Ladies' Choice

Ladies' Choice
Never underestimate the power of a woman-specific promotion

by Kimberly Hundley

Men and women may have been created equal, but nobody claims they were created the same. Yet most promotions--even those that target the fairer sex--are of the one-size-fits-all variety.

Granted, offering his-and-hers products to a mixed audience isn't always economically or politically wise. Even with a female-specific promotion, one must be careful of stereotype blunders and generalizing.

WOMEN ARE a diverse bunch, as are men. Choosing the right product for them is more complicated than tossing out a purse, scented candle or other item viewed as classically feminine. A distributor needs to look at the needs of the particular women being targeted--along with the goals of the client. Standard operating procedure, sure. But a heightened sensitivity to gender can make a promotional product campaign more effective. The belated surge of women's apparel in the ad-specialty industry in recent years is proof of that.

Michael Parks, now an account executive with Seattle-based Zebra Hill Marketing, recalls a promotion he created in 1999 for the U.S. Women's Soccer Team's World Cup competition. The team wanted an item appealing to young girls going to the game that would also be something team members could wear while playing. Parks settled on a woven friendship bracelet, which built camaraderie between fans and players. The team ended up reordering the distinctly feminine bracelets three times--a total of 300,000 pieces.

"It's really easy to gear your product to an event," says Parks, "but it's a lot smarter to think about the demographics of who is getting this and what you are trying to accomplish."

CORPORATE AWARENESS

Increasingly, corporations are implementing promotional campaigns just for women, a formidable force in the marketplace. In her 2000 marketing book, EVEolution: The Eight Truths of Marketing to Women, futurist Faith Popcorn says women make 80 percent of all purchasing decisions. Courtney Caldwell founded the online resource "American Woman Road & Travel" primarily to raise awareness in the auto and travel industries about the growing women's market.

"Automakers realize that women not only buy about 50 percent of all cars, they influence 85 percent of all sales," Caldwell says. "Now they have women's market initiatives, committees or campaigns specifically targeting women and their needs."

The travel industry likewise has noticed women comprise 40 percent of all business travelers. Caldwell says women don't want "pink" marketing. They are more interested in having their questions answered and being treated like an informed and professional consumer. Though reluctant to generalize, Caldwell says women's key concerns in the travel and auto arenas include safety, dependability, quality and communication.

Along with their mighty buying power and teeming presence in the workplace, women are fast becoming business owners. Growth in the number of women-owned firms outpaces the overall rate in every state, according to the Center for Women's Business Research in Washington, D.C. "Corporations are quite clearly starting to target women business owners," says Executive Director Sharon Hadary. "I'm seeing many financial institutions targeting high net-worth women with conferences in very luxurious places."

The center, which shares expertise in marketing to women, hasn't yet conducted research on promotional products. Speaking from personal experience, however, Hadary says the products she sees "tend to be either the same ones used for the general population or they go too far the other way."

Hadary is a true believer in the power of premium face creams as logoed gifts. "I remember sitting at a conference that shall remain nameless with two very high-level women. Several corporate partners had put things in a gift bag; they had more tchotchkes than Carter has liver pills, including a nice silver notepad. The women left everything behind but the cream and shampoo." Now, when organizing conferences for the center, Hadary's favorite giveaway is purse-sized face lotion made by a woman-owned company.

Selecting the right product for women can be risky business--the term "feminine mystique" comes to mind. Though some clients may regard even face cream as stereotypical, Hadary says she's never felt demeaned by such gifts. "Many of the promotional items that you use for men are very consistent with what women want if the items are high quality, high class," she adds. "Quality is important because it is important to women as business owners. The product also should be something that is tucked easily into a purse or briefcase."

PERFECT PRODUCT

The industry is full of great products, but there is no such thing as a great product unless it goes along with the customer's needs, says Herma Sailor-Rand, president of Dovetail Marketing in Encinitas, Calif. "I'm not a product-specific person. I'm a person who is more specific about trying to get my customer the greatest thing for what they are trying to accomplish," Sailor-Rand says. "Pick up the phone and talk to the women and see what they would like, what they do, who they are."

In one promotion aimed at nurses, Sailor-Rand provided padded shoe inserts. In general, women recipients have reacted well to chocolate frames, bulgur-stuffed eye masks, and sticky pads with inspiring messages. But the product must fit the promotion, says Sailor-Rand. For example, a company focused on motivating employees might want to give out compacts with a positive note printed on the mirrors, she says.

Knowing the demographics and needs for an AT&T sales meeting helped Parks conceptualize just the right product for the job. The company described attendees as mostly Type-A women, sharp dressed and sophisticated. AT&T needed a badge holder for them to wear to the gala event. Parks created a sleek aluminum version, acid-etched with the company's name, with a plastic sleeve in the back for women to stash their IDs instead of carrying them in a purse.

Pat Walsh, president of New York City-based KTP Design Co., recalls a Princeton University class reunion where separate gifts were needed for men and women. KTP printed a scarf designed with tiger lilies, incorporating the Princeton colors of orange and black; men received a tie in the same colors. In many instances, companies order scarves printed with logos or images of their product to use as a gift with purchase. "They aren't going after women more than men, but they're making special accommodations for them," Walsh says.

DECIDING FACTOR

Helen Goldman, owner of Primo Promos in Phoenix, says she rarely is asked to consult on female-specific promotions. Instead clients acknowledge women in passive ways, mostly by eliminating female-unfriendly items from the promotional-product shopping list: tool kits, bad; desk accessories, good. Large-sized or heavy items also might be passed over in deference to women. "Women don't want the 28-ounce, great big handle coffee mugs," Goldman points out.

Understanding what kinds of products women prefer may help distributors win over women business owners as clients. Interestingly, Goldman has noticed that her women clients typically have a different buying style than men. "Women are more concerned about sizing and colors and that kind of thing," she says. "A man will say, 'Give me 100 extra larges.' A woman will say, 'We'll need one extra large for this person, and this person is a medium or maybe a small.' Women are more detail oriented."

Parks expects to get additional feedback and be asked more questions when working with female customers, who make up about half his clientele. "They are much more cognizant of fashion, style and perceived value than a lot of men are. I can usually go to a male client and, if you have a 'wow' factor, if it flashes, that's all you need." A woman, on the other hand, will scrutinize the product and give informed opinions on price and how the recipient will view and use the item, he says.

In their burgeoning role as decision makers, women could help raise distributors' female antennae. Parks admits he got an eye-opener during a brainstorming session about designing ticket holders for a college sporting event. The woman representing the corporate sponsor suggested the back of the holder include a Velcro pocket where a woman could store her lip gloss.

"Never had a male client previously thought of that," Parks says. "The women are ordering now--they are the decision makers."

COACH A retractable tape measure in calfskin.	SWEDA Designer Series solid brass pen with satin-chrome finished barrel.
OLIVIA GARDEN A colorful manicure set from the Formia Scandinavia line.	NORWOOD High-quality creams and lotions from Pillowline.
KTP DESIGN CO. Silk scarf with Viagra shaped pills; given to female doctors.	BENCHMARK The Tsuanmi Globe paperweight/recognition piece.
AXIUS A useful battery cable bag with attached flashlight.	BOUNDARY LINE Linen/cotton wide-leg pant with classic "Big Shirt".