WOMENKIND

This week we came across some old and new articles from the web that we thought were worth sharing. Great pieces from The Huffington Post, Campaigns and Elections, Clickz, SheEconomy and AdWeek jumped out to us as informative and interesting reads worth republishing. Spend some time enjoying each of the articles listed and most importantly, Happy Holidays!

“Marketers Wake Up To The Power Of Post 50 Pocketbooks” by Barbara Thau at The Huffington Post

Although the world of fashion and beauty continues to chase twenty-something’s, some surprising segments of these industries are slowly waking up to an older audience. Savvy brands are finally acknowledging the size and economic influence of boomer women and this article highlights them all.

“Online Advertising: A Targeting-rich Environment” by Colin Delany from C&E’s Technology Bites

Ad buyers have so many targeting options in the modern marketplace that many consultants and staffers get to feeling a bit overwhelmed by the wealth of choices. Technology Bytes is offering a helping hand this issue by breaking down some of the basics when it comes to your online ad targeting options.

“The Cross-Media Key to Reaching Women Online Is Trust” by Tessa Wegert at ClickZ

This article highlights the secrets of obtaining women’s trust and business. Packed full of statistics, insights and advice, this article is a must read for anyone interested in targeting women this New Year.

“Marketers: Are You Ignoring The Once, Highly Sought After, Female Baby Boomer?” By Stephanie Holland at SheEconomy

The baby boomers grew up being chased by marketers and advertisers that tailored products and brands to appeal to them. Now the median age of this cohort is 55, and many boomers feel as if they have dropped off many marketers’ radar. This article references Marti Barlettas book PrimeTime Women, and outlines helpful hints for understanding the boomer women.

“The 10 Best Commercials of 2011” by Tim Nudd at AdWeek

Adweek does it again with their fantastic ranking of The Best Commercials of 2011. All of the videos are completely different and truly represent a fantastic year in advertising.

At Womenkind we pride ourselves on being avid readers. Whether it be the daily newspaper, books off our iPads, or simply surfing blogs each morning, our team spends a great deal of our personal time keeping up to date on current events and educating ourselves in the Marketing and Advertising field.

Recently, during one of my morning blog scans, I came across an interesting video on a favorite blog of mine: Kicking Niche. Mary Dean, the blogs creator, is best known as the Creative Director behind Curves and an expert on Marketing to Women. Among other things, Dean articulates her perspective flawlessly and in the case of the 2010 Sienna SE viral campaign, she truly delivers.

Dean came across this video on one of her favorite new blogs, AdverGirl, who used the video to support what she sees as “a bunch of 40-somethings taking over the social mediasphere.” Dean believes that the commercial illustrates the power of a very under utilized emotion: Humor. Though I believe both women bring a unique and completely correct perspective to the table, I want to dive deeper into why this advertisement gained 10,000,000 views.

At a recent Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) Master Class titled Marketing Video Content for Luxury Fashion Brands, speakers Jessica Coghan and Emily Las from Starworks Group outlined the key methods for enriching a YouTuber’s experience. According to Jessica, including influential casting/directors, humor and a risqué tone are the three key ingredients in creating successful video campaigns.

First, it’s important to note that the use of talented actors Brian Huskey and Rachel Drummond are a key ingredient in the campaigns effectiveness. Both actors are serious improvisers with long careers and large fan bases. The idea is simple really. People like celebrities. If those celebrities say that they like a product or are willing to work for them, people will in turn like that product, too.  Celebrity endorsements, whether you believe them to work or not, build hype for video releases and boost interest in the product being showcased. If anything, people will watch the video for the celebrity and unknowingly become accustomed, aware and fans of the product overtime.

The second aspect of video that makes it so successful is the humor used. As Dean noted on her blog, humor is “woefully overlooked.” It’s clear that humor increases your chance of being remembered. When someone laughs or enjoys a viral video like this one, they are more likely to repost or send it a friend. As we know, word of mouth is key to any campaigns success. Advertising is about getting attention and the best way to get that attention is with strong visuals and humor. Just watch the commercial, I’m sure you will find some humor “hidden” in there somewhere.

The last aspect of the video that makes it a true winner is the risqué undertone. Anytime you integrate hip-hop into an advertisement you automatically insert a risqué feel. Even though the rap itself includes PC language, the physical gestures are taken directly from classic rap videos and the lyricist played with swears and women sexuality in a humorous manor. It’s creative, unexpected and draws you in instantaneously. The director was able to reference an intense amount of classically risqué aspects of rap and hip-hop videos, and due to the polar opposite subject matter, you can’t help but watch till the end.

