News Flash: Men and Women are Different.

Are men and women different? If so, are there different ways to market to women? Before we answer the last question, let's see if we believe the first one to be true. Some recent data from our Neat Stuff University Gender Laboratory:

Several days before the Super Bowl, a friend of my wife stopped by the house to chat (truth be told, Mother "A" wanted to have her teenage son meet teenage daughter of Mother "B"). As the "chatting" wrapped up, we were invited to their Super Sunday party. Our friend (Mother "B") mentioned on the way out the door that she wasn't too excited about the game but she always enjoys watching Brett Favre.

Well, I was silent for a moment and after taking a calm, deep cleansing breath, I shared with the ladies, "This conversation reminds me that men and women are different." The women gave me a quizzical look. I continued, "A woman cheers for Brett Favre because of his rugged, handsome looks. A man, on the other hand, considers the fact that the Packers were beaten by the New York Giants in the NFC Championship game two weeks ago and thus Green Bay and Mr. Favre will not be participating in the Super Bowl....nonetheless, we will still make plans to watch the game."

Back to MARKETING TO WOMEN...INC.com offers their thoughts in The Six Costliest Mistakes in Marketing to Women.
1. Mistake: Thinking that women are a "niche."
Reality: Women are the primary consumers in the United States. (Ties in nicely with Chancellor Maxwell's Wise Saying #5 - "Women Rule the World")
2. Mistake: Thinking that the female consumer marketing opportunity requires less funding. (Females require less funding? Is it just me or don't most men over the age of 16 have a clue on this already...HM). Reality: Women are no "specialty" market, so reaching them should be a budget priority.

Some stats from Mistake #5...Seventy-eight percent of women in the US use the Internet for product information before making a purchase and 33% research products and services on-line before buying offline.

Curious minds can check out additional thoughts and some interesting research in Mistakes 3-6. Go Packers.