BHAVANS COLLEGE

PROJECT REPORT ON:

MARKETING TO WOMEN
SUBMITTED TO: University of Mumbai Prepared by: Tanvi .D. Naik

Academic year: 2008-2009

DECLARATION

I Ms. Tanvi .D. Naik of Bhavans College, Munshi Nagar, Dadabhai Road, Andheri (West), Mumbai 400058, hereby declare that I have completed this project on Marketing to women in the academic year 2008-2009 . The information submitted is true original to the Best My knowledge.

CERTIFICATE
I Prof. Kishore Dave, hereby certify that Tanvi .D. Naik of Bhavans College, Andheri (West), has completed the project on Marketing to women in the academic year 2008-2009. The information submitted is true and original to the best of my knowledge.

Signature of the Project Coordinator

Signature of the Principal of the college

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

If words are considered as a symbol of approval and token of appreciation then let the words play the heralding expressing my gratitude. I am indebted to the reviewer of the project Prof. Kishore Dave, my project guide for his support, guidance, encouragement and assistance in this endeavor. I would sincerely like to thank him for his efforts.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Sr.no. Topic 1. What is marketing and what its importance in the 21st century? 2. Segmenting and targeting the market Pg no. 7 9 11 15 18 20 22 25 29 33 34 35 36 40 65

3. Women of the 21st century

4. Marketing to women 5. Profitability in womens market 6. The eight myths of marketing to women 7. The four components of womens market 8. Female Buying Behaviour 9. Why are women consumers so important? 10. How to attract female buyers? 11. The big picture for women 12. Motivating women to buy 13. Market to women, attract men! 14. Female oriented products cases 15. Conclusion

DOING BUSINESS WITHOUT MARKETING IS LIKE WINKING AT A GIRL IN THE DARK.. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, BUT NOBODY ELSE DOES.

WHAT IS MARKETING?

INTRODUCTION:

Now a days marketing is everywhere. Formally or informally people and organizations engage in a vast number of activities that could be called marketing. Good marketing has become an increasingly vital ingredient for business success. And marketing profoundly affects our day-to-day lives. It is embedded in everything we do-from the clothes we wear, to the web sites we click on to the ads we see. Good marketing is no accident, but a result of careful planning and execution. Marketing practices are continually being refined and reformed in virtually all industries to increase the chances of success. But marketing excellence is rare and difficult to achieve. Marketing is both an art and science-there is constant tension between the formulated side of marketing and the creative side.

IMPORATNCE OF MARKETING: Financial success often depends on marketing ability. Finance, operations, accounting and other business functions will not really matter if there is no sufficient demand for the products and services so the company can make profit. There must be a top line for there to be a bottom line. The current millennium has unfolded new business rules, the most significant of them being that past history or experience in a given product market is no indicator of future success. Market leadership cannot be taken for granted because customer loyalty does not exist. In an era of seamless markets, the customer today has a much wider choice. He/she does not have to adhere only to the locally available brands/services. Given the plethora of television channels, some specifically devoted to television shopping, Internet marketing, and tele shopping, this millenniums customer wants and enjoys being wooed by the marketers. Over a period of time, wooing and cajoling the customer will only intensify. Today marketers have pulled out almost every weapon from their armoury to retain and expand their brands share in the consumers mind.

Marketing is tricky, however, and it has been the Achilles heel of many formerly prosperous companies. Large, well-known businesses such as Sears, Levis, general motors, Kodak and Xerox have confronted newly empowered customers and new competitors, and have had to rethink their business models. Even market leaders such as Microsoft, Wal-mart, Intel and Nike recognize that they cannot afford to relax. Jack Welch, GEs brilliant former CEO , Repeatedly warned his company: change or die.

WHAT IS MARKETING? The concept of marketing is essentially a concept of customer orientation. For a long time it has been preached by all, including Mahatma Gandhi, that the customer is king. What this implies is that products/services are bought not merely because of their quality, packaging or brand name, but because they satisfy a specific need of a customer. It also implies that organisations have to provide services to their customer. It also implies that organisations have to provide services to their customer and that too without any obligations. In other words, marketing means understanding and responding to customer needs, a prerequisite for any organisations success. And this certainly cannot be ignored by any organisation in todays competitive environment. However, to be successful, any organisation has to be competition-oriented too. It has to continuously determine its competitive advantage and take steps to further augment it. Thus, the marketing concept involves.

SEGMENTING AND TARGETING THE MARKET

Markets are not homogeneous. A company cannot connect with all customers in large, broad, or diverse markets. Consumers vary on many dimensions and often can be grouped according to one or more characteristics. A company needs to identify which market segments it can serve effectively. Such decisions require a keen understanding of customer behaviour and careful strategic thinking. Marketers sometimes mistakenly pursue the same market segment as many other firms and overlook some potentially more lucrative segments. A market segment consists of a group of customers who share a similar set of needs and wants. Thus we distinguish between car buyers who are primarily seeking low cost basic transportation, those seeking a luxurious driving experience, and those seeking driving thrills and performance. We must be careful not to confuse a segment and a sector. There are basically three bases of market segmentation: Customer based segmentation Product based segmentation Competition based segmentation

We will be looking through the customer-based segmentation as the topic relates to it. The three important factors in this type of segmentation are: Geographic location of customers: this helps the firm in planning its marketing offer as well as its distribution function. It basically calls for dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, states, regions, countries, cities or neighborhoods. In the Indian context, geographic segmentation assumes importance due to variations in consumer preferences and purchase habits across different regions and states of the country. Demographic variables: In this, markets are divided into groups on the basis of variables such as age, family size, family life cycle, gender (where my topic lies), income, occupation, education, religion. Race, generation, nationality and social class. Psychographic variables: In this, buyers are divided into different groups on the basis of psychological/personality traits, lifestyles or values. People within the same demographic group can exhibit very different psychographic profiles.

Behavioral segmentation: In this, buyers are divided into groups on the basis of their knowledge of, attitude toward, use of, or response to a product.

