Marketing Insights Podcast

May 16, 2022

Transcript: 

Hi, this is Shanita Akintonde, educator, author, career coach, and marketing sheroe. I invite you to join me for this very special edition of My Marketing Insights Podcast series, entitled C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands.

Hello, marketing maestros. This podcast segment will serve as part one of my examination of an extremely important and oft overlooked consumer segment: women. So sit up to your speakers and lean into the largesse as I share this extraordinarily important concept that I am calling C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands. I have wanted to share this topic with you, dear listeners, for a long time, and finally decided, after clicking my heels three times, and celebration of Mother's Day recently, that now is as good a time as any to share my in-depth insights on marketing to the female demographic.

Being efficiently skilled at reaching this segment is essential for marketers, primarily because we all came from a woman, or in many cases, got our name from a woman, which means we're all connected to women. But what smart marketers also know is that the how for reaching the female demographic is just as important, if not more so, than the why. So that's exactly what I plan to focus on for this special edition of my Marketing Insights Podcast series entitled C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands.

I'm going to reach through the airwaves and wrap each of you in a big old buttered biscuit hug that I am calling C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Shares. My bad, I'm flashing back to my grandmama's kitchen. She made the best biscuits. To make it even easier to remember, marketing maestros, I turned care into an acronym. It stands for products, goods, or services that have C, commitment to solving whatever problem she is facing. She, being the female demographic. A, advantage over competition. R, reputations that are unparalleled. And E, excellence in overall function. So C-A-R-E. Let's rewind: Commitment, Advantage, Reputation and Excellence, C.A.R.E.

C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands activate. Now you too can also cultivate C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands. Just go back to one of my previous marketing insights like Walk it Like They Talk it Brands, Short Brands, Brands that Take a Stand and How Do Brands Spell Diversity?!? R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Go back and take a listen. For those who want to go back and listen to those other podcasts before continuing with this one, go ahead. I'll just pause this podcast and wait for you to catch up. Not. But you will have plenty of time to do so after the nine to ten minutes we're going to spend together on this very special edition of my Marketing Insights Podcast C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands.

Women associate with brands that demonstrate care, C-A-R-E. Again, that's commitment to solving whatever problem she's facing, advantage over competition, reputations that are unparalleled, and Excellence in overall function. C.A.R.E. is a concept I created and use in multiple platforms, including my educational philosophy, as well as how I approach my nail polish colors. But C.A.R.E. in marketing is my gift to all of you, loyal listeners.

Here's C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Share number one. Want to know what women want? Women want convenience. 65% of consumers eat fast food at least once a week, and many moms are forced to stop at the drive through on their way home after a busy day, whether that's working from home, working at the office, or working out, in an effort to feed their families.

Women want value. Customers don't care how much you've spent on R&D or marketing. They only care whether your product offerings produce things that meet their desired outcomes. And yes, women want sexy, as in sexy ads. Some marketing experts, many of whom I personally know, and all of whom I respect, say, "Ditch the pink." In my opinion, marketing maestros, it's the opposite. I say, "Pitch the pink." Pink is more than a Crayola crayon hue or a fabulous singer. (singing)

Hey. Okay, I got carried away. You all know I have to include a song. So here's what pink actually is. According to the website Sensational Color, the color frivolity lives between red and white. Pink takes all the passion and energy of red and tempers it with the purity of white. Leaving us with the color of tenderness and affection. Still doubtful? Ask Victoria's Secret the multimillion brand sub segment of the main label that Victoria's Secret introduced in 2002. It was an effort to attract a younger female demographic, high school and college girls. Pink brand offerings include items that are ensconced in the pink name, such as bikini bottoms with inscriptions like "Santa stop judging me."

Please don't think slapping a pink label on a product though is enough to lure female shoppers. Sisters are savvy. Not only are they responsible for purchases for themselves, they are also the primary shoppers for others in the household, including spouses, children, partners, parents, peers, and pets.

Speaking of sharing, here's C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Share number two: there is no one-size-fits-all guide to marketing to women. When female consumers were asked to rank product importance, price was huge. Researchers also show that quality and price are nearly equal. Quality is emphasized for women more than men, and just like products have life stages, intro, maturity, growth, decline, not necessarily in that order, so do women. And astute marketers need to adjust to the diversity of their experiences.

Speaking of diversifying, here's C.A.R.E Bear (er) Share number three: tell accurate stories. One of the best ways to ensure a synergistic overlay between truth telling and marketing is to ensure a variety of voices who are open to a variety of experiences, just like all of you, dear listeners.

Here are three more tips for marketing to women according to an article entitled Six Rules You Need to Follow if You Target a Female Audience written by Margarita Hakobyan on March 10th, 2017. Now, if you notice, savvy listeners, the title of the article says six rules, but if you heard what I said, I'm only going to give you three. And I'm going to add some Shanita sauce to them. So I'm paraphrasing and re-crafting a little bit what Miss Hakobyan had to say. Here's number one, her words, "You can't generalize an entire gender." My words: stay away from marketing solely to all the single ladies, moms, and daughters.

While those groups comprise the female demographic, women have multiple identities, and trying to market or blanket women is not going to cut it. Number two, her words, "Women regularly take a pause for the cause." No, those are my words. That means if your brand is rooted in something that makes the world a better place, she's more likely to open her pocketbook and allow her dollars to work like lace. Number three, these are her words: "Unmarketing can be more effective." Here are my words. In other words, skip the shtick. Just tell your consumer what the product does, how they will benefit from its use, and seek out those who will understand what you're saying because they are your target audience.

Let's recap. C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands are those products, goods, or services that have C, commitment to solving whatever problems your demographic is facing, A, advantage over competition, R, reputations that are unparalleled, and E, excellence in overall function. C.A.R.E. Bear (er) Brands, activate. (Singing). Bye. Until next time, which will be our best time. This is Shanita Akintonde, professor, author, career coach, and marketing shero signing off.


If you enjoy listening to these podcasts, be sure to subscribe on Stitcher, iTunes or Google Play and like them wherever you hear them. Connect with me on LinkedIn at Professor Shanita Akintonde or follow me on Twitter at underscore Shanita speaks.