Ain’t I A Woman, Part 2

Last week, I talked a little about I book that I am reading entitled, Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers.   The next few posts on the book are not really a review of the book.  I’ll be pulling out various points of the book to hear your opinions.

According to the author, this book takes you inside the mind of the most powerful consumers on the planet – women.   The basic premise of the book is that men and women are different.   (I know you’re thinking, Duhhhh…  Be patient.  We’re going somewhere with this. )   Based on that understanding,  the author asserts if the men and women who create and implement marketing messages for their companies would arm themselves with this knowledge that women are females first and consumers second, they will be more likely to produce products and services women really want.

A few of my observations write off the bat have been:

1. This book really has a unique feel to it.   It’s a book with a personality.   It feels less like a book about marketing and more like a book about relationships (which I love) – a book you would find in the “self-help” section of a bookstore.
2. I found this book in the marketing section of the bookstore.  To my surprise, it spends a large portion of the book discussing the psychology of women’s spending habits.
3. It provides a mini-course on the differences between men and women.  I felt like I could almost hear Steve Harvey saying, “Act Like a Lady, Think like a man.”  It even concludes with a “Mencyclopedia” which is a  brief glossary of terms that’s intended to help men “decode a woman’s speech.”
4. The book provides quite a few real-life examples of how companies are applying this information to their marketing messages.

It’s written to help businesses “get behind the eyes” of women.   It provides in depth insight into what women (as consumers) want based on the author’s previous marketing experiences.

In tomorrow’s post we’ll start to explore the role of gender discussed in the book and how this could potentially influence your  business strategy, whether you’re still kicking around business ideas or growing an existing business.  What are some of your favorite stores to shop online or in store?  What is appealing about them?