Nothing like an article in Psychology Today to put something into perspective.  Some brands charge more for products they can pitch as “for women.” As consumers, women have always sensed this to be the case, but the article’s author, William Poundstone, lays it all out for us – almost … Read on >

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 >

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 >

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 >

My recent post on whether or not marketing to women has to be a women-only pursuit (short answer – absolutely not) got me thinking on a broader point: why does it take a bit of gender outrage (and, so-labeled “feminist” commentators/authors/bloggers often get things going) in order for human … Read on >

What does your laptop say about you?  Mine is a black MacBook.  Does it mean something if it isn’t pink or red, or stored in a very stylish case when I travel?

Josh Fruhlinger called me a few weeks back to talk about just that.  He’d noticed an oddly and overly … Read on >

Semantics is often pooh-poohed, as in: “that’s just semantics.”  But, as I research the gender shifts in workplace and marketing these days, I think we should be giving semantics their due.  Word choice actually DOES matter when formerly touchy topics are raised, especially if the point of raising them is … Read on >

If marketers continue to create campaigns based on thinking that “men always do this” or “women always do that,” they are going to fall into a gender trap. In this era of the much more diligent shopper, we just can’t … Read on >

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 >

Beer brands have a distinct advantage in advertising. They are practically expected to use humor, and have long been allowed some degree of gender stereotyping (and perhaps welcomed outcries of “sexism” as worth the negative publicity). … Read on >