This video is a fantastic find and a perfect example of what Jessica Coghan detailed a successful video campaign to be. It’s a perfect representation of how utilizing humor, celebrity endorsements and a risqué tone can boost your popularity as a brand and guarantee a viral following. Well done Sienna SE!

This week Advertising Age took a serious look back at 2011, providing us with enough ‘Top Ten Lists’ and water-cooler talk to last through 2013. Yahoo offered tips for Better Branding and Ad Creative, while Mashable.com chronicled IKEA’s successful Integrated Marketing Campaign. Journalists love Mobil Marketing this month and with the acknowledgment and acceptance of 2012’s arrival, our ‘Top 5 List’ this week is filled with advice for the New Year and will leave you feeling like the most informed Marketing Specialist around. Feeling overwhelmed as the year draws to an end? Well, sit back and enjoy these great articles and be sure to tune in next Thursday for our weekly In The News!

“Marketing to Mobil Moms” by Staff Reporter at BizzCommunity.com

Utilizing a 2011 report by Nielsen entitled Women of Tomorrow, this article highlights the growing influence women have on purchasing decisions around the world and also provide insight into their social media behavior.

“Ten Issues Marketers Should Have on Their 2012 Agenda” by Bob Liodice at AdAge

Mobile devices and social media have brought the ability to target ads to epic levels. This article highlights ten issues marketers will surely be discussing in boardrooms and brainstorms for months to come.

“How an Integrated Marketing Campaign Boosted IKEA’s Sales Over 7%” by Amy-Mae Elliot at Mashable.com

For several years, IKEA had achieved growth by opening new stores and thereby pulling in new customers. But in 2011, with only one new store opening planned, footfall could no longer be relied on to drive national growth. Read this article to see how their media and ad agencies boosted sales this year.

“Tips for Better Branding and Ad Creative” by Dianne Molina at Yahoo! Advertising Blog

Yahoo launched their new 2011 Insight Wrap-Up and 2012 Outlook e-magazine this week, featuring top tips, trends and best practices advertisers need to know. This article samples some of the great insights and supplies a link to their beautifully designed e-magazine.

“Marketing Industry’s 10 Biggest Stories of the Year” by AdAge

Simply put, this article highlights the big events that shocked the advertising, marketing — and sometimes the great — world in 2011. With the Japanese Earthquake, Occupy Wall Street and the rebound of Detroit all highlighted, this article has something for everyone.

Female comedians have been present in most of popular culture, allowing a great deal of funny women to make serious careers out of their fanatically humorous personalities. Headlining their own national tours, starring in sitcoms, publishing award-winning novels and producing their own reality series, women like Joan Rivers, Kathy Griffin, Betty White, Sarah Silverman and Tina Fey have made their mark and earned the respect of comedy-loving Americans.

So it’s surprising how many male comedians don’t think women are funny. Johnny Carson told Rolling Stone magazine: “The ones that try sometimes are a little aggressive for my taste. I’ll take it from a guy, but from women, sometimes, it just doesn’t fit too well.” Jerry Lewis told an audience that he “didn’t like any female comedians.” Even Tina Fey has admitted that she still hears people “insisting that women are not funny.” The list goes on of public figures declaring that women just aren’t as funny as men. Of course, we here at WomenKind couldn’t help but add our two cents.

We started by polling many of the women and men here at WomenKind, later expanding the questions about humor and gender to our families and close friends. Interestingly, nearly every respondent stated that they found male comics funnier than female comics. The difference, however, was that not a single person stated that women weren’t funny. This brought us to the greater issue, that of public respect and gender equality.

The real issue, of respecting one another in any public forum, has been around ever since we began breaking down large populations into smaller stereotypes of races, genders, ethnicities, and sexualities. We have publically spoken of “our opinions,” as if they didn’t hurt or impact others. As time has progressed, however, we’ve tried to avoid racist and sexist generalizations in hopes of creating a more accepting and loving society. Today, you would never state publically that all black men are athletic.

The issue here isn’t that public figures are stating their disapproval of particular female comics. In fact, that would be preferred. Instead, it’s about grouping others into arbitrary categories that deprive individuals of their individuality. In a world with over 3 billion women, surely some of them are funny.

