Never ask a woman her age: avoiding common demographic pitfalls when marketing to women
Today, successful marketers are marketing to women from a Lifestages (not age) point of view.
Since women control more than 80% of consumer dollars spent in North America, chances are you’ll be speaking to them at some point in your marketing process.
Knowing this is one thing. Connecting with women in a meaningful way is a challenge many marketers are still grappling with. How can you connect with the women you’re marketing to in a meaningful way when they follow lifelines that are no longer predictable by more traditional standards? How do you make them stop, take notice, and care?
According to Harbinger's InformHers
The InformHers is a group of women representing Six Major Lifestages. These women provide qualitative marketing insights on a variety of topics to Harbinger on a regular basis throughout the year. the most successful brands are forging powerful emotional connections with the women they’re targeting. Now, practically every woman will define emotional connection in a different way. Our panelists, at least, tell us these brands understand their needs, mirror their values, share a sense of community and come through for them at key moments in their lives.
Historically, marketers have relied on demographics like age and household income to zero-in on groups of like-minded consumers. In the past, a woman’s age often provided a relatively reliable first reference point from which to understand her life experiences. Ask yourself: today what do a single, career-oriented woman and a stay-at-home mother of two have in common? Not much, really, except they could both be 35.
Today, successful marketers are marketing to women from a Lifestages (not age) point of view: identifying common emotional connection points based on shared life experiences and needs. Tapping into emotional triggers specific to a woman’s Lifestage enables us to engage with them in relevant ways that garner attention and foster loyalty and respect.
We have identified six LifestagesHarbinger has defined Six Major Lifestages that women may pass through during their lifetime. Click to view the Six Harbinger Lifestages. that describe distinct phases women might pass through in their lifetimes. Understanding and expanding our knowledge of these Lifestages through our InformHersThe InformHers is a group of women representing Six Major Lifestages. These women provide qualitative marketing insights on a variety of topics to Harbinger on a regular basis throughout the year. provides us with insight into the experiences that connect women at similar points in their lives - enabling us to connect with them too.
Lifestages provide clarity – here’s an example: thinking about our 35-year old stay-at-home mother of two and her single friend we’d put the mom in the Lifestage “Experienced Mom”Harbinger considers women in the Experienced Mom Lifestage to have children over the age of four., and her friend in the “Singleton”Harbinger considers women in the Singleton Lifestage to be a single woman under the age of 45 without children. Lifestage. We know that mom is most likely to be dedicated to her family and our Singleton dedicated to herself. Mom longs for more ‘Me time’, while her friend defines her identity through expressions of ‘Me time’. Mom appreciates brands like Heinz® Ketchup and Cheerios, while her friend can’t fit enough M·A·C cosmetics into her purse. They might be friends, but their life experiences and emotional connectors are very, very different.
With a Lifestage approach we can hone in on the emotional entry points that enable us to connect with women in a meaningful way regardless of their age, where they live, or personal interests. It’s a powerful first step in guiding the words and messages we’ll use to engage them.
The next step is understanding how to best leverage these common experiences to create marketing campaigns that connect emotionally. We’ll explore this idea more in future issues of The XX Factor when we look at strategies for applying a Lifestages approach to marketing to women.
Girls Gone Wired: Lifestage and Technology
Quickly scan the aisles of your local Best Buy or Future Shop, and you’ll see a lot of male consumers. Look a little closer and see who’s actually standing at the cash register.
Women are the primary consumers of wireless gadgets and gizmos and outspend men on electronics purchases.1 They outnumber men online and more than half (54.5%) use the Internet as their primary resource for information on products they might purchase.2
Women are serious users and purchasers of technology and their current Lifestage plays a defining role in how and why they use technology. When Harbinger asked its InformHersThe InformHers is a group of women representing Six Major Lifestages. These women provide qualitative marketing insights on a variety of topics to Harbinger on a regular basis throughout the year., we uncovered clear differences in how communications technology is used between women with and without children.
Here’s a look at technology application among some select Lifestages, including two we introduced in 'Never ask a woman her age: avoiding common demographic pitfalls when marketing to women'.
Women without children
Harbinger’s defined SingletonHarbinger considers women in the Singleton Lifestage to be a single woman under the age of 45 without children. and Me to WeHarbinger considers women in the Me to We Lifestage to have recently entered into a stable and comfortable relationship. Lifestages rely heavily on technology for interpersonal communication.
Without social networks moms build through their children (playdates, birthday parties, mom groups), women without children tend to use online social networking programs, email and text messaging to connect with one another. Women on our panel with no children tend to use mobile technology as a way of connecting 24/7 vs. moms who tend to use mobile technology in reaching others (especially children) only as needed.
The Learning? Marketers looking to reach the SingletonHarbinger considers women in the Singleton Lifestage to be a single woman under the age of 45 without children. or Me to WeHarbinger considers women in the Me to We Lifestage to have recently entered into a stable and comfortable relationship. Lifestages can help women connect by bringing them together online, or by using technology to help them facilitate real-life, offline get-togethers (example = an evite service).
Women with children
Mothers also use technology to communicate, but with more specific intent:
New MomsHarbinger considers women in the New Mom Lifestage to recently have had their first child., in particular, seek affirmation online. Chat rooms and forums allow them to see what other women are saying about children’s products, child development and other relevant topics. Whether shopping for a new stroller or worried about a strange rash on their newborn, they can solicit advice from other moms on the Web.
The Learning? Moms want to hear from those who’ve experienced a product before committing to purchase. By helping New MomsHarbinger considers women in the New Mom Lifestage to recently have had their first child. experience, review and discuss products on their terms, marketers can quench their thirst for information and affirmation and boost credibility.
Experienced Mom: As she moves into the Experienced MomHarbinger considers women in the Experienced Mom Lifestage to have children over the age of four. category, technology plays an expanding role on an individual and family level. As mom and her children become increasingly reliant on technology for school and pleasure, access to and monitoring of technology use become greater issues.
The Learning? Providing support in how technology is accessed and relevant content for the Experienced MomHarbinger considers women in the Experienced Mom Lifestage to have children over the age of four. and her children will appeal to women in this Lifestage. For example, having the children’s section of your Web site certified by a pediatric association, or providing tips on how families can enjoy the content together, will establish your company/brand as a safe haven in the online world.
1) Source: Consumer Electronics Association
2) Source: Burst Media Survey: The Internet is the Essential Medium for Women (June 2007) and emarketer.com (U.S. Internet User by Gender 2007-2012)
Harbinger’s dos and don’ts for appealing to lifestages
Don’t rely on traditional demographic measures to provide you with enough insight to understand your target consumer’s emotional points of connection.
Do leverage your understanding of Lifestages to help you identify attributes of your brand that will appeal to your target consumer on an emotional level.
Don’t be afraid to talk to your target consumer about issues and ideas she may be facing in her current stage in life – it’s how you create relevance.
Do use traditional demographics like age and income to help you identify the most effective communications channels to reach your target consumers.
Don’t forget to double-check that the imagery you’re using in your marketing materials doesn’t age discriminate: ensure that it is Lifestage inclusive.