Marina Maher Communications

Image courtesy of The Frisky

On a recent trip from LA to New York, I had the pleasure of sitting next to a producer who makes movies for women. She is working to create a fund for the development of such movies, and shared her thinking and a fantastic presentation with some wonderful statistics. It clearly demonstrated how making movies that appeal to women translates into making movies that reach everyone in those women’s lives. It ended with a quote from Alfred Hitchcock that said, “Not only does a woman decide which movie a couple sees, but she decides what they thought of it.”

That got me thinking about how this axiom applies beyond the movies. The phrase “Marketing to Women” holds more than meets the eye. On its own, it can be limiting, and not fully inclusive of what it means to reach a woman and make a meaningful connection to her. Because once you have made a connection to a woman, you’ve not only made a connection to a potential sale – but ultimately decisions and actions that impact every other person that touches her life.

It s been well reported that women make 80 percent of the purchasing decisions for their households.  It’s often the mom or the wife who makes the majority of household purchases, including food, personal care, beauty and grooming products for her whole family. Her values, and what appeals to her, is likely what is going to show up in the cart…as well as the minds and bodies of her family.

We’ve certainly seen that with through the breakthrough work that P&G did with the Old Spice commercials. The same is true in food marketing and the products she chooses to nourish and care for her family. If she believes in the product, on whatever level you are reaching her – value, performance, affiliation, prestige, community – she will show she believes in it with her wallet, and how she stocks her home.

“Kid tested, mom approved?” That brilliant claim subtly, yet directly, recognizes a woman’s power, and gives a wink acknowledging this brand knows who’s boss.  So, no matter what the product you’re trying to sell, and no matter who it’s designed for, acknowledging and respecting what she wants in this product can go a long way to ensuring its adoption by her entire family.

Thursday’s New York Times “Style” section featured an article about “going natural,” a trend being embraced by African American women, who are moving away from chemically straightening their hair and wearing it in its natural texture.   This piece is timely, especially considering the latest Census data that show minorities are the new majority, and speaks to an audience that, when it comes to hair care, is often left to figure it out on their own.

Most consumer brands offer tips and information about how to best use the product and incorporate it into a consumer’s life.  But many of these same brands are missing an important and growing audience because they’re not customizing information for African American, Latina, and other ethnic consumers.

The article goes on to highlight another trend that is growing even beyond the ethnic consumer and beyond hair care.  Women, whatever their ethnicity, are inspired to create and seek out how-to videos – custom content that reflects an image of herself using the product.  Posting your own customized videos and encouraging your consumers to do the same is an easy first step to reach out to new targets.

Let’s go back to that Census data.  Is your brand connecting its story with those soon-to-be-majority minorities?  If you do, you’ll build a stronger connection and encourage her to be a loyal user.

It may be cliché, but the days immediately after Thanksgiving and leading into Christmas and New Year’s make me reflect on the year. The holiday decorations and the decadent treats seem to create a mystical spotlight for inspiration in even the most mundane situations or encounters.

Just walking through the office, I was struck by the kindness that lives within the MMC walls every day. Whether it’s a simple gesture like a piece of chocolate to help brighten a late afternoon meeting or the friendly faces and smiles as you pass through the halls, I’m reminded that it’s the individual efforts that build the collective feeling of support, empowerment and hope. Even the deadline met early or the well-articulated recommendation all speak to the mutual respect and consideration … for our agency environment, our clients, and each other.

Often times, it feels like it’s the big things that catch our attention, but the small things that make the difference. I’m just glad something made me stop and take notice.

I sit here at the airport in Aspen wondering how I will describe the experience I just enjoyed. There are so many themes I could use to tell the story, and it’s hard to choose just one. But if I had to, the one that seems to come up, again and again, is one of waiting. Waiting for what is right, and trusting that it will happen as it is supposed to.

My good friend Dena just married the love of her life. In the 10 years that I’ve known her, Marc, her now husband, was a recurrent topic. Whether it was reminiscing over their years together as a couple in college where they first met, or the many times they tried to reconnect with each other over the years, he was a constant in her life…and thus, our lives. In the 17 years since they first met, they went on and lived their lives, but always seemed to remain connected.

At the wedding, we all heard and told each other stories that demonstrated how no matter what they did or how far they traveled, something would always point back to the other person. After years of orbiting each other, the stars seemingly aligned, and they firmly and deliberately chose to make the other a permanent and integral part of their life, together.

So, friends and family gathered on a mountaintop to witness the ceremonial beginning of their life together. It was a beautiful and warm ceremony, filled with a number of picture perfect and heartfelt moments. I take away memories of the lace chuppah, which was made from the wedding veils of both of their mothers and the double rainbow that miraculously appeared out of nowhere. We also had a beautiful backdrop with purple-topped mountains, unbelievably brilliant blue sky and layer upon layer of green-treed countryside to frame everything. But more than that, there was an overwhelming feeling of joy in knowing that this moment was right, and it would always be, no matter how long it took us all to get there.