WOMEN OF THE 21ST CENTURY

10

'Dove- you deserve something extra' 'Meow FM- the only radio station dedicated to women' 'L' Oreal- because I am worth it'; What do the above lines tell us?? Two of those are cosmetics brands and one is a recently launched radio station in Mumbai which is dedicated to women. But dig deep into the slogans and we understand that there is more to it. Look at it from the point of view of the companies advertising these products. The slogans and the advertisements clearly signify that the above products are meant for women. The modern Indian woman is independent and in charge. She is no more confined to the four walls of her house and neither tied up and dependent on the earning men of the family. As the modern woman broke these conventional shackles and entered the corporate world, marketing got a whole new meaning. It is evident that a woman is better in decision making than men. Women are known to research more before buying any product and seldom fall in for advertisements. As a result, marketing for women is a completely different subject and companies are seen preparing themselves for this ever expanding customer base. And all the products that are dedicated to women are a consequence of marketing for women.

11

It is not surprising that marketing for women has found so much importance. Approximately 50% of India's population is women and 43% of these are between the age of 24-54. For an organization, women appear in three major group of consumers. The first group is of those women who are all about looks. They are moving rapidly to luxury goods, especially high-tech products like cell phones and MP3 players. The second largest group is of the traditional yet the stylish ones. These women have grown up with luxury, and may tend toward more traditional luxury goods. The third group is the more rational one. These women are a bit cautious and logical and indulge in less instinctive buying.

The Indian woman is changing radically. The individualism exhibited in the 1980s and the 1990s has almost completely disappeared. She continues to be confident and assertive and is seeking a balance between home and work. Her focus is now on the family. She is traditional but at the same time capable of taking on the modern world. She does not want her husband to transgress her space, but wants him to be there with her in all those situations that signify togetherness, shared space and thinking. In short, the Indian woman of the 21st century is more feminine and less aggressive. Aishwarya Rai perhaps best depicts the contemporary Indian woman-feminine, 12

beautiful, expansive, and with no trace of masculinity. Further, this profile of Indian woman, while remaining the same in general terms, differs across SEC groups on the basis of self-denial and pleasure-seeking behaviour. It also differs across age groups, as shown below on parameters of modernity, individualism, and traditionalism and conservatism. Thus, while young women seek pleasure and enjoyment, the older put family and tradition first. Women constitute almost 50 percent of the Indian population. Today, an Indian womans role is also changing. More and more women have taken to working and to professional careers and hence one observes an increase in the number of working couples. This is particularly true of urban and metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. Quite obviously, the woman now has less time available for her household work. To help her and the family, many timesaving appliances like the cooking range, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, as well as ready to eat foods like prepared vegetables and chapattis are available in the market. More and more marketing communications are being addressed to her-be it appliances or food products like tea or instant coffee. Recent researches in urban families in India indicate the emergence of new roles of woman, man, and child within the new urban families. The role of the woman in this new urban family is different from her counterpart in the 1970s or 80s. Today, she plays a major role in the family decisions, as she is more informed, independent and enterprising. This is in contrast to the earlier role where she was perceived as being only caring and nurturing. She was earlier aware of FMCG products because she played a major role in purchasing them. But that is no more the case. Today, she is aware, has the knowledge, and specific preferences of all product and service groups. She is a major consumer of all products. Her relationship with other members of the society has also undergone a change. With regard to her family she is relaxed, flexible, and democratic. With her peer group, she is friendly but competitive, and with men folk, she is more open but still continues to be rigid. She has very high ambitions for her children, but high to moderate ambitions for herself and her husband. Her attitude towards the children is friendly and at the same time nurturing. She gives a lot of freedom to her children but

13

at the same time holds them responsible for their behavior. From her spouse she expects a democratic and egalitarian behavior. She expects her spouse to treat her as an equal partner. Today, she values education, especially for her children. She is aware of fashions but is very selective in exercising her choice. As regards her attitude towards entertainment, it is largely seen in the context of relaxation and not indulgence. She expects a moderate degree of independence. The familys approval still continues to be the key in the new urban family. As mentioned earlier, she is the major decision maker for all the products and services purchased, whether it is of low or high value. Her role models are her own mother and television personalities.

MARKETING TO WOMEN

14

The womans market is a growing market. The Indian woman is more educated, assertive, confident, economically independent, and has a mind of her own. Today she is being targeted by womens portals (www.smartbahu.com, womens section of www.rediff.com, www.feminaindia.com, and so forth) cosmetic manufacturers, garment seller, stores, restaurants and hotels, and even the suppliers of home fittings and furnishings. Madura garments, Raymond, Polki garments, and several others are targeting the womans market with their formal and semi-formal range of clothes. According to a study conducted by a retail consulting organization, KSA Technopak, the Indian womens dress sense and preferences are undergoing a significant change. Liberalization, education, awareness of international trends, employment, and more tolerant and supportive family seem to have impacted the Indian womans decision to change her wardrobe. Today women aged 30 and upwards buy one western attire for every five sarees. One year back, this ratio was 1:20. This is the scenario in the socio-economic category (SEC) A and B living in the metros and other major towns. For women in the 18-25 years age group, the wardrobe primarily consists of western dresses to sarees and salwar kameez. It is this trend that has made all garment manufacturers design their products to suit the tastes of this segment, which is modern and yet traditional in values.

15

Despite the fact that women represent a significant percentage of buyers in most of these categoriesusually 40 to 60 percent we still see almost exclusively maletargeted advertising. Present and future profits are slipping through these marketers fingers like sandvery expensive sand! Whats worseand makes this missed opportunity a devastating sales drainis the multiplier effect of each female consumer. What women buy, women sell; when they are pleased with products and services, they talk about them to othersmen and women alike. The resulting word of mouth is the most powerful marketing tool you could ask for. Not only is it free (not a bad benefit for the budget conscious), but it is more credible, effective, and persuasive than any paid marketing tactic. Every new woman customer you acquire creates a multiplier effect of sales referrals and extra business. How could a market so huge and lucrative be overlooked? Tom Peters, one of the top marketing gurus in the world, says the womens market is opportunity number one for the foreseeable future. Women have a very different set of priorities, preferences, and attitudes. Some marketers do recognize that men and women are different, but they worry that if they tailor their product or service in ways meaningful to women, it will undermine the product or service appeal to men. In fact, exactly the opposite is true. As you will see, plenty of companies have made marketing and service improvements in order to increase brand appeal to womenand as a bonus, they have discovered that their male customers are happier, too.

