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Today I was interviewed by Valerie Smaldone on WOR News Talk Radio. Valerie is a great friend who invited me to her studio for a wide-ranging interview about my recent article in Real Simple, my new audio podcast Whine at 9 and of course, Just Ask a Woman. An interview that can take me from tears to laughter in less than 10 minutes…well, that’s what I call talk radio at its finest. Enjoy!
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My article “Inside the God Box” in the November issue of Real Simple magazine was a joy to write since I was able to share the story of my mother’s secret weapon against life’s worries. I knew I’d feel a sense of relief, just from telling the tale. But what I didn’t expect was the outpouring of reaction from women searching for a tool or path to release them from worries of their own.
I’ve received dozens of beautiful emails…and even read blogs of readers who acknowledge the struggle of keeping all their worries inside while trying to keep all the balls in the air. Women who want solutions to stresses related to their kids, their bills, their health, their relationships. One stranger wrote to me that she’d been searching for work for six months and asked if I’d put her hope in my God Box. Humbled, I did…but I felt sad to know how many of us walk the earth, mulling our worries over and over like old coins in our pockets.
It’s not that we didn’t know this after interviewing so many women over the years at Just Ask a Woman. It’s just that I didn’t realize how forthcoming women would be, even to the invisible face of a magazine writer or the silent acceptance of a little box that holds their prayers.
I do hope that my article in Real Simple helps more people let go. But more than that, I wish that women knew they aren’t alone. There’s always someone to listen.
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Off and on, people ask me how I got into this “listening to women” business and while it’s natural to point to my ad career, or my appreciation for female consumers’ power, the real answer is my mom. She taught me how to listen and to find out what was inside other people, just by paying attention to the unspoken needs that can go undetected.
But what I never admitted before was how my mom secreted away her what she heard, the pleas for cures, fears, worries and tears, in something she called her “God Box.” It was a little trinket box, actually a series of them, where she’d stow away her handwritten petitions on behalf of anyone in need, whether family or a stranger. After she died, we discovered that she’d kept all those boxes, filled with hundreds of random scraps of every mountain and molehill we’d ever confided to her over 20 years. Listening to what people want is one thing; entrusting their worries to a higher power, without even asking for recognition, well, that was my mom.
This month in Real Simple magazine (November issue now on newsstands), I am giving her a standing ovation in an article called “Inside the God Box.” I loved her with all my heart. Now all I can do is share this story with anyone out there who might be looking for a way to turn listening into loving, even if it’s as small a gesture as a prayer written on a “While you Were Out” slip.
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This week I stayed in the new Intercontinental Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois and was delighted with some terrific amenities that had ‘woman’ written all over them, without uttering a single word. Not only was the room beautifully appointed in soothing gray’s and contemporary artwork, but the little things blew me away. The products from Elemis were a nice upgrade from the usual in packaging and formula (yes, shampoo and conditioner were separate). The shower cap package revealed not only a cap, but a tiny covered hair elastic for those of us who’d rather scrunch up a ponytail in the shower…or in the fitness room. And the shower itself was graced with a tiny wedge about a foot above the floor. While a guy might say, What for? Any woman would be happy to finally have a simple way to shave their legs without assuming the flamingo position in a slippery spot. Overall, Aplus!
A side note from Jen: The Westin Hotel in Costa Mesa, CA puts their money where their mouth is and offers a $5 food/beverage credit for forgoing maid service in your room during your stay. This is a nice build on the conservation option of using your towels two days in a row.
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I’m so sad the new Christmas campaign for Wii Fit is not airing in the US. The UK Telegraph reports that Helen Mirren is one of the new endorsers for the gaming consol.
Dawn Paine, Marketing Director at Nintendo UK, mentions that, “we will be helping the nation play together and have fun whatever their age.” Usually we say everything cannot be for everyone, but this is a great example of smart boomer marketing. Perhaps she’ll buy Wii Fit in the hopes of playing with their grandkids, spouse or friends? And who tends to splurge on gifts around the holidays and has the disposable income to do so?
It’s about time to acknowledge women’s presence in the gaming industry where female gamers total 40% of players.
I’m interested to see how the campaign is received, but I’m happy that Nintendo is paying attention to the power of the consumer when usually boomers are an afterthought. Thanks for putting her front and center, does this mean I can get abs like Dame Mirren?
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I decided to road test and redeem my retailer birthday freebies noted in yesterday’s blog. First up, Sephora. Their Beauty Insider program has received our kudos in the past and this was no exception. As always, I couldn’t make it to the register without picking up two new fall lipsticks, a lip plumper and a new mascara (because of course, I don’t have any of those!)
At checkout, I presented my birthday gift card and the nicest associate smiled out, “Happy Birthday!” three different times. And he offered me another free gift for my accumulated points, but I decided to hold out for a better choice next time. Great retail execution of a marketing concept.
Next stop, the Diane Von Furstenberg boutique for a party dress. I tried on at least seven with a very helpful associate who observed my usual disparaging mirror chants, “Do I look fat in this?” “Is this too young for me? “ . Then I presented their very generous $50 credit birthday offer toward a pretty red dress. But my associate friend offered no birthday woot at all. If I were a salesperson (well, I am, sort of…), I would have put two and two together (appearance anxiety and a birthday) and said, “Happy Birthday…by the way, you look fabulous in that red dress” thereby getting the full punch from the promotion. But no dice. Just the discounted receipt, which was swell but not sweet.
