Learned On | gender, consumer behavior and sustainability

Learned On...

Why Ask Why? It’s a Good Sustainability Starting Point

Social media expert Mitch Joel recently spoke to a business lunch audience here in Burlington, and one big point he made may have burst a little bubble for many a company considering a jump onto Facebook or Twitter because … Read on >

Sustainability Content: A “Social Proof” PSA

As I wrote in my last post, delivering “social proof” to consumers and organizations is likely key to persuading around the concept of sustainability.  Whether its consumers or corporate decision-makers, the “masses” have to start to sense/see/read/hear that a lot of people/organizations they know are already pursuing sustainable life … Read on >

Gender Stereotyped Twitter Behavior

New research from Harvard Business School shows, among other things, that men follow more men than women on Twitter, and that men are more likely to do reciprocal following (two participants choose to follow each other).  This study also cited behavior that Deborah Tannen, sociolinguist and author of … Read on >

The Case for the Storytelling Auditor

Here and on a lot of other marketing blogs these days, you’ve been reading about the importance of storytelling  or “brand narrative.”  Of course, it is especially important for connecting with your consumer’s more feminine brain traits – and that’s why I return to the topic pretty often.

I got … Read on >

Finding Consumer Common Ground, Part I: Storytelling

The same old ways of segmenting consumer markets have not worked for a while, but many a marketer has continued to default to the easy way out (and then wondered why the effort didn’t quite connect with consumers). But, maybe – just maybe – this economic downturn has forced … Read on >

Best Buy Evolves

By now, most of you have heard or read the news that Best Buy has opened a new store in Aurora, Colorado, with a lot of changes that were inspired by women (both internally and externally). What I love about this story is that it shows how the … Read on >

Claim It: Be Your Industry’s Marketing To Women Thought Leader

These are interesting and lean times – and marketing is one of the first budgets to get hit for most businesses. In such an uncomfortable holding pattern, normally creative/idea rich marketing pros must face months with no more new ad campaigns, no more consultants, and no new research. … Read on >

Walmart Values Sustainability Stories, Even Once Removed

Many of us have been closely watching Walmart’s recent moves toward sustainability and more “green” practices, and it does seem like their aim is true (love that line, Mr. Costello). The latest in their efforts, as reported by the Associated Press, is that the retailer is now … Read on >

NewsBytes: Too Much Brand, Social Gender Pressure

1) Al Ries published a great piece on megabranding (or not) in the latest Advertising Age. The question he explores – do consumers want as much choice as brands seem compelled to give them? One example he shares: Five years ago, a typical Coca-Cola bottler … Read on >

Making Marketing More Journalistic

Here’s an excerpt from the lead article in my latest newsletter, about taking a more journalistic approach to studying and serving consumers:

A few weeks ago I heard Malcolm Gladwell speak to an audience of homebuilding industry CEOs about how people make decisions or judgments. That is also the … Read on >