The first thing you notice when you open the proverbial purse is a good sign: there is a big fat wallet inside. While any given woman may not be toting a roll of bills, collectively she is. She is not only earning it today, either; she is powering up to earn more and more over the years ahead. More important to marketers, as the primary purchaser for everything her household needs, she is spending italong with her husbands paycheck. And her buying authority goes beyond traditionally female purchases like clothing, furnishings, and food. These days women are buying cars, computers, and carpeting, and improvements to the home as well.

16

For the past 15 years, women have been taking home a substantial majority of college degrees57 percent, as a matter of fact, or one-third more than men. The occupational opportunities open to women will continue to grow as the job market continues to trend towards an information economy. An explosion of jobs available to the well educated will propel womens earning power upward at a geometric ratemaybe even fast enough to break through the glass ceiling they have been bumping up against until now. For years women have been recognized as the gatekeepers for family products and they continue to be primary decision makers for most household goods. Now marketers in industries ranging from automotive to financial services, luxury travel to electronics, are discovering that women not only hold the keys to household purchases but also are increasingly driving big-ticket expenditure for themselves and their families. In essence women are multiple markets in one: they buy for themselves, they buy for their families, and in increasing numbers, they buy for their businesses. Graduate level degrees just take the opportunities up a notch; they open up jobs in the field in which graduate work has done, yet also create access to related jobs that have even higher earning potential. For instance, 50% of todays law school graduating classes are women. As this change in the workplace continues, one obvious result is that women are building their current incomes. This in turn ratchets up the household income in dual-earner families- even as it fuels the demand for more consumer goods. The dual-worker family not only has more, it needs more: two cars, two computers, two 401(k) plans and so on. Independent of income or ownership, women control most of the spending in the household. The generally accepted estimate of womens buying power puts it at 80% of all household spending. Women consumers are more profitableper marketing dollar invested, there is a higher return per customer.

17

PROFITABILITY IN THE WOMENS MARKET Marketing to women will deliver more profit to your bottom line than putting the same budget against all-male target. More Profitable Customers Two dimensions of the womens buying process make them more profitable customers than men in the long term: loyalty and referrals. First, because women are more demanding in making the initial purchase in a category, they recoup their time investment by staying more loyal to the brand theyve chosen in subsequent purchase cycles. Second, because word of mouth is more prevalent among women, they are more likely to recommend to others those brands or salespeople that impress them favorably- in essence, youre getting free marketing of the most powerful kind. How many marketing opportunities do you know that can deliver higher sales and higher profits at the same time? Higher Customer SatisfactionAmong Men, Too Effectively targeting women generates higher customer satisfactionamong both women and men. Companies as diverse as BMW, Wyndham Hotels, and Merrill Lynch have found that marketing and service improvements designed to enhance brand appeal among women have resulted in greater customer satisfaction among men as well. The reason? In many respects, women want all the same things as menand then some. Accordingly, when you meet the higher expectations of women, you are more than fulfilling the demands of men. Youve got two satisfied customers for the price of one, so which market would you Emphasize?

18

Better returns on your marketing Marketing to women delivers a better return on your marketing through both higher customer acquisition and greater customer retention. While in many categories the traditional male targets are saturated, the corresponding womens segments are untapped and virtually contested by competition. Furthermore because women are more inclined to longterm brand relationships, enhanced loyalty means every marketing dollar invested in acquiring women customers result in a higher overall retention rate. It just makes sense to put greater focus where you get more bang for your buck. Gone are the days when father knew best, the days when a loving husband bought a new washing machine for his wifes birthday, or brought home a new family car as a surprise. Marketers in bigticket industries recognize the shift, but so far only a few of them are realizing they need to get savvy about how women make decisions, what motivates their purchases, and how women make decisions, what motivates their purchases, and how they respond to marketing differently that men. Product manufacturers are paying more attention to style and form, and marketers are shifting away from TV ads in favor of promotional efforts in venues women trust: reviews in women's magazines and spots on TV shows like Oprah and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. "Pinched for time and skeptical, these women are forcing marketers to look at more ways than ever when pitching a product," says Kelley Skoloda, director of global brand marketing practice at Ketchum, a communications firm that assists companies on marketing strategies. Women's decision-making authority has grown in part because women -- 27% at last count, a fourfold increase since 1950, head more households. Their buying power has grown, too. In the past three decades, men's median income has barely budged -- up just 0.6% -- while women's has soared 63%. Some 30% of working women out earn their husbands, notes Martha Barletta, author of Marketing to Women: How to Understand, Reach and Increase Your Share of the World's Largest Market Segment. And 75% of women with the title of vice-president or 19

higher at Fortune 500 companies out earn their husbands, bringing home on average 68% of household income, according to Barletta. Little surprise that companies -- including businesses that largely overlooked women in the past -- are trying to woo this key consumer. Not long ago, Home Depot (HD) marketed its power tools and drywall to men, but it's now aggressively pursuing women with classes that teach them how to do home improvement. It's also pursuing entertainment partnerships with home improvement shows like Trading Spaces, which are widely watched by women.

THE EIGHT MYTHS OF MARKETING TO WOMEN 1. Marketing to women may be appropriate because it supports diversity; but with our limited resources, we need to stay focused on the business results. 2. We need to keep our marketing focus on our core customersmen. 3. Average income for women is lower than for men. It doesnt make sense to go after a low-income market. 4. Marketing to women will require us to double our budget or, worse yet, split it in half. 5. With women, marketing is all about relationships. 6. The best way to put focus on marketing to women is to undertake a dedicated initiative within our emerging markets group. 7. We believe in gender-neutral marketing; its what women want.

