Thinking Out Loud: Return to Gender

WHEN IT COMES TO SPEAKING TO WOMEN, WHO DOES A BETTER JOB? OTHER WOMEN? MEN? OR A COMBINATION OF THE TWO? IN THIS ISSUE, CHIEF MARKETER BEGINS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF POINT/COUNTERPOINT ARTICLES, IN WHICH MARKETING PROS GET THE CHANCE TO SQUARE OFF ON A VARIETY OF TOPICS. FIRST UP ARE ERIK HAUSER AND SARAH A. O'LEARY. NOW, LET THE DISCUSSION BEGIN!

Let me ask you a few simple questions.

Do you think only Asians can market to other Asians? No. Can only cowboys market to cowboys? No. So, can only women market best to women?

Of course not.

The notion that men are not qualified to market to women and that it's only a woman's game is a faulty premise.

In fact, I find it very difficult to find this position even reasonably defensible. Having said that, any smart man or woman in an organization understands the power of collaboration and the absolute need to bring people who are representative of the campaign's intended audience into the fold. This helps make sure the team has all the proper insights to build the best campaign.

GENDER BLENDER However, saying that men cannot be qualified to market to women is usually pretty much simple male bashing.

Want proof? Talk to the fine folks at Euro RSCG 4D Impact.

They have a case study about an experiential program built for one of the Cheer brand extensions that was intended for a “pure-play” women audience. The, dare I say, males involved — including the brand manager on the client side — put together a cross-gender team to effectively launch the new brand. Everyone was conscious enough to understand that at the last inch it was imperative that there be female-to-female interaction in the live environment. This was a program put together by intelligent males and females. Doesn't that sound like a logical scenario — men and women working together in somewhat perfect harmony?

Another point that is often raised is the idea that most agencies are built around a male team of creatives and executives and, therefore, the male mindset. Some of the most talented executives and creative people I know are women. For example, I am just getting ready to write a profile piece for the Experiential Marketing Forum on the success of Beth Ann Kaminkow, president of TracyLocke. And, not surprisingly, she and the others I know work synergistically with their male counterparts and staff to get the job done.

The final products of these collaborations are customer-centric programs that relate to all consumers on both a rational and emotional level.

These types of programs are built off of good, solid research. On some occasions you'll see marketing programs that don't succeed because they were built on a platform of incorrect assumptions and research.

One assumption could be that women aren't affected by the same things that drive the needle for men. For example, do you think women are above being drawn to products by sexy men or sports stars? Really? To this I offer one name: David Beckham. Or how about the Diet Coke TV spot from the '90s that excited an entire half a population by showing a construction worker guzzling soda while shirtless?

MORE ALIKE THAN NOT Face it: Both genders share many key consideration points, and these can deliver the desired results for both male and female consumers. To say this isn't true is simply irresponsible and short-sighted.

Saying that women can market best to other women isn't just feminist musing. It is a narrow point of view that clearly closes off the line of sight from the elephant that is standing in the room. Men and women working side by side can conquer anything. The roles, talents and cooperation of these individuals together on a properly constructed cross-gender, cross-cultural team are what can make a dynamic marketing campaign.
Erik Hauser (Erik@SwivelMedia.com) is vice president and executive creative director, EURO RSCG, and the founder and executive creative director of Swivel Media.

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