Wolff Olins

ALL DIFFERENT, EACH UNIQUE

What’s going to see us out of this economic mess the (largely male) banking population got us into? Women!

That may sound like feminist rhetoric but it’s grounded in solid fact: 85% of all brand purchases are made by women. 88% of mothers in the US (the world’s largest economy) refer to themselves as the household CFO. 
To take advantage of that immense spending power, companies and marketers alike need to work out what it is that makes women not just like but buy what they have to offer. And the rewards are big if they manage to crack the golden egg of the sale funnel: recommendation - women are passionate advocates for the brands they love, and extensive social networkers (particularly in the West).

But currently there is often a big disconnect between women in real life and women in advertising. The cliches – woman cleaning, woman ruffling child’s hair as she’s cleaning, woman serving up steaming gravy pots to her grubby male family members – come thick and fast. And women – of all ages - can spot it a mile off: a US cleaning brand recently got short shrift from a 9 year old girl on their TV ad: “Dear Swiffer, I think your commercials are totally sexist. There is no good reason why in all your commercials there is a girl cleaning the house with Swiffer.” And a lot of websites aimed at women are no less guilty of stereotyping – laying on the pink, diamonds and cheesy smiles thick. 

Women are different to men, but they are also different to each other. It’s ridiculous to suppose you can generalise about what 50% of the population wants. When brands get it right in the lucrative women market, they don’t make assumptions – they make things that are useful and relevant to women. 

Take Nike: back in 2006 they re-did their corporate strategy, making ‘women’s fitness’ one of the key pillars of their offer. Since then, they’ve created products and services that are particularly relevant to their female customers – apparel that’s more feminine, creating new ways for their network to connect…and all with a black background. 
Similarly, LinkedIn researched how women used their service – noticing that they are more likely to connect people, liking to help other women like themselves get ahead – and adapted to suit them more; successfully managing to change their demographic from 79% men 7 years ago, to almost 50/50 men/women today.

And it’s even possible in the world of consumer electronics. In 2007, Pure Digital Technologies shunned the traditional, male-dominated CE venues to showcase their attractive, pocket-sized camcorder the Flip. Instead they invested in getting arguably the most famous and influential Western women on board as their key advocate: Oprah and her TV crew made videos with the Flip from behind the scenes on her TV show, and posted them on YouTube - neatly demonstrating the useful and fun ways Flip can fit into your life as a an active, ambitious, socially networked woman (and helping to keep Flip at the top of the sales charts on Amazon).

Other brands should learn from these examples. It’s OK to target women. It’s OK to acknowledge that they do things differently. But don’t rely on stereotype – know which women it is you’re targeting and make sure you give them something great to talk about to their friends beyond a feminine colour palette.

[Amy Norman & Jean-Yves Minet]

BRANDS THAT WON’T DISAPPEAR

While some companies such as Interbrand, Millward Brown Optimor, and FutureBrand are focused on establishing a ranking of the strongest brands worldwide and estimating their value, 24/7 Wall Street takes quite the opposite approach. Every year, the publication compiles a report of brands that are likely to disappear in the near-term. Both approaches are interesting, and confirm that success of the business is often correlated to health of Brand.

Unfortunately, many brands disappear every decade. Sometimes the economic context plays against them, but most of the times the brand is not able to capture opportunities from the market, the customer, or innovation.

So how do you build a strong brand?

Everyday, keep in mind these three basic principles when you manage your brand. Big or small, strategic or tactical, national or international, no matter how important the decision is, don’t forget these three principles:

Put your brand at the middle of your business strategy. Brand is not a badge you stick on your offer. Brand is a tool that sits at the heart of your organization and helps you drive every decision you make about your offer, your capabilities, your culture or your image. In order to be a powerful tool, you need to have a strong idea behind your brand.

Deliver on customer expectations. It’s not what you say that matters; it’s what you do. Listen to your customers, surprise and delight them with experiences that make their lives better. Your brand is not what keeps people loyal - the product itself is what drives people to buy.

Be transparent. Communicate with your employees and use Brand to engage with them. Invite your customers to be part of the creation of your offer. Use Brand as a platform to empower people to co-create the experience. For example, use social media to create a conversation with your audience and build relationships with them. 

(Jean-Yves Minet)