Report from Estonia
Photo of Tartu town square.
Yesterday in Riga, Latvia ,and today in Tartu, Estonia, I got the chance to talk with a few of the young marketing professionals from that region. One thing that was very interesting to consider, and not surprising if you really think about it, is that the differences between the women in the urban areas and the women in the rural areas here is extreme. The women in Riga, for example, are really quite independent and educated and they find it hard to figure out how to reach and be relevant to their own countrywomen outside the city. Baltic rural women ARE more likely to be all about taking care of their homes and trying to please their husbands with good dinners and a clean house. So, what I was presenting to these audiences was so very beyond their current reality, in one way.
But looking at it from another perspective, transparent marketing is defined as narrowing your focus and really understanding how they buy and what their lives are like. Soooo – if a marketer in these Baltic countries is interested in selling to rural women, they will thoroughly understand that sex may still sell and the picture of the man saving the day for the woman may still apply. In that case, marketing transparently would be incorporating those views and still be very effective.
Anyway – I have learned so much here. The urban areas are definitely in a fast progression phase and the businesspeople are hungry for knowledge from western countries – but they are also still aware that they need to temper their enthusiasm and keep pace with consumers.
This evening I will try to get a bit of pizza in advance of the evening’s festivities for the conference. There is only so much potato and pork this veggie and tofu girl from Vermont can take.
When I return to Vermont, I will post a re-cap of the event and hopefully be able to create a photo album of my many "old town" walks. That part of my trip was fascinating.