20

8. Ive heard of companies that did woman-specific advertising and nothing happened or it backfired. Gender-specific marketing doesnt work.

The root of the problem is that most people who know a good deal about gender differences dont know much about marketing; and most people who know a good deal about marketing have only a rudimentary understanding of gender differences. Consequently, most articles on the topic offer generic platitudes and stop disappointingly short of concrete principles and tactical applications. General observations like You have to understand the target; All women are not the same; Women are complex; Recognize her values and emotions; Women are all about relationships while undeniably true, dont go far enough to be actionable. The end result is that most marketing programs targeted to women fail to maximize the power and potential of this opportunity. What you need is an approach that combines the perceptiveness of gender expertise and the practical punch of strategic marketing experiencea way to translate understanding into actionable tactics.

THE FOUR COMPONENTS OF WOMENS MARKET There are four ways in which the womens market wields a big stick: the first two provide some perspective on how much women earn and own; the second two cast light on how women spend.

21

1. Earning Power: Whats in Her Wallet? On average, women are earning a whole lot more money than they used to, even since the 1970s. In fact, households across America cant hank womens earning power for their steady growth in standard of living. Its true now, and its just getting truer: over the next two de-cades we will see the immense assets of two generations become increasingly concentrated in the hands of baby boomer women. What that means is that theres an existing market and a potential market. 2. High-Net-Worth Women: The Ultimate Asset Holders Most people are surprised to learn that affluent women already control the majority of financial assets in this country. For instance, checkout these facts: Bringing home the bacon. Among married women executives working for a Fortune 500 company with rank of VP or higher, a remarkable 75 percent out earned their husbands, bringing home on average 68 percent of household income. Accumulating assets. Women of wealth. Top dollar. Women comprise 47 percent of individuals with assets over $500,000. Women control 51.3 percent of the private wealth in the United States. Among top wealth holders in 1995, the average net worth for women was $1.38 million, slightly higher than for male wealth holders, and the females carried less debt. Numbers accelerating. From1996through1998, the number of wealthy women in the United States (Invest able assets of $500,000or more ) Grew 68 percent, while the number of wealthy men grew only 36 percent. The information above forms just the tip of the iceberg. The largest wealth transfer in history is about to take place as the baby boomers inherit from their 22

parents. In turn, because women generally outlive their husbands, the family assets will become concentrated in the hands of boomer women. On average, these women will be widowed at age 67 and will most likely survive their husbands by 15 to 18 years. (Although the difference in average life expectancy is only seven years, women still tend to marry men significantly older than themselves.) During this time, they will have control of the household assets. What no one yet knows is what kinds of spending patterns will emerge from what is undoubtedly the youngest, healthiest, wealthiest, best-educated, and most ambitious group of retirees ever. 3. Consumer Spending Power: Household Chief Purchasing Officer Domestic products.

Buying the small stuff has always been in the womans domain. Part of her domestic duties as wife and mother has been to keep the family healthy, warm, and well nourished. From the family meal to the family doctor, from shirts for her husband to shoes for her kids, chances are those choices have always been hers. In fact, retailers and packaged goods companies have known that their primary purchaser was female for a long time. What many marketers havent caught onto yet, though, is that womens spending power now extends far beyond shoelaces and shirts. Big-ticket items. In the past, the big-ticket items like cars, insurance policies, and major appliances were historically bought byand therefore marketed tomen. Things have changed! Nowadays, women need their own cars, their own computers, their own cell phones, and their own investment accountsamong many other big-ticket itemsand so manufacturers are facing a whole new market. Single women. Get this: Single women head 27 percent of households in the United States. Did you register that? More than one out of four U.S. households! Thus, women

23

serving as sole decision makers for instance, dominate a substantial portion of the market for cars, computers, and cell phones. Married women. Looking at married households (55 percent of U.S.HH ), The fact of the matter is that the woman of the house spends not only her own paycheck but a good deal of her partners as well. She still handles all the domestic spending. And when it comes to the big-ticket items, not only is she buying her own productslike the single women abovebut she also has a disproportionate say in the shared decisions, such as cars, investment accounts, and family vacations. 4. Women Mean Business: Controlling the Company Checkbook It may not always be noticed, but when it comes to business buying, women play a significant role as well. Whether you target the corporate market or the small business market, there are compelling reasons to get smart about marketing and selling to women. The big-business market: climbing the corporate ladder. Obviously, it is no longer unusual to see women in the corridors and conference rooms of todays corporate offices. In fact, today, 49 percent of all professionaland managerial-level workers are women. Even more interesting to the businesses that sell materials to major companies is the fact that 51 percent of all purchasing managers and agents are women. Human resources executives, who play a key role in deciding on the financial services providers for their companies, are predominantly women. Office administrative managers, who choose the businesses that will provide their companys supplies and services, are mostly women. And business communication leaders, who buy the production and media services for their companys marketing, advertising, and PR, are very often women. If knowing your customer is the key to selling to her effectively, lots of business-to-business companies had better start learning how women buy.

24

The small-business market: the new entrepreneuse. Most people are unaware that women-owned businesses, defined as businesses whose ownership is at least 50 percent female, comprise 40 percent of all companies in this country. Would it surprise you to learn that these women-owned businesses employ 35 percent more people in the United States alone than the Fortune 500 companies do worldwide? Does that give you some perspective on the buying power they control?

