Comments

There was an interesting article published in Picture Business magazine in which Lisa Johnson is interviewed by Laura Oles on the consumer habits of women. Laura has also published this article in PDF format on her website at: http://www.bizchronicles.com/content/PICBIZ_0105_56-58.pdf

Posted by Melissa Hinson at April 26, 2005 5:57 PM

What's your other New Cool Friend Dan Pink think of her book title?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Posted by Dustin at April 26, 2005 6:02 PM

And let's not forget the NEW human genome discovery of the female shopping gene [especially for shoes] - Manolo Blahnik DNA.

Posted by Sean at April 26, 2005 7:23 PM

I read the Lisa Johnson article in Picture Business magazine. Very "cool"!

Posted by Libby Green at April 26, 2005 9:21 PM

Dustin, especially since she replaced him, the title takes on a double meaning. But, we love all things Pink and not Pink.

Seriously, I know exactly what that title means. Once I was searching for a fact back-up on a women's conference Tom had attended, and I ended up in a sea of pink. Website after website was tinged every shade from petal to fuschia. I was near nausea, and I swore off all the products responsible.

Posted by cathy at April 27, 2005 12:11 AM

Cathy

Please pass on best wishes to Tom

I'm pretty sure he will be 're-charging' and I for one look forward immensely to reading his unique views and cage rattling soon.

The 'place' is not the same without him but then again absence makes the heart grow fonder as the saying goes - we all need a break now and again!

Take care Tom

Trevor

Posted by Trevor Gay at April 27, 2005 4:04 AM

I'd be the first to condemn "pink marketing" when it's the toolbox with a pink hammer: that strikes me as just plain dumb or a really cynical gimmick. But I wonder how much marketing to women is really about making the message more inclusive - appealing to more people and alienting fewer. Did Home Depot widen the aisles because women prefer wider aisles or because a whole bunch of people prefer wider aisles? Don't men get hacked off at the same stereotypes appearing in "male ads"? And don't men want their life made easier?

You could point to the marketing of "feminine" products to men (grooming, skin care products) or marketing to the "grey" market as a similar sort of thing. It seems to me it's about making the product appeal to as many people as possible, without stirring up or re-inforcing any implicit sexist / ageist / racist undercurrent.

Posted by Mark JF at April 27, 2005 9:02 AM

Mark,
Good point. Erik discussed this same effect in relation to workplaces in a Cool Friends interview with Helen Fisher in 2001:

"Deloitte wants to keep talented women working as consultants, [so] they’re developing more flexible structures to meet their needs ... but they’re finding that the men are happy to have these changes made as well, but it took a study of the women’s needs to make it happen."

So, yes, we're talking about marketing efforts that go past the surface, no matter who the target is.

Posted by cathy at April 27, 2005 10:46 AM

As usual I have a slightly contrary view on this.

I think it's great that more an more thinking is going into making stuff cool for women. This really needs to happen in so many areas of business and life.

When that "little" job is finished can we start doing the same for men please! I am sick of going into shops and finding the most idiotic, illogical layouts imaginable. (Apparently I buy more stuff if I go walk by aisle after aisle of things I don't want)

I am also sick of male bashing adverts that show the man as the dumb idiot who has to be shown how the product works by the smart woman.

Posted by PaulH at April 27, 2005 12:43 PM

i am with you paul.
but, hey - btopenworld.com - that is possibly london... not much to say against saville row and jermyn street from my point of view... except maybe some strange patterns and linings in the last couple of years...

Posted by jens at April 27, 2005 1:26 PM

NEW COOL FRIEND: Dr. Tom now NEWLY qualifies.

Posted by Brad at April 27, 2005 1:50 PM

PaulH, you may want to be contrary, but I think you're saying about the same thing I did. It doesn't matter what gender is being studied, there are some things that are annoying to all. Like those twisting aisles with merchandise blocking one's way at every turn that you describe.

Another one like that--the up escalator that's not next to the down escalator, so it takes five minutes to find it, and there's stuff in the way along the whole route. When will they realize that driving people to distraction makes them LESS likely to buy, not more.

Paco Underhill says a lot about this stuff in Why We Buy, a great read. He's spent twenty years sending "trackers" into stores recording buyers' behavior.

Posted by cathy at April 27, 2005 9:08 PM

I fully agree with Paul H. about the male bashing adverts. It seems the pendulum has swung and now much of advertising and storylines on TV are about women one-upping men. It is odd that this approach has become so popular (almost the default) because research shows it does not have much appeal to most women.

Posted by Lisa Johnson at April 28, 2005 2:28 PM

As a woman of a Certain Age, I will swear off forever any product that is marketed on the assumption that I'm interested only in golf, grandchildren, and the results of my latest colonoscopy. A woman friend of mine started law school at 60 (and graduated, too). My yoga teacher is 65 and preparing to take more teacher training in India for 4 months this winter. I began to study belly dancing at 52, and went on my first volunteer trail-building project with the Continental Divide Trail Association at 57. Active, healthy, sharp older women are everywhere, and any advertiser who condescends to us is dead meat.

Posted by Paula at April 28, 2005 6:28 PM

I agree with Paula but with this caveat: why limit your remark to active, healthy, sharp older women? Any advertiser who condescends to anyone ought to be dead meat!

Posted by Mark JF at April 28, 2005 6:45 PM