet

4. Roadshows

Source: Wonders of Women 2005 survey by OmnicomMediaGroup

 

[Box out 3]

Five ways to make Asia's missunderstood feel understood

One - try the truth

Build trust and credibility with your message in a way women will embrace and accept. Don't bullshit women, and don't talk down to them. Make it real and they'll reward you.

Two - make it funny

Don't be afraid to build humor around women, to put them in comic situations and to make them laugh. They're asking for it, and they'll respond to it.

Three - use emotion carefully

Emotion is a powerful tool for women, but we have to keep an eye on the nuances that tell women whether an advertiser ‘gets' it. It's all about authenticity - if the emotion in your ad feels wrong or fake, women will reject it in a heartbeat.

Four - sex sells, but you've got to try a new position

Asian women are learning to appreciate the power of their own sexuality. Don't hesitate to appeal to this part of them. Just make sure that your approach is presented from a woman's point of view, and not a blatantly male perspective.

Five - follow the money

Remember that Asian women's buying power now extends far beyond its traditional reach. Regardless of your product category or your market, you've got to view women as important, desirable and above all discerning consumers - and treat them that way.

Extract from Leo Burnett's Miss Understood 2005 Asian Edition

 

[Box Out 4]

On ultimate personalised marketing to women

"If we had unlimited means, I'd like to explore ways in which we can communicate the lovely stories and history behind our brands and products to our audiences. To truly achieve this, the communication has to be at a highly intimate level, so a great deal of customer mining would be necessary in order to find the critical consumer volume which would be receptive to the brand, and - more challengingly - communicate to consumers at a moment when they find the message relevant to them.

For example, share the love story of Sir Paul Smith and Pauline with couples at the Registry of Marriage to help the newly weds associate the fragrance to that moment in their lives. The brand and the fragrance becomes the stimuli of the memories of this moment, which lasts a lifetime. Sounds straightforward, but we've been searching for a logistically realistic platform that could simulate this result."

Kenny Lim, group product manager, Luxasia.