FEMALE BUYING BEHAVIOUR This Key Note Market Assessment report is the fifth edition examining the main differences between men and women's buying habits. The report continues to reveal shifts in typical buying behavior and activity by both sexes, as the balance of economic power between them converges. The report examines the buying behavior of both men and women across six separate and disparate market segments: food and drink; toiletries, cosmetics and fragrances; clothing and footwear; magazines; the brown goods market; and cars. Although the cost of food and drink has begun to increase over recent months, the heavy price-cutting tactics of the major supermarkets have managed to maintain prices across many sectors. How long this will continue remains to be seen and it seems inevitable that the price of goods within UK supermarkets will rise as manufacturers, distributors and retailers all face escalating costs, which will ultimately be passed onto the consumer. In nearly three-quarters of all households in the UK, women do the majority of grocery shopping and are in charge of the budget for food and drink. Their higher propensity to seek out promotions and offers in store may help drive the sales of more value-based offerings. Women remain the main users and purchasers of goods within the cosmetics and

25

toiletries sector, with around eight in ten women stating that they buy the majority of cosmetic and toiletry goods in their household. The men's toiletry market, while still in relative infancy, is experiencing some growth, especially within the skincare sector. Although it is not estimated that men's buying of toiletry goods will match that of women's in the near future, there is a growing trend among men, especially those within the younger age brackets, to purchase more goods related to physical appearance. Well-known brand names among female toiletry goods are increasingly attempting to launch into the male arena. The cost of clothing in the UK, as a relative cost to other goods on the high street, has been declining for a number of years. Since the introduction of cheap fashion imports from China and the Far East, lower-cost clothing has flooded the high street and consumers have increased their overall purchasing of garments. This is especially true among female consumers, who are now buying substantially more many clothes than they did a year ago. The popularity of discount clothing has increased sharply over recent years, with stores such as Primark enjoying phenomenal success on the high street through their skill of replicating catwalk trends within little time and at a minimal price. Many of these low-cost clothing outlets are now looking to the male market as a means of extending their business. However, while the low prices within discount clothing stores has proved very popular amongst consumers, recent exposs of unethical trading and the use of child labour may have an impact on their popularity and success in the future. Media-buying habits are also considered within this report specifically, with regard to magazines, both as a product that polarizes buying behavior between men and women and also in respect of the types of editorial and advertising offered by each genre. Celebrities continue to be a key focus within the UK women's magazine market and thus have a significant influence on newsstand sales. Shopping is also another important driver of sales, with many of the current issues featuring strong shopping-related cover lines to attract readers. The UK brown goods market, as identified for the purpose of this Key Note

26

report, concentrates mainly on the sale of audiovisual electrical equipment within the UK. The market is currently characterized by a high degree of price-cutting and deflation, as consolidation on the high street continues and as new low-cost entrants in the form of supermarkets and online stores emerge. Men have traditionally been viewed as the main purchaser of electrical goods; however, over recent years, expenditure within this category by women has increased. Retailers must now adopt different strategies in order to target the valuable female consumer as, at present, many women still admit to feeling alienated within this marketplace. The emergence of major supermarkets expanding into this sector may increase the accessibility of brown goods to female consumers. The car market in the UK is currently revealing a slight decline in terms of sales volume, both within the new- and used-car categories. This trend is forecast to continue for the coming 12 months. According to the Department for Transport's (DfT's) National Travel Survey 2006 (published 30th August 2007), more than eight in ten men hold a driving license, compared with only 63% of women. In terms of car-purchasing considerations, men and women were almost equally likely to vote reliability, price and comfort as the three main deciding factors.

Currently, the UK economy is experiencing a rather uncertain period, with many experts predicting an economic slowdown or, at worst, a possible recession. Global economic factors, such as the `credit crunch' in the US and rising oil and energy prices, are all having their impact on trading conditions in the UK. As a consequence, consumer confidence remains in the balance, with many analysts predicting declining levels of consumer expenditure and a tough year ahead on the high street. Reports in the media abound as to falls in the UK housing market and increases in the costs of borrowing, all of which are factors that will further stretch the UK consumer's spending power.

Key demographic trends within the UK will also have an impact on current and

27

future buying habits across both sexes. Women, for example, are continuing to enter the workplace at a greater rate and, while many may still be employed within more lower-paid, part-time positions, there is an increasing representation of women within more senior, well-paid roles. Thus, the general wealth of women is continuing to grow, albeit at a slower rate than that of their male counterparts. The rise in the proportion of one-person households within the younger segments of society will also have an impact on retail sales; many of these households are composed of single men, with a high disposable income, who are an attractive target audience for a variety of sectors. General buying habits of both men and women are further investigated throughout this report. New theories of shoppingrelated differences between men and women are examined, along with the analyses of exclusive research commissioned by Key Note. Although some stereotypical assumptions are confirmed, others appear to be less biased towards both sex and more demographically focused.

WHY ARE WOMEN CONSUMERS IMPORTANT?

Women are the worlds most powerful consumers. They are the big spenders, whether you are talking about households, corporate purchasing, or small businesses. Women are responsible for 83% of all consumer purchases. Home furnishings .94%. Vacations..92%. Houses92%. Consumer electronics..51%. Cars..make 60% of purchases, significantly influence 90%. Services are the same story: choices of a new bank account by women.89% of the time. Health care..80% of decisions, over two-thirds of all health care spending.

28

Add in women role as purchasing officers for consumer goods for their families and their significant role as professional purchasing officer for corporations and agencies, and in effect, you have an American womens economy that accounts for over half of the U.S. GDP..about $5 trillion. Translation : earths largest economy.American women. Van Nuys, CA (PRWEB) July 24, 2008 -- Lorrie Morgan Ferrero of Red Hot Copy gives new meaning to the phrase "targeted marketing" by offering a ground-breaking 3-day event on October 2-4, 2008 in Los Angeles specifically on how to market to women. Geared to professionals, entrepreneurs, speakers, authors and anyone else who want to increase their customer base and boost their bottom line, the event will feature Lorrie along with 5 other experts. "No matter what business you're in, chances are women are making most of the purchasing choices," says Morgan-Ferrero. Turns out the statistics back her up.

