Marketing to women

Résumé du document

A few weeks ago, the French brand Celio launched a very original concept aimed at women. Celio is a men apparel brand, but 50% of their customers are women who want to buy clothes as a present. In more and more Celio shops, women can find "The Shoppenboys". The Shoppenboys are men from 19 to 63 that stand in the shops wearing only underwear. Their sizes vary from S to XXL and they are here to help women to buy the right clothes for their husbands, partners, sons, etc. The principle is very simple: the customer chooses the Shoppenboy according to his size and he follows her in the shop and tries on all the clothes. As a result, the risk of buying the wrong size is limited and it is also quite entertaining for customers.This marketing operation illustrates the fact that women are more and more important for firms; the idea to create a marketing campaign aimed at women for a men apparel brand can seem a little strange, but like more and more firms, Celio has understood that women are "the apple of marketers' eyes", as it is said in an article from Business Week.

Extraits

[...] Women insights: is it easier to get to the women? Firms have several techniques to study the insights of their female consumers. The Procter&Gamble club “Vocalpoint” is an example of a marketing operation which helps the brand to get to know women better. In general, women are more willing to participate to studies and they like to give their opinions, for instance in consumer groups or on internet websites. They are also more receptive to marketing operations such as mailing, direct marketing. [...]

[...] Some might say “Shopping is to women what football is to men”. The roles of women in the consumer society and their purchasing habits have evolved a lot in the last 50 years. a. Shopping as a duty At the beginning of the consumer society, in the 50's, women were still dominated by men. They had little decision power and were supposed to shop for the family as a duty. Consequently, it was not for them a real entertainment, but most of the times a chore. [...]

[...] They picture the man as an object to seduce women. This is a risky strategy, which is only efficient in some sectors. But it can easily become a little shocking or ridiculous, so in my opinion brands have to be careful about it. An example is an advertising campaign of a French women clothes brand, Kookaï. At first, Kookaï played the feminism: we could see on the ads some men dressed as women taking care of a baby. They were quite ridiculous on the ads, but it was still a way to say “This is not only a woman's duty to take care of the children.” The slogan of the campaign was “Let's save men”. [...]

[...] A fabricant of tools has created a line of product ergonomically designed to suit a woman's smaller hand. The interesting thing is that these tools are blue, like the regular ones, and not pink: this is the subtlety of marketing to women: the point is to answer to the real needs of the female consumers. c. Women and advertising The place of women in advertising illustrates the cultural and sociological evolution of the occidental world. i. Woman as an object. [...]

[...] Therefore, this is even more difficult for firms to catch a woman's attention. They do not have the time to listen to TV ads; however, they keep reading magazines, which is now the best opportunity for marketers to seduce them. Women are always trying to find the practical details that will help her make her choice faster. Nowadays, firms tend to invest a lot of money in product placement, or sponsorships, and reduce their presence on TV. The lack of time is also an issue that has to be acknowledged by retailers. [...]