You Are NOT Old Spice

by Jen Drexler
Published September 17, 2010 in Fashion

Cringe Factor: 10+
Humor Factor: 0
Makes me want to buy the competitor Factor: 10+

So Stayfree in Canada thought they’d learned something from Old Spice and launched a viral campaign (glad it is a virus because it makes me want to heave) for their products. I hate to drive traffic to this campaign at all so I will post a link to an article about it by Hollie Shaw from the Financial Post just to be fair to our readers.

Here’s the gist: a man (that the agency decided you will find so sexy and sweet and romantic that you will forget to have any dignity) is setting up the perfect date for you (according to the agency) and in the middle of the video this same shirtless man starts to talk about the virtues of Stayfree versus the competitor and offers a link to get a free box.

Let me be clear: NO MAN in advertising should be talking about things with wings that don’t fly. I don’t care how evolved we all are I am not cool with this. Why should a man you are dating be an expert in pads??? How creepy!?

It was strategic for Old Spice to recognize that women are doing the shopping for the men in their lives so appealing to them actually made business sense (besides just making a joke). Men will only buy women feminine hygiene products under duress. This just feels like a misdirected copycat.

Tags: Feminine Hygiene, Money, Old Spice, Stayfree

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Same Old Song

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published September 8, 2010 in New Ideas

Funny, GM just announced that Tim Allen will be the new voice of Chevrolet which spends hundreds of millions on the brand, and today I see that Campbell’s has signed Tim Allen as their spokesman for a $100 million campaign. Both brands see themselves as the all-American choice, so they chose kind of a Mr. Dad to speak on their behalf’s.

Can’t help but wonder if we aren’t ready for a woman to sell soup and Chevy’s, if we aren’t more diverse than this in 2010, if hearing the same voice dominate the TV air won’t make it that much more homogenous annd irrelevant. Tim’s a great handyman/Santa/swell guy, but doesn’t this feel a little 1985?

Tags: Campbell Soup Company, Celebrities, Chevrolet, GM

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Team Player

by Lily Wagner
Published September 2, 2010 in New Ideas

Reading Brandweek today, I noticed Under Armour is making a big push in their marketing to women efforts with their latest campaign, “Protect This House.  I Will.”  Adrienne Lofton, senior marketing director of their women’s business, is quoted in Brandweek as saying, “[the campaign] aims to get beyond the message that this brand is the best in the world in performance training…” and change their target’s current perception of Under Armour as their “boyfriend’s brand.”  The campaign, which includes a facebook page and several TV spots featuring well-known female athletes (including Lindsey Vonn, my girl crush), will no doubt meet that goal, and generate a lot of buzz while they’re at it.  Everyone loves to see strong women kicking ass (especially when they’re wearing hot gear).  But looking closer at the core message of the campaign, I think they’ve also touched on something really unique…the emotional power of ‘the team’. 

We know from other categories (and from being women ourselves!)  that one of the most effective ways to connect with women is by touching on and understanding their relationships.  Women make deep connections—for validation, information, support.  Under Armour took this insight and applied it to sports, which works beautifully.  For women, teams aren’t just a way to showcase their individual ability, they’re the whole reason to compete.   They recognize the whole as bigger than the parts.   The success of a team is bigger than if it’s an individual win.  The loss hurts less, because you know there are other people that feel exactly the same way you do.  There is this group that can relate to you completely, no matter what your emotion is.  In my opinion, women are able to slip into that universal mindset and sync up with their teammates more effectively than their male counterparts, because that’s what they’re used to doing in their day to day lives.

Well done, Under Armour.  It will be interesting to watch the reactions.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch the spot for the 6^th time today.  Love that Lindsey!

Tags: Brandweek, Olympics, Under Armour

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Women Want to Be Richer or Thinner

by Jen Drexler
Published September 1, 2010 in Fashion

Women Choose Being Richer and Thinner over Smarter and Younger

According to a new Adweek Media/Harris Poll, if women could be granted one wish to change something about themselves they would choose to be richer or thinner. In this poll, American adults were asked if they would most want to be richer, thinner, smarter, or younger, a large plurality (43%) professed that they would want to be richer, according to a recent Adweek Media/Harris Poll. However, it appears men and women view these traits slightly differently. Although just 14% of both men and women say they would choose to be smarter, that’s the only characteristic they agree on. More men say that they would choose to be richer (46%, compared to 41% of women), while 29% of women say that they would most want to be thinner, compared to just 14% of men who say the same. And while women may have the stereotype of lying about their age, 16% of men say they would most want to be younger, compared to just 8% of women who say the same.

Mary Lou Quinlan, CEO and Jen Drexler, Principal of Just Ask a Woman and co-authors of the recent book What She’s Not Telling You, see these results as evidence of women’s Half-Truth telling—a topic the Just Ask a Woman team spoke about during last year’s M2W®. Quinlan observes, “While in public most women might claim the Half Truth that they’d prefer brains to money, the Whole Truth (especially in this economy), is that they’d like to be richer. With a little extra cash, they can always study their way to smarter or buy their way to thinner. It’s not politically correct but it’s honest.” Drexler weighs in, “Likewise, we’re not surprised that women chose being thinner above younger. Gen Y, X and Boomer women don’t necessarily want to “be” younger or sacrifice the wisdom that comes with age. They want to “feel” and “look” younger which is often equated to a mythical or real time when they felt happiest with their weight. Leave it to women to find a way to have their cake and eat it too!”