Women make or influence 85% of the buying decisions across every brand. They even lead the way when it comes to buying products and services you wouldn't consider traditionally 'female' purchasing everything from homes, guns, financial services, consumer electronics, sports equipment, and SUVs. "You simply cannot afford NOT to pay attention to female consumers," said MorganFerrero. Yet men and women make decisions very differently. The traditional marketing models currently in use were created nearly 100 years ago when women typically didn't work or have access to the same level of spending money as men did. Today, women have choices ... and that has changed everything. The modern woman is more educated than ever before. Women take home 57% of college degrees, giving them earning power in their own right. Women today can choose if they want to have a family and when. Women have access to credit now, even though as late as 1973 a woman couldn't get a bank loan without her 29

husband's (or her father's) signature. And women today can own property. Yet even as late as 1981, many states wouldn't allow a female to be listed on the deed for jointly own property. "Advertisers have been recycling the same stuff for a very long time, but the marketplace has changed dramatically. That means the way businesses reach customers and potential customers must shift too. In-your-face selling methods need to give way to more personal and relationship-building techniques to keep pace. It might seem subtle, but this difference is actually huge - and it's why I'll be hosting a live 3-day event on this topic, called "The She Factor"," said Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, of Red Hot Copy. Whether you are a male or a female marketer, paying attention to what women want makes good sense. Dollars and cents! Changes in women's lives have boosted their spending power, but they also still carry out most of the household shopping in multiple-occupant households. As such, women still control the majority of household incomes, which means they account for an estimated 75% of all CPG spending. Over 80% of women in the world rate timesaving products as important or very important to them, compared with less than 6% in both of these regions who had little or no interest in gaining time from convenient products.

Rising female consumer power is changing the way companies design, make, and market products -- and it's about more than adding pastels? Who's the apple of marketers' eye? It's not free-spending teens or men 25-50. Its women, thanks to their one-two punch of purchasing power and decision-making authority. Working women ages of 24-54 -- of whom the U.S. has some 55 million -- have emerged as a potent force in the marketplace, changing the way companies design, position, and sell their products

30

Women earn less money than their counterparts -- 78 cents for every dollar a man gets. But they make more than 80% of buying decisions in all homes. And women shop differently from the way men do: Females research more extensively and are less likely to be influenced by ads. "Today's woman is the chief purchasing agent of the family and marketers have to recognize that," says Michael Silverstein, principal at Boston Consulting Group and author of Trading Up: The New American Luxury. Banks and financial-service companies, including Citibank (C), Merrill Lynch (MER), and Charles Schwab (SCH), have created entire departments that market investment products exclusively to women. Indeed, it would be a mistake to ignore this fast-growing segment of wealthy individuals. The Employment Policy Foundation says the number of women earning $100,000 or more has tripled in the last 10 years. Deeper-pocketed female consumer's aspirations and taste have given rise to the new "mass luxury movement," where the mainstream public has become aware and acquisitive of designer and brand names previously solely in the domain of the affluent. Karl Lagerfeld, the doyen of haute couture, designed pieces for mass retailer H&M that sold out in hours, and discounter Target (TGT) has such names as Isaac Mizrahi, Cynthia Rowley, and Liz Lange in its stable of designers. Brands like Coach (COH) are making handbags and key chains at lower price points, and Mercedes (DCX) and BMW (BMW) are putting out cars that middle-class consumers can afford. Not that reaching this type of shopper is without challenges. The female consumer is very busy and has a complex web of duties that makes her less than readily available. Take Shubha Varma, a 39-year-old vascular surgeon and mother of two children, ages 5 and 1. On a typical day, she gets up at 6 a.m. After a short exercise routine, she wakes up her older child and makes sure he brushes his teeth and eats breakfast, then drives him to preschool after handing the baby to the sitter. Through it all, Varma is mentally ticking off the things she has to do that day: remembering to pick up milk that ran out, schedule an appointment with her

31

kid's music teacher, and decide what she will put on the dinner table that night for the family. Forget multitasking -- women like Varma are "multi-minding," a newly coined buzz phrase that describes the process of simultaneously thinking about various things. Marketers have found it hard to grab such women's attention with TV ads. "Today's woman has less time and is such a tough consumer she has singlehandedly pushed marketers to actually go to PR budgets," says Silverstein. "She reads magazines and wants to know the detail around products." That's one reason marketers are increasingly emphasizing product placement, sponsorships, and shaping editorial content over TV ads.

HOW TO ATTRACT FEMALE BUYERS?

Everyone knows all women like flowers, frilly things, and pastel colors, right? So, marketing to women is easy: throw a little pink paint on the walls, toss some carnations in a vase, slip a doily under a camera, and women will be coming to your store in droves. Well, not exactly. If you're trying to attract more women buyers solely by making superficial changes to the appearance of your store, you're very likely going to fail. While the look of your store may be a factor in whether or not women like to shop there, it's far from the only--or even most important--consideration. Marketing to women means a great deal more.

32

This concept may seem obvious, but it's an area where many businesses fail. DIMA 2005 speaker Andrea Learned, author of "Don't Think Pink: What Really Makes Women Buy--and How to Increase Your Share of This Crucial Market," says the most common mistake retailers make when trying to attract female consumers is assuming all they need to do is add pastel colors and fluffy chairs to their stores. "'Thinking pink' is thinking in assumptions and stereotypes about women, and not really understanding the women who are your particular customers," Learned says. "In reality, the type of woman--urban, sophisticated, and educated--who's shopping in a store in a hip Philadelphia neighborhood is going to be very different than the kind of woman who's driving to your store in a suburban location in Arkansas. You really have to dial in and know the women of your marketplace. Assuming your market is all women everywhere is a huge mistake." Why women matter "Women buy the most of everything," says Marti Barletta, author of "Marketing to Women." "The rule of thumb is that women make 80 percent of the consumer purchase decisions in most households. And, in the one out of every four households in which a woman is the sole breadwinner, she makes 100 percent of the purchasing decisions. These decisions are not only in categories people assume, like packaged goods and small items. Women make most of the purchasing decisions for everything: investments, consumer electronics, new cars, and home improvements. A lot of the areas people think of as being primarily male purchase decisions actually are not." Learned concurs. "If you pin any guy down, he's going to have to admit his wife has a lot to say about what house they bought, which lawnmower, which computer--all sorts of things," she says. "Women influence so many purchases,

33

but it's often hidden. The credit card coming through may have the husband's name on it, but the purchase was the wife's decision."