We don’t pre-judge people by race, because it’s wrong. So let’s stand up and admit that though you may think some female comedians aren’t funny, it’s unhelpful to generalize about them all. It’s not just a woman thing; it’s a human respect thing. We’re better than that.

After the online publication of our most recent blog post, ‘A Simple Eulogy, Making a Major Impact,’ we got a great question from one of our avid WK Blog readers. Instead of just answering her, we decided to respond in the most thorough and virally accepting way we know, with another blog post.

Women Techie presented us with the question: If Steve Jobs was still alive, what apps would he recommend to women and why? This got us thinking, what are the most popular applications currently available and of those, which are directed towards or designed for women?

Though I can’t speak for Steve Jobs himself, I know from reading some of his last public statements and having gained an understanding of his work ethic and personal morals over the years, that he thrived on building successful and equally useful tools to better our lives through interactive technology. Though Mr. Jobs was originally against the idea of applications, he later favored apps that were fast, helpful and stimulated the user. So, below you will find WomenKind’s opinion on what 5 applications do just that, and why exactly we think they are perfect for women.

Recommendation #1: Nike Training Club

We discovered this free app, developed by Nike exclusively for women, at the ESPNW Conference, where it’s easily the most popular workout tool for serious women athletes. The Training Club allows you to set up a personalized workout program online and access it from your phone. The Training Club app offers videos lead by professional female athletes that help you with specific exercise techniques and includes audio guidance to keep you motivated and on track. You can utilize special playlists from your own music library, set up a workout competition with your friends, set goals for the future and even receive digital rewards when you achieve them. The Nike Training Club eliminates the hazel of heading to a gym and paying for a personal trainer, and makes working out a personally reflective and technologically enjoyable experience.

Recommendation #2: Fooducate

This application is one of the App Store’s staff favorites, and also happens to be the app our President recommends above all others. Fooducate is like having a dietitian on speed dial. You can scan a products barcode, search for items online and browse different categories on the app while finding endless information about them all. The app gives product highlights (good and bad), compares different food options and allows you to select healthier alternatives than the items you may be searching for. You have the ability to see the “stuff” manufactures don’t want you to notice, such as excessive sugar, tricky trans facts, high fructose corn syrup, additives and preservatives. All you have to do is pick up the product, scan the barcode and let the application do its work!

Recommendation #3: Period Tracker

Though Steven Jobs wouldn’t have likely dove into a deep conversation with you on the Period Tracker, he did believe in simplification of life tasks, and that is exactly what the Period Tracker does. I’m sure every women knows when their period is coming, but we all can remember the many times when we manage to forget it. The Period Tracker (or the P Tracker as displayed on your phone) reminds you in advance, so to mitigate the forgotten tampon or Advil. It tells you how much longer you have, what moods you may be feeling and also is the simplest tool for recognizing if you are late. If you are a woman interested in getting pregnant, the Period Tracker also informs you of the most fertile times of the month and displays flowers on the screen instead of bold loud captions. Having your period can be annoying, but your iPhone can at least make it a more consistently manageable experience.

Recommendation #4: Intuition: Mom’s Personal Assistant

Whether you’re a mother or just a busy woman with need for more organization in her life, Intuition allows you to easily manage your multiple tasks in one program. With Intuition you can track calls, prioritize errands, simplify your grocery list, edit a wish list, locate coupons, find nearby stores to complete your tasks, manage a calendar and synchronize yours with others. This app is simple to navigate, aesthetically pleasing and growing with popularity each and everyday. Don’t have enough money to hire a personal assistant this year? Who needs one when you have Intuition in your jacket pocket?

Recommendation #5: Dinner Spinner

The popular home cook recipe site AllRecipies.com came out with the free Dinner Spinner app for the iPhone and iPod touch in hopes of solidifying themselves as the sole electronic cookbook. This database of nearly 40,000 user-submitted easy-to-make recipes allows you to pick a course, a main component, and the cooking time, and with a click of a button finds a variety of recipe options for you and your family. Not only does the app give you a massive variety of meal options, it supplies you with quality photos and all the nutritional information you could need. Did you have a busy day at work with no chance of pulling together a quality meal? Are your kids sick of the same old chicken and mashed potatoes? Or maybe you’re just a new chef with desires to create dishes just like the ones on TV. If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then this online recipe app is perfect for you!

