Learned On...

NewsBytes: Small Biz Tech Girl, Customer Insiders and Sustainable Biz (Just Do It)

1) Aliza Sherman-Risdahl, one of the pioneers of women in technology and author of several books (including her latest, The Everything Blogging Book), just launched the Small Biz Tech Girl podcast. Her years in the business, experience with her own entrepreneurship and ability to make technology … Read on >

NewsBytes: Women’s Studies for Men, Curating an Experience

1) Since 2002, of the 8,724 students taking women’s studies courses at the University of Michigan (go blue), 1,124 were male. What’s going on? Here’s a quote from a male women’s studies student in an LSA Magazine article (click on the “What’s Different” article to … Read on >

NewsBytes: Feminine Social Media(?) and Men Who Shop

1) There is a good post and interesting discussion of whether or not social media is “feminine” (i.e. because women like to connect and thus… you know, the usual stereotype) on SocialMediaExplorer. I put myself right out there as a freak of nature - in that I blog … Read on >

“Women Are The Best Index of the Coming Hour”

American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote this oft-repeated observation, and I’ve used it as a tagline of sorts, since founding Learned On Women in 2004. As socio-anthropologist and author Helen Fisher observed in her book, The First Sex: he “correctly discerned another feminine faculty related … Read on >

NewsByte: How Women Aren’t Being Served Online

1) Diane Mermigas wrote a very inspired and thorough MediaPost blog post on “women’s sites” and how women are actually not being served by them. The launch of Yahoo’s latest addition to the ranks, “Shine,” was what got her going. Her observations are spot on, and … Read on >

NewsBytes: Online Gaming Women, Hypnotic Focus Groups and Men in the Kitchen

1) Gaming doesn’t attract the young female audience you might assume it would.  Recent research shows: "Consumer product advertisements on Gaming sites tend to perform much
better among women ages 45+ compared with younger females. And
this is not a small audience, says the report. 8.3 million women ages
45+ say … Read on >

Closing the Feedback Loop: Using and Acknowledging Customer Input

If I asked you, you’d tell me that your company/brand definitely takes in customer feedback.  In fact, in this uber-consumer-participatory era, you’ve got an amazing email database and a full-time staff on it, right?   But, does your brand make it across that final inch of the feedback loop to keep … Read on >

Marketing to Women: First, Admit Ignorance

As 2007 ended and “top trends” for 2008 were released by every marketing consultant and his/her brother, I reflected a bit. How far have we come? Has marketing to women, as a field of business study, evolved as quickly as its subject has? Are there any big new trends that … Read on >

Holistic Buying: 2008’s Most Important Trend

In my most recent HuffingtonPost piece, I write about the trendiest trend ever: holistic buying. Today’s consumers are taking the “it all matters” perspective, so integrating your marketing channels or emphasizing linear facts or ignoring their environmental expectations won’t work. They are looking for more: more … Read on >

NewsBytes: Cars, Houses and Philanthropic Practices Inspired by Women, Appreciated By All

1) Cars that are designed by women, with women in mind, actually get high marks from male consumers?  That’s what an Edmunds.com blog post about the 2008 Chevy Malibu says.  "Designed for a demographic that is 60% female and 40% male, this
midsize family sedan has appeal across the board. … Read on >