Gender Flashcards
Gender Difference in Marketing
The gender difference in marketing messages, “…is manifested in men preferring advertising messages that feature competition and show dominance and in women preferring messages that show importance to self as well as others.”
He Trusts His Institutions and She Trusts Her Connections
Gender-Based Hemispheric Lateralization
Men use either the right or left hemisphere during a specific activity vs. Women use both hemispheres for many activities.
There is about 15% more blood flow in the female brain than in the male in a given moment.
In a woman’s brain, the left hemisphere has 11% more neurons for language skills than a man’s.
For men corpus callosum (connecting the hemispheres) is less dense and shrinks by 20% by age fifty vs. for women, 23% thicker (more neurons) relative to brain size; does not shrink with age.
Hormone Levels
As hormones decrease with age, men and women become more alike.
Starting at 40, a man’s testosterone level (aggression, self-reliance) decreases 1% each year.
Around 50, a woman’s estrogen level (contentment, heightened senses, memory) and progesterone (nurturing) plummets to one-tenth of its earlier level.
Emotions
Female: widespread activity shown across both hemispheres.
When thinking sad thoughts, her brain is eight times more active.
Average shopping time
decreases when a woman is with a man
Suggestions to get man involved
Have in-store man area
Dinnerware maker: glassware and barware
Furniture maker: graphic device to emphasize construction, displays featuring product cut-out views and technical specifications
Beer-tasting in the beer aisle every Saturday!
Design men’s health area–away from women’s grooming products
Changing Roles
Men more involved in their clothing
Men’s rooms featuring baby-changing stations
McDonald’s commercials showing Dad and the kids
Reinventing the baby category!
Axe detailer
Insights from Marketing Research
Guys use soft, fluffy, and girlie poufs!
“Use soap ‘cause I don’t want to walk down the dorm hallway with a pouf.”
But without this poufs, no use of shower gel…!
Need for Man-ish tool that’s tough, but not too tough, and has controllability
Also, found the lower ‘cleanliness’ perception
Need Creation or Unmet Need?
Target Women vs. Men for Male Shower Gel?
The first thing they had to fight off was guys’ deeply ingrained habit of using bar soap- guys had grown up with bar soap. Axe had to educate guys that it’s flowery and girlie.
Research showed that 70% of guys were open to the shower gel form and to Axe.
Shower tool:
The tool looked like a car tire – totally masculine, functional, cool.
Creatives:
Took the inspiration from how the product looked like and played with the theme of a car culture, starting with its logo and pack. See the next commercial.
Female consumers
Women have multifaceted interests, defining power differently.
Value relationship
More interested in influence over a group of people (or her company’s future direction).
Value self-esteem though inherent self-worth (vs. men: value self-respect by overcoming difficulty)
Psychological and emotional aspect to shopping
Men take less pleasure in the journey (valuing ease of shopping). Women are more patient and inquisitive.
More sensitive to sensory experiences including smell (vanilla, chocolate chip cookie)
When two women shop together, they spend more time and money than one woman alone.
Need more privacy than male consumers (e.g., fast-food restaurants)
Appealing to female customers
Increase in single female homeowners
From old fashioned hardware store to Home Depot and Lowe’s (“Let’s play house”)
Hired salesclerks who can instruct and inspire confidence in female shoppers
Paint from being hardware to being fashion (under the lifestyle brand names)
Men and women differ in how they use technology: focus on results (versatility, convenience, ease of use) vs. process
Key to the consumer electronics industry (early adopters)
Importance of female employees