Newspaper opinion sections have, since the early 1920’s, brought to light the most advanced and influential reflections on some of the greatest events of our documented history. Usually unaffiliated with the newspapers editorial board, the authors are encouraged to write their unfiltered opinions on pressing world, national and local events. The beauty of opinion pages, and opinions in general, are that due to the subjective nature of the writer’s emotional interpretation of facts, readers don’t have the ability to protest or publically reject the ideas; for by definition, the pieces are purely ones personal beliefs. This idea, though infuriating to many, has gained newspapers like The New York Times avid followers and contributors for decades past.

One of the greatest representations of this broad literary offering is a recent Op-Ed contribution to The New York Times by author Mona Simpson. Sister of the famously deceased American inventor and businessman Steve Jobs, Mona published the Eulogy – originally read during Jobs’ memorial service on October 16 – as an inspirational glimpse into her brother’s final moments on earth and his contribution to society as a whole.  This beautifully written and at moments emotionally taxing article, gives the readers a true indication of the siblings relationship and an opportunity to catch a side of Jobs we might have never heard without its publication.

Many have analyzed the Eulogy, while most wax poetically of its subtle ability to make you feel as if you are, for even a moment, a part of the family. We at WomenKind, though all massive fans of the article, wish not to analyze or even preach of the beautiful words spoken by Simpson. Instead, we simply offer you the link and encourage you to read each and every word.

Enjoy.

http://nyti.ms/sn6T5m

With Halloween only one day away, it’s virtually impossible to enter a store or shop online without noticing the lack of costume variety available from year to year. When looked at from a business perspective, the question quickly arises: If the focus isn’t on supplying interesting and imaginative costumes, where exactly are the marketers putting all of their efforts?

Put aside the fact that costumes marketed to the female population are becoming more and more skimpier, because this is an issue represented in headlines across the globe and over debated each and every year. Instead, let’s focus on the pure sexism that exists in the types of costumes offered to each gender. Whether you’re male or female, when you take an inside look at the Halloween costume options currently available, the answer is clear: Halloween is simply the most sexist day of the year.

If you decided to purchase your child’s costume from Target this year, you would notice a unique difference between the girls costume page and the boys. If you start by searching for a boy’s costume, you will find a theme option that includes various categories for you to browse through. From animals to occupations and even famous superheroes, it seems as though the male costume stereotype has been refined and defined. Masculine and rough with a hint of American pride, parents of young boys will have no issue this holiday season finding a comfortable and appropriate costume choice for their son.

Then, for the purpose of comparison, follow the same process and search for a costume for your daughter. Shockingly enough, you won’t find a category option in the girls’ section. If you desire an occupational costume for your daughter, or want to dress her as a superhero this year, you will have to search for it yourself. For the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, this seems a little odd, doesn’t it?

BuyCostumes.com, one of the largest costume sites on the Internet, has a similar issue with their costume selection. This Halloween, your daughter can look forward to becoming a ‘Car Hop Girl,’ ‘The Pretty Referee,’ ‘Head Zoo Keeper,’ or even a ‘Professional Cheerleader.’ Of the twenty-one female career options available (a term used loosely), young boys model six of the costumes and over 50% involve the child wearing a high cut skirt. Not a lot of options for parents to get excited about and equally less for young girls to relate to.

Your son however, will have the option of searching through eighty-six costume choices. Young boys model all of these options and only two would involve braving the chilly fall weather in short-shorts. Your son can look forward to becoming a ‘Police Officer,’ ‘Military Officer,’ ‘Secret Agent,’ or even a ‘Navy Admiral.’ Respected and completely PG, parents across the board can feel confident sending their son out to their next Halloween party.

It’s clear we have enough evidence to support the argument that we are slowly socially constructing gender differences through this simple holiday choice. These children don’t innately desire “male” or “female” careers, but instead, the career options are forced in their faces from their very first Halloween experience. Where are all the options and why favor the boys?

We live in a country that prides itself on being a forward thinking, progressively accepting society, and yet we are limiting our children to a selective, predetermined group of gender-specific costume options. If it’s truly Holiday marketer’s jobs to think outside the box and provide children with an exciting costume choice, than they need to step up their game and change their strategy. This is 2011; I’m sure we can give little girls more career options. After all, the focus should be on the candy selection and the various ways to shout “trick or treat,” don’t you think?

Womenkind has an immediate opening for an Account Executive. We are looking for someone with 2-3 years of agency and client management experience, who is passionate about improving marketing communications to women.

