Semantics is often pooh-poohed, as in: “that’s just semantics.”  But, as I research the gender shifts in workplace and marketing these days, I think we should be giving semantics their due.  Word choice actually DOES matter when formerly touchy topics are raised, especially if the point of raising them is … Read on >

With this “mad rush” to the women’s market to save brands from their recessionary woes (again  – what took them so long?), it is all the more interesting to observe businesses that seem to have an inherent competitive edge on that front. Even if they never officially thought about … Read on >

When I am asked for examples of great marketing to women efforts, I generally list past campaigns by American Express, Home Depot, Apple and Kleenex.  At face value, those brands are all non-gendered – but track their tactics and messaging and you see a lot of women’s influence. Therein lies … Read on >

There are noticeable changes in male consumer behavior today and they are worth noting. Why?  Because, when you take a closer look, the differences between male and female buying habits are becoming much less striking.

A recent MediaPost article by David Goetzl discusses how such changes have lead ESPN to … Read on >

In response to a New York Times Sunday magazine (Feb. 1) story on single women raising their kids as a group with no husbands around, Marc E. Greene wrote a letter to the editor (Feb. 15).  One thing he wrote seemed to also apply to marketing – and … Read on >

In my research and interactions with people (mainly male people) I meet at conferences, I have found it fascinating how my word choice either opens up or stymies a conversation on marketing to women. If I use that particular phrase (“marketing to women”), men often assume what I’m talking … Read on >

We feel like we’ve come so far as a culture, don’t we – and yet… the gender debate continues. While gender equality has been legislated into much of the public arena, the problems on the private side – how each individual experiences or deals with gender roles or stereotypes … Read on >

Holly Brubach wrote a great piece for the most recent NYT Style Magazine on how “manhood in America has an image problem.” In it, she looks at three new books on various aspects of that topic – Guyland by Michael Kimmel, Brocabulary by Daniel Maurer and Hysterical Men by … Read on >

That men are starting to flock to grooming blogs/sites like groominghealth.com and menessentials.com (as per a recent Iconoculture newsletter) should not come as a big surprise. If you’d paid much attention at all, you’d have noticed the subtle shift in content of the established titles (my … Read on >

Thankfully, a fair number of industries have jumped on the marketing to women bandwagon by now (financial services and home improvement to name two) and are moving toward the 2.0 level of understanding. Still, plenty of others – many of which are just too embedded in their traditionally male-oriented … Read on >