My point isn’t that I need salespeople to blow out my candles. It’s that when you invest big bucks in a promotion, train your sales floor to execute. “Gift” doesn’t mean “giveaway”…it means, thank you, I love you, come back. Make it feel that way and she will.
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My birthday is over a month away but according to a few retailers, the time to spend is NOW! Though I avoid store cards no matter what the offer, I am a sucker for the ‘what’s your birthday?’ come-on ‘s at major retailers. So, it’s a nice treat when all my store friends help me blow out the candles. Of course, some retailer programs are more generous and less self-serving than others.
As a Sephora Insider, I received “We’ve got a Beauty Insider Birthday Gift waiting for you.” Can’t hate that because it’s a really good bunch of eye makeup. No strings—yippee!
DSW promises $5 off a pair of shoes, Victoria’s Secret, $10 off a purchase and J.Crew, 25% whatever I buy, as many times as I like, for the next two weeks. Very nice! The biggest discount was from upscale boutique Diane Von Furstenberg who’s sporting me to $50 off my next purchase.
For my money, J.Crew and DVF are the most appealing because they’re being generous with quality merchandise. As much as DSW and Vicky’s Secret are fun stores, a further discount wouldn’t entice me into a special trip to stores which are already low-priced. If I were their marketing director, I’d come up with free product instead. DSW might offer a cute clutch or on-the-spot free waterproofing for new boots. And VS ought to give away a free pair of undies or black tights. In both cases, they’d reinforce their product story vs just money off. I know that I can’t go to either store without buying something unplanned, but they need to lure me in with more perceived value than five or ten bucks.
Yeah, yeah, don’t look a gift (certifcate!) in the mouth! But it’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to.
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Last night I received notice of a memorial service in honor of a trailblazing woman who deserves a huge salute and thanks on behalf of so many—my longtime friend and onetime client Marilyn Laurie. I had not seen her in quite some time, and annual holiday cards kept me connected, but unaware of what she was going through. Marilyn’s obituary written by her devoted friend Dick Martin tells the details of her phenomenal career in communications, brand marketing and public relations, as well as her vast philanthropic and volunteer activities.
For today’s young women, the idea of having few or no female career allies or role models may seem oddly antiquated. Women have long since broken the boundaries that kept them apart and sometimes alone at the office. But in the 70s when Marilyn envisioned Earth Day in NYC and then over the next two decades, as she rose to the highest levels of AT&T, she didn’t have as much company.
She could fight fiercely within the boys’ club but she never stopped being a lady, in the most wonderful way and she never stopped reaching out to other women to pull them up alongside her, if they paid their dues.
When I was president of NWAyer, the ad agency that created AT&T campaigns from “Reach Out and Touch Someone” to the highly prescient “You Will”, Marilyn was the one (and nearly only!) woman I could turn to, who was near the top of the telecommunications giant.
In May of 1996, my boss suddenly left Ayer and I was thrown into the role of instant CEO under tremendous media fire and attention. At day’s end, I went to a reception where Marilyn was receiving the coveted Human Relations Award of the American Jewish Committee. I was pretty freaked out by my day’s events yet kept a stiff upper lip as I joined her fans. My husband Joe was in attendance and he confided to Marilyn what had just happened, and she asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?” And Joe said, “Don’t fire her agency.” She didn’t and in fact, guided me through some challenging business times, always with her clear and honest point of view and her personal style of encouragement, understanding and high expectations.
The business world has lost an incredible talent and leader in Marilyn. I feel I’ve lost a special woman who never forgot how to reach out and touch someone with her gentle and brilliant spirit. I won’t be able to go to her memorial service because that night, I am scheduled to speak to a large group of women about their careers. Guess who I will be channeling that night?
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Half Truth: “I want to be as green as I can be.”
Whole Truth: “I’ll go green as long as it still tastes good, looks pretty and doesn’t cost more.”- What She’s Not Telling You
A recent article in the Times, “Cleaner for the Environment, Not for the Dishes”, explores negative consumer feedback on P&G’s new Cascade product line that follows new government regulations around the amount of phosphates allowed in dishwashing detergents. Often with environmentally friendly products there is confusion over price, effectiveness and the trade off. For example, if I don’t use one resource (harmful chemicals) and alter my routine by pre-washing my dishes, aren’t I then using more of another environmental resource (water) thereby hurting the environment in a different but equally bad way? It’s like a green Catch 22.
How can Cascade address this? Are there stats out there proving that pre-washing dishes uses less water than running your dishwasher twice? It’s time for green companies and products to address mass consumer concern in order to gain acceptance and market share.
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Recent advertising for New Balance’s new line of women’s toning shoes, Truebalance, points out that you can tone your body without toning down your style. As this growing toning-shoe segment has focused on fitness claims, New Balance is focusing on how you look while toning up. They have tapped into the whole truth of ego-protection here and I believe it will help them stand out in the category.
Half Truth: I’m open to trying new ways to get and stay in shape.
Whole Truth: I don’t want to look like a dork in the process.
And by advertising in both fitness and non-fitness magazines, such as Glamour, Instyle and Lucky, not only are they capturing those that want to look good while working out, they have also opened up the category to those who like the idea of a “work-out” without ever having to actually work out. Being part of the fit club continues to build on this whole truth. Great job New Balance!
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“The God Box” has grown to include an app, audio book, philanthropic venture and solo show performed by Mary Lou across the US. Now The God Box Project goes global to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Go There
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