THE BIG PICTURE FOR WOMEN To get women to make those purchases at your store, you first need to consider how they think differently from men. "Men and women tend to have a very different idea of what the big picture is," Barletta says. "Men think the best way to approach a big decision is to identify the most important things about the situation, and focus on those few things. They discard all of what they consider to be unnecessary details. "Women feel that to have a grasp of the big picture, you need to understand it in depth, comprehensively," she continues. "How can you have a thorough understanding of the situation if you are throwing away all the nuances and complexities? Women don't just care about the important things; they care about the important things and the extras." Because women like to consider all the angles, making a buying decision takes some time. "It's a much more complex and long-term process." Learned explains. When a woman starts to think, "I'm going to buy a camera," she doesn't just go buy a camera. She begins to take in information, ask other people, and read Consumer Reports. She looks online to see what camera stores are in her neighborhood, what the store websites look like, and what sort of information she can find. "There are all these little pieces," Learned states.

34

Because of that, a retailer can't expect to simply redecorate the store, reword an ad, or change the home page, and truly be marketing to women. "You're not going to get them to marry you with one advance, if you will," she comments. "They need to put their toes in the water before diving in. They'll check you out and ask around. Maybe they'll buy a frame or make prints once, to see how it goes. They may go in later and buy something a bit bigger. They're taking baby steps toward the possibility of having a longer term, larger relationship with you. When they are ready to buy a camera, if you've given them great customer service during the baby steps, you're going to be the one they turn to for that final sale."

MOTIVATING WOMEN TO BUY Price may be a factor, but there are so many issues influencing whether and where women will make a purchase. "Women pay attention to whether the store is clean or organized; if it's in a location that's easy for them; if the salespeople are trained not to overdo it, not to do a hard sell; if the store is laid out so there is space for them to walk around and think, and there's not too much clutter," Learned says. "But what really motivates a woman to make a purchase is having an incredible customer experience with you at each step of the way."

35

Things like a dusty store or the smell of chemicals may bother a female consumer, but those issues can be overcome. "It's the connection they make with the owner or the sales staff that's most important. That will hold more weight than anything else," Learned says. A woman is going to allow for a dusty store or a bad smell a couple times if the employee behind the counter is nice and always remembers her name. "I know of a camera store that makes a point of cleaning the glass on the frame before they put it in the box for you. Things like putting in that extra picture hook, so you don't have to buy a whole bunch of them when all you need is one-that matters. There needs to be more emphasis on the service and the human aspect, rather than the product. That's what really motivates them to buy."

MARKET TO WOMEN, ATTRACT MEN! While superficial attempts to draw in women will likely turn off consumers of both genders, real marketing to women tends to bring in more male customers as well. "Do women and men want the same things? Generally, yes," Barletta says. "Women want all the same things as men, and them some. They have a longer list. One of the interesting implications of that is, generally, when you do a better job marketing to women, companies have found customer satisfaction goes up among men as well. Sometimes companies are worried, if they market to women, they are going to lose male customers. That's not generally the case; in tact, it's the opposite. When you meet the expectations of women, you're generally exceeding the expectations of men."

36

Men want a great customer experience, too. They just won't ask for it, according to Learned. "Usually, men are going to make the purchase anyway, because their thinking is more linear. They're going to think: 'There's the camera I want. This is the price I want to pay. I'm going to buy it.' But if the guy at the store remembers their name or remembers their kids' names, it's going to make a difference to a man as well," Learned states. "It's not going to stick in his head forever and count as to where he's going to make his next purchase the way it does for a woman, but you're certainly not going to alienate a man by doing things that make a woman's customer experience amazing." While there are certainly exceptions, most women tend to be more interested in what technology can do for them, rather than the technology itself. This is a very important thing to keep in mind when trying to entice women to buy. "Photography doesn't need to be high tech. If I were a photo retailer, I would not be marketing all the bells and whistles. People who are interested in bells and whistles often make the mistake of thinking everybody else is interested them, too," Barletta says. "Usually, women aren't into bells and whistles. Women want the thing to work easily, intuitively, and reliably. To appeal to women, retailers need to demonstrate a digital camera as being an easy way to preserve family memories. Women generally are not impressed with the whole technology thing." Learned recently bought a digital camera, and explains her experience with the purchase: "The big deal about this camera is it has 5.0 mega pixels. You know what 1 thought? 'Mega pixels.' I don't really care. I don't actually know what 'mega pixels' means. I just wanted a camera that took pictures I could enlarge to 8-by-10," she says. You don't want to talk down to your female customers, either--that's a recipe for failure.

37

"Communicating effectively to your female buyers requires knowing who they are," Learned says. "Are you dealing with a rural mother who is new to scrap booking or someone who has an MBA and used to work in Manhattan before she had kids? It makes a big difference. Some women may be further along the learning curve than others. But when you put in that extra effort to make a personal connection when they are at the point of hesitation, they're going to stay loyal to you. Make sure they understand. Speak to them in a language that is relevant to them, and they are yours for life." To women, a little extra service will go a long way. "When selling a camera, say to women, 'If you need any help with this camera once you buy it, we are going to be at the ready. Here's my direct email address, email me any time you have a question.' They will buy that camera," Learned says. "Send her an e-mail a week later to say, 'Hey, did you check out this cool thing about your camera?' e-mail once a week for a month or two just to check in. Those are things that are going to be huge to a woman when she's facing that learning curve." Anything you can do to save women time will create loyalty as well. "Women are time-starved, more so than men. Men put in more hours at paid jobs, but 75 percent of women have paid jobs. They're also doing twice as many hours of shopping and household chores in the home as men do, and they tend to handle most of the childcare and most of the eldercare," Barletta says. "When you put that whole picture together, women have very little spare time. Saving time, in many cases, is more important to women than saving money." Just ask your wife David Ogilvy of famed advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather, New York, N.Y., said: "The consumer is not a moron. She's your wife." Learned feels wives are an underutilized source of information on attracting female consumers.

