Targeting Ads To Biz Women
02/28/2006
Received my issue of pink magazine last week - thanks Genevieve. pink is a fairly new pub that targets professional women and blends work-play-relationships. What caught my attention first was not the content (although that's pretty good) but the ads. Well, girlfriend, this is Diva Marketing!
At first glance I was impressed that about 80% of the ads appeared to be created for the demographics of the pub .. career women. By that I mean about 80% had photos, copy or images relating to women. Did all the ads hit the mark? Some did. Some didn't. However, an appletini toast to all for beginning to think about marketing to women 21st century style .
Some were subtle like the 2-page pink shoes on the beach ad from PriceWaterhouseCoopers that was accompanied by copy that read almost like poetry. It's long but ... 
at some point in her career, every women has shared
challenges with another women
down the hall
up the street
in a corner office
three thousand miles awayat some point in her career, every woman has needed
to compete with another women
to fight on behalf of another woman
to place her trust in another woman
to interview another womanat some point in her career, every woman has needed
another woman to trust with her children
to remind her of who she use to be
to be a role model without ever knowing it
to listenat some point in her career, every woman should tell her story.
not for her, but for another not so different from herself.change begins with understanding.
understanding begins with conversation
It spoke to me. I thought it was lovely. It evoked emotion. I wanted to reach out and .. and .. and .. do what? Did PriceWaterhouseCooper want me to call them for a consulting job and they do what? Was I suppose to know what PriceWaterhouseCooper is doing these days after all the mergers and reorgs? Or was this simply a feel-good branding ad that I could turn into a Hallmark card?
Other ads appeared as though they were modified from an existing ad in a "mainstream" business pub versus created for a publication targeted to business women. Let's take a look at New York Life's full page spread. Three women of color. Nice. The copy seems to speak to a women on a career path. But it could just as easily have been written for a guy. Is that bad or good? Click to see the ad.
There was one point in the ad that came across as almost an after thought. But if that had been turned into the focus of the ad it could have told a powerful story.
For more information and to receive an informative DVD illustrating our history of commitment to women and diversity visit us today at www.newyorklife.com/pink
Sidebar: Don't bother visiting New York Life took the page down.
Divas, think for a moment about reading the story of how these three women succeeded in a large insurance company. Then think for a moment about what that company, New York Life, did to support that journey. Would it make a bigger impact with you than the current concept?
Effective ads don't necessarily have to be serious...all fun and no play makes Jane a dull diva (and that's an oxymoron because there are no dull divas! - especially not Yvonne DiVita aka Jane - Lip-Sticking or Michele Miller, Wonder Brand who brilliantly blog about marketing to women. Sidebar: Catch Michele's new column about marketing in INC ).
Prudential Financial spoofs it up with a super woman who I'm sure can do it all! Prudential Financial seems to get that's a myth. The headline "To Your Family, You're A SPECIAL KIND OF Hero ... 
Sidebar: Do you mind the word 'hero' instead of 'heroine?'
and the secondary headline "What Would They Do Without You?" draw you in .. have you nodding and all of a sudden there's an ah ha moment. What would my family do without me? The copy has a call to action .. tells you specifically what to do and how to do it. Bob Bly would like this one.
One more. This Georgia-Pacific ad is one of my favorites. It seems to go against all the "rules" of advertising to women. Or perhaps it's more subtle. I like the simplicity of concept and of the message. I love the weaving image and the multi 
Was this ad created specifically for a business women's publication? I don't know. Is it important that is might not be? Not if women can relate.
Just for fun here's a 1948 ad 
from Borden. Headline reads - "Do College Girls Make Better Wives?"
Sidebar: This post is dedicated to Karina. She blogs at Bentley College's Marketing Honors Blog. Karina has encouraged me to re-evaluate the focus of Diva Marketing. But that's a post for another day. In the meantime, take a look at her comment and my response.
Read More About Marketing to Women
Business Week Trend Sight Stratregy
Technorati Tags: Marketing, Marketing_to_Women, Business, Strategy, Advertising
