Learned On | gender, consumer behavior and sustainability

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Dove Men+Care: A Transparent Marketing Reminder

There’s been quite a lot of discussion about Dove’s Men+Care Super Bowl ad, and rightly so.  But, (for the love of…) don’t let their success lead you to the extremes of “me-too” and “we’ve got to get in on this marketing to men thing.”… Read on >

UK Dell’s Brilliance: Women Mentoring Men

I just saw this mentioned on twitter* and because it is such a brilliant program, I was compelled to post right away.  Dell is taking a step, starting with the UK apparently, to do a sort of reverse gender, reverse role mentoring program.  As described in a recent issue … Read on >

Does Sex Sell (Pistachios), Redux

Raise your hands.  Who finds the image of a dominatrix sexy?  Who might aspire to Levi Johnston’s sex life?  And, who in the world is most likely to care about “Greg Brady’s” reality show or his much too graphic displays and intimate discussions with his “super-hot” young wife (egads – … Read on >

Best Practices In Marketing Show A Woman’s Influence

These days there are many great sources for studying up on the best practices in marketing – and two of my favorites are published via The New York Times: Rob Walker’s Consumed column in the magazine and Stuart Elliott’s Campaign Spotlight. Neither of these guys writes a “marketing to women” … Read on >

Men Learning from Women, Calling Out Gender Stereotypes

I was just going to sign off for the day when I came across a post on an Arizona college newspaper’s site that compelled me to get my thoughts down. “Trucks destroy the idea of manhood” by Jason Hagerty brings up a few points I’ve tried to make myself … Read on >

Marketing Wisdom From Third Wave Feminism

Feminism has long been hard to define, but the twenty-first century third wave version seems more difficult still to pin down.  Yet – and especially for organizations striving for relevance in working with or marketing to women, – it may be more important to understand this wave now.  For one … Read on >

Lessons from the “Target: Women” Hotseat

Satire isn’t only for Jon Stewart and politics (though he surely reigns eternal).  It is also a great mechanism for consumers or the pop-culture media to raise up the disconnections in a brand’s understanding of their markets.  One (with … Read on >

Ford F-150: Marketing to Men’s Left, and Right, Brains

At this moment in time, you wouldn’t think an ad campaign for an American made, large-sized truck, would offer new ideas in reaching today’s consumers.  After all, the big three auto brands, in general, and anything larger than a Prius, specifically, seem likely to be on their last legs (wheels?).  … Read on >

Defying Gender Stereotypes: One Ad At A Time

When I am asked for examples of great marketing to women efforts, I generally list past campaigns by American Express, Home Depot, Apple and Kleenex.  At face value, those brands are all non-gendered – but track their tactics and messaging and you see a lot of women’s influence. Therein lies … Read on >

Super Bowl: The Ultimate Benchmark for Ad Industry?

There is an annual pre-Super Bowl buzz-buildup and an ensuing flurry of commentary about gameday ads – and all of it is just part of the entertainment.   But, these attention-getting moments on one deep winter’s Sunday evening reflect no true marketing wisdom.  Such flash-in-the-pan attempts at reaching millions of … Read on >