The Value of Marketing to Women Success Stories
What works for a certain segment of women once, and for a particular product or service, will not necessarily work for that same segment again. Dove nailed it with their various “real women” ads, because they did the research and figured out how to apply their findings to a very specific product line, in a very specific space and time. Word on the street is that the producers/marketers of the new Sex and the City movie have nailed it as well – and so begins the rush of every other movie maker to copy that formula to a T. But wait…
My latest eBrandmarketing post considers whether we should hold up these two successes as step-by-step campaign models, or see them as case studies of well-done consumer research that will then inspire (but not necessarily guide) our own more deliberate approach to reaching the women we serve. You know my choice…
Here’s an excerpt:
The people behind the Dove campaigns have obviously been doing a great job since they began to use real women, not models, a few years back in their ads. Still, the brand remains tight lipped about it successes, which may well be because they don’t want to give the competition any extra information. However, could it also be that the brand is uncomfortable being held up as an industry trend-setter? Does that invite too much scrutiny and much too high expectations?
There’s an interesting corollary in all the hubbub about the new Sex and the City (SATC) flick, and whether or not THAT should be the ultimate way to develop/market a movie “for women.” Rachel Abramowitz wrote about this for the Los Angeles Times recently, and her observations, and the words of some established producers, have broader implications.
