What women consumers want: A marketer’s guide to ‘woo’ women

Authored by Meghna Varma, Director, Marketing, IPM India Wholesale Trading (country affiliate of Philip Morris International, Inc.)

When was the last time you saw an advertisement and the first thought that came to your mind was – ‘how stereotypical’? I guess many times. Women have mostly been portrayed in stereotypical roles in marketing gimmicks. A recent Women’s Day campaign offering women discount on kitchen items is one such example. A lot of brands still make the mistake of categorising women with specific insignia, themes, etc. Such narratives not only turn away consumers, both women and men, but also taint the overall brand imagery.

Today’s women are headstrong, ambitious, intelligent, and capable. They can be modern yet value traditions. They can lead the boardroom discussion as well as be homemakers. They are aware of their self-worth as they are financially independent. As the modern woman evolves donning multiple facets in their personality, brands need to acknowledge and reflect these aspects when they target this crucial target audience. The power of women consumer as the primary decision maker and consumer of products and services across industries cannot be overemphasised. They are not only responsible for their own purchases, but are key decision makers for their partners, children, parents, friends, etc.

Though there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ marketing rulebook, new age brands need to focus harder on building authentic transparent and responsible marketing campaigns to appeal and engage women consumers.

Understand the audience

First and foremost, brands need to invest in building stronger consumer insights and social media analytics engines to keep a pulse on evolving trends. It is imperative that they gather relevant information, learn from focus groups on their assorted experiences, coupled with first half account, testimonials, and experiences of women from diverse demographic, geographical regions, and cohorts. Such a cohesive approach will help brands adopt a more inclusive lens backed by better insights as well as response and feedback on campaigns.

More inclusivity within brands

The inclusion of women in all spheres of life has never been more important. The more women you hire in your teams, the more it will be easier to understand their psyche and hence, their taste, preferences, and purchase habits. Are they driven by certain characters, values, or even certain practices? Understanding what’s essential to her enables businesses to create value for women consumers and thus, impacting their purchase behaviours. In the recent times, it is heartening to see eminent global brands working closely with marketing and advertising teams to curate inclusive teams with a focus on progressive gender portrayal in campaigns.

Make your campaigns relatable

As consumers evolve, we are increasingly witnessing a trend where they want to see campaigns which reflect the women of today, reflecting their strengths, their journeys and even their flaws. Today’s campaigns need to display such characters to make the brand more relatable.

Build a relationship first, then sell

It is important to build long-term relationships with women to keep them engaged and create loyalists. Tell them stories that connect with them rather than doing plain marketing gimmicks. It is critical for brands to understand the challenges that women face daily, their aspirations as well as their expectations from brands.

Increasingly, we are seeing brands centre-staging real life stories of women, be it interesting anecdotes of their aspiration, resilience, or triumph. We are also seeing brands driving strong purpose-led campaigns often aligned to women causes. If done authentically and with sensitivity, such communication creates an emotional bond with consumers going beyond just selling products or services and instead playing a purposeful role in consumer lives.