Tags: Adweek, m2w, Research

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Mary Lou Speaks in Long Island on Oct 27

by Jen Drexler
Published September 1, 2010 in Media

From New York Women in Communications:
If you want to know what women want from your business, the woman to ask is Mary Lou Quinlan. She’s a nationally renowned speaker, author, TV personality and CEO of Just Ask a Woman, the country’s leading women’s marketing company. Mary Lou has interviewed thousands of women to turn insights into success for major corporations and now she will share her in-depth knowledge with you. Take a break from your email and come join Mary Lou Quinlan, and some of Long Island’s most respected and influential decision makers, for an interactive evening of networking, sharing of stories and education. Mary Lou’s entertaining and provocative style will make this one of the most powerful presentations ever.

Date
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Location
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
Time
5:30 p.m – 6:30 p.m. Cocktails/Networking
6:45 – 8:00 p.m. Marketing to Women Program/Q&A

For more information click here

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Less is more may not be for everyone

by Tracy Chapman
Published August 31, 2010 in Retail

On my way home last night I made a much needed detour into my local Trader Joe’s. The line was long but I committed to the shopping experience in order to pick up some coveted items. One cart full later and a fairly quick check out (where the cashier took time to get me another carton of eggs because one was broken), I thought to myself, Oh Trader Joe’s, how I’ve missed you.

In the September 6th  issue of Fortune Magazine, Beth Kowitt goes behind the scenes of Trader Joe’s, one of the hottest and most secretive retailers in America”.  One of my favorite secrets to success:  “swapping selection for value”. Go into any Trader Joe’s and you will be welcomed by a variety of paired down options. As Stew Leonard Jr. notes in the article, “Having a wide selection may help get customers in the store, but it won’t increase the chances they’ll buy.”  We’ve said it before, too many options can lead to analysis paralysis. Beth agrees.

So, I was surprised to read in Jack Neff’s Wal-Mart article in Ad Age a few weeks back.  Wal-Mart had announced that they were bringing back thousands of items which had been previously eliminated during Project Impact, the strategy that was initiated in 2008, to help reduce clutter and open up the customer space.  And even more surprising, sales were up since returning the displays to “Action Alley”.

How could one strategy work so well for one retailer and be the pitfall for another?  Could it be the customer base?  Or perhaps the answer lies in the role the stores play. Trader Joe’s is a supermarket, Wal-Mart is a superstore. While both offer great prices, Trader Joe’s has built a reputation for being a curator of the best food choices.  Therefore customers trust that if there are only one or two options, whether it be olives or peanut butter, those options are going to be good. Wal-Mart on the other hand, has always been the hostess with the mostest.  Obviously customers go there for what they can get at everyday low prices. They are not looking for the culled down version. 

I will still venture to guess that customers still want the aisles uncluttered and the shelves well-stocked. For Wal-Mart, allowing the customer to curate is a strategy that will be worth watching in the months to come.

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drum roll…women spend more time on their cellphones than men

by Jean Crawford
Published August 25, 2010 in Tech

22% more time, to be exact.
The CNN post reports, “The Nielsen report on the survey, conducted from April 2009 to March 2010, did not offer any possible explanations for the findings.”
I have one, women speak on average 7,000 words a day compared to men’s 2,000.
What else could explain these findings?

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(More Polished) Thoughts About BlogHer

by Jen Drexler
Published August 24, 2010 in Tech

Thank you to Adweek.com for publishing my OpEd to Marketers about BlogHer10. The original ranting about this also on this blog.

Tags: BlogHer

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We Haven’t Stopped Blogging, Don’t Worry.

by Jen Drexler
Published August 24, 2010 in Retail

Just visit our Half Truth Blog for more

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What the blip

by Jean Crawford
Published August 19, 2010 in Uncategorized

I recently read an aritlce on cnn about a new website, blippy.com. When you register, you link your credit card to the website and it publicly displays (a la facebook status) your purchases (ex. “dudup spent $1.29 at iTunes – Empire State of Mind (Part II)” )……and so?

I don’t get it, worst part is that in the interview with the founder he admitted he wasn’t sure what the point was either-seriously? As a marketer I can see the advantage of being able to track spending, but only if your target registers on the site.

I guess if you really coveted your friends shoes, but did not want to ask her where she got them or how much she paid for them, you could turn to blippy where *hopefully* she purchased them with her credit card.

How many moms do you think are going to visit blippy in the hopes that someone is purchasing milk at three different locations near them so they can price compare?

The strangest part is I can’t stop thinking about blippy….maybe it’s because I’m a closet shopper who would be mortified if anyone could see that every time I visit CVS I easily spend $100. Just curious-who are you blippy users and what do you use it for?

Tags: CNN, CVS, Online Shopping

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