The Account Executive will assist in all aspects of account management on multiple accounts including managing daily workflow to ensure projects are on time, on budget, and on strategy. The ideal candidate would also have experience in strategy. She/He would be confident identifying business and marketing problems, performing research, analyzing trends to determine strategic implications, and developing a strategic approach that meets clients’ objectives. Additionally, the Account Executive manages several of Womenkind’s internal projects including research, surveys, whitepapers, and updating the account calendar.

Requirements:
•    Bachelors degree
•    2-3 years applicable work experience
•    Highly organized and detail-oriented
•    Excellent verbal and written communication skills
•    Ability to multi-task, manage multiple projects and work under pressure
•    History of successful client management
•    Knowledge of MS Office and Mac OS required
•    Knowledge of Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator and basic html preferred but not required
•    Compensation commensurate with experience

If interested, please email womenkind@womenkind.net with resume and cover letter with the subject line: Account Executive

“LG Mobile Enlists Rachel Zoe to Target Young Females for Marquee Phone: Stylists’ Hubby Says Tie-Ins with Hotels, Auto Could Be Next” By Alexandra Bruell AdAge.com 10/3/11

The crux of the initiative is an LG Mobile-sponsored web series dubbed “Style Rules.” The series will feature a competition in which Ms. Zoe tasks style bloggers with creating looks tied to the Android smartphone’s brand: “Thin, Light and Bright.”

“Forthcoming Tome ‘Mad Women’ Will Tell Other Said of the Story: Five Questions with the Author, Former Ogilvy Creative Jane Maas” By Rupal Parekh AdAge 10/3/11

Includes colorful anecdotes about the 1960s advertising era but also delves into the injustices women faced at the time in the work place. Women were rarely promoted to roles beyond secretary, suffered unequal pay and female executives were discouraged from having children.

“JCPenney Accused of Sexism Again With Pheobe Cates Spot ‘Fast Times’ scene offends” By T.L. Stanley AdFreak 10/3/11

Following extreme online reactions to its “I’m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me” t-shirt, JCPenney launches a new sexist campaign featuring a scene from Fast Times at Ridgemont High with 18 year old Pheobe Cates next to men old enough to be her father.

“5 Brands that understand Moms” By Holly Pavlika Content to Commerce 9/29/11

Huggies, P&G’s “Thank You, Mom” campaign, Walmart, Quaker’s “After school Rocks”, Pampers “Little Miracle Mission”

“Insights, Humor Are Key in Talking to Moms” by Karl Greenberg Marketing Daily, 10/2/11

Panelists at the inaugural Advertising Week presentation discuss best ways to reach mom. Problem may be from the lack of moms in the marketing process.

“Peru Sex Slavery: Police Free 300 Women in Amazon” BBC 10/4/11

Prosecutors say young girls are lured to the area by women who travel around offering them jobs in shops or as domestic helpers, but that the girls often end up being forced to work as prostitutes in local bars.

We're asking girls to remain body-confident after looking at ads like this all day?

Proposed legislation, named the “Self-Esteem Act” would require all ads and editorial with significantly retouched or modified images to be labeled as such. This bill is the brainchild of a husband and wife duo Seth and Eve Matlins, who founded Off Our Chests to keep girls who don’t fit the Barbie mold from losing their self-esteem. Many of the women at our firm are parents too, but as marketers and producers of advertisements in print, we recognize that some retouching is necessary, as a blotchy complexion may not look best. Where do we draw the line between acceptable retouching and misleading retouching? While adults may be savvy identifiers of a retouched photo, their daughters may not be. This legislation makes sense for fashion and beauty ads—it doesn’t advocate avoiding retouching, just alerting viewers to that fact.

The statistics Matlins quotes are scary:
50% of 13-year-old girls are unhappy with their bodies. By the time they’re 17, 800,000 out of 1 million of them will be unhappy with their physiques.

80% of adult women feel insecure about their looks after seeing images of women as depicted in the media. 80% feel worse about themselves after being “entertained”

It’s because of heartbreaking facts like this that organizations like Mr. Matlins “Off Our Chests,” the Geena Davis Institute, and the Women’s Media Center are all working to improve the way women are represented in the media both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. While noting that a photo is retouched may not fix all the gender inequity in the media, anything to make the next generation of women feel powerful and comfortable with their appearance is a step in the right direction. It’s heartbreaking to know that for many, part of growing up is waking up one day to realize that you don’t think you look the way you should. We are all guilty of focusing on our physical “flaws” from one time to another. Can you imagine how much time and energy could be refocused if we didn’t? What would a middle school look like if 100% of the girls there were happy with their bodies?

It’s a future that we want to see.