38

"Marketing to women is good marketing. You narrow your focus; you get to know your customer and community very well. You invite, gather, welcome, and use feedback. These are not gender-specific things," she concludes. "That's why, if you do these things effectively, everybody is going to come running to you. Traditional industries struggle with marketing to women; but if they would just ask their wives about this stuff, they'd have all the information they need."

FEMALE ORIENTED PRODUCTS CASES

39

SCOOTY PEP

Scooty has come out with a remarkable campaign - 99 color campaign. The brand now is available in an unbelievable 99 shades. I think it is the first time in the world that an automobile is available in 99 shades. In marketing classes we use a quote from Henry Ford about the Model T car which was available only in black. " You can have any color as long as its black" ( although there is no proof that he said this). Marketing has come a long way..... TVS is now running a series of campaigns featuring the brand ambassador Preity Zinta highlighting this feature. The move is unique and high risk. Scooty off late has been facing tough competition from Pleasure , Active and Krystal. Although the market share of Scooty has not been affected, the brand faces issue of differentiation. The competitors are feature rich and hence differentiation based on features no longer remains. All these brands are heavily promoted in the media. Hence to sustain the leadership, Scooty has to find a unique and serious differentiation. Color never has been considered a differentiator in the Indian market.

40

Marketers were skeptic about using colors as a differentiators because it is costly to manufacture products in various colors and customers may not be willing to pay a premium for the colors. But those thoughts were applicable in the past. Now consumer research shows that Colors has become an important attribute in the purchase of durables. One reason is that Features now no longer has the exclusivity. Another factor is the need for certain segments of the customers to express their individuality through colors. The affluent Indian middle class are also looking for aesthetics along with features. Hence while choosing a refrigerator, one may buy one which matches the color of the wall. Scooty's new initiative is based on the consumer insight that customers are willing to pay a premium for unconventional colors. And individuals wish to express their attitudes through the colors. The popularity of Yellow Zen and the success of Godrej's EON range of refrigerators reinforces this insight. And as the marketing theory suggests, when you have to promote a differentiation, do it in style. Differentiation should be important, distinctive,superior,preemptive, affordable and profitable. And 99 colors definitely makes a difference and significant too. But there are concerns. Concerns regarding the economies of scale . I still wonder how TVS managed to pull it through their production process. Managing the inventory will be a nightmare for TVS managers. According to reports, signs are encouraging. one out of four customers selects an unconventional color. Scooty charges a premium of around Rs 1000 for these colorful variants.If I go by the theory, Scooty will be the brand which have the largest number of product line extensions.

The Scooty Pep Plus virtually rules its segment, with no competitor to match its attractive looks or valuable specifications. It is specially designed for women and is equipped with a number of user friendly features. The cellphone charger below the dashboard, the LED lighting in the under-seat storage area, fluorescent ignition key slot for better visibility at night and the 41

innovative special main stand that is easy for a lady to deploy, all add to the utility of TVS Scooty Pep +.

Scooty Pep Plus sports a powerful 90cc four-stroke engine that delivers a peak power of 5 bhp and a peak torque of 5.8 Nm. It has recently launched Scooty Pep+ in 99 colours to attract more women customers. Its other marketing strategy includes, two-wheeler training to around one lakh young women in over 100 towns. Scooty Pep Plus lacks broader seat feature and hence sitting on the Scooty is comfortable for all except the tallest and the heaviest, who will surely feel cramped.. However, smaller engine Pep Plus delivers better mileage than the bigger Honda Activa or Bajaj Wave. The mile registered claims 49.1kpl in city conditions and a creditable 53.8kpl on a relatively open highway. So, the choice is yours! All the three offers different features to meet the needs of women. Ironically marketing analyst say that men don't see women's bikes as women's bikes. Men use these bikes for the same reasons that women buy them - comfort and convenience. So just raid the nearest showroom, it is time to own India's most popular scooters of 2007.

42

PONDS : As beautiful as you want to be !

43

Pond's range of products were in India from as early as 1947 . This is a brand that has celebrated Women's courage and personality. A brand that has tried to evolve with the changing persona of Indian Women. Theron T Pond, a Pharmacist from Newyork introduced " Pond's Golden Treasure" in 1846. It was a Witch-hazel based wonder product. In 1914, Pond's introduced the cold cream and vanishing cream and that moment marked the brand's evolution to a beauty icon. In 1955, Pond's merged with another company Chesebrough. In 1987, Unilever purchased the brand from Chesebrough- Pond's. Pond's is a brand that has been carefully nurtured by HLL. Till 1980's Pond's were a household name in talcum powders. Later the talcum powder faced competition from other categories, we call it as boundary blurring. Hence Pond's had to enter to different categories in the cosmetic market. Pond's have a market share of around 65% in the 600 crore Indian talcum powder market. Subsequently Pond's also became a generic name in the Winter care market. Pond's brand was known more during the nineties for its cold cream.HLL decided that the brand have potential to grow in the cosmetics market. So Pond's was positioned as an all purpose skincare brand. The Indian cosmetics market is estimated to be around 1850 crore and in that the skin care market is estimated to be around 1300 crores.

44

In a survey on customers by AC Nielsen ORG Marg in 2003 , Pond's were among the most trusted brands in India. It was not by accident. Pond's had certain qualities that created a trust among the users of the brand. Pond's is known for consistent Quality, Constantly Improving & Changing with times.

I feel that all brands should have these qualities to succeed in the market. Pond's knew the pulse of the market which made it a top brand in the cosmetic industry. Pond's is targeting at the premium skin care market in India which is estimated to be around 325 crore. Currently Pond's is also aiming at the super premium segment and

45

the launch of super premium range is expected in first quarter of 2006.

The target group that Pond's is aiming are the ladies above 30yrs of age. It is trying to capture the skin care needs with anti- ageing ,skin rejuvenation and anti- wrinkle products. Currently this segment is dominated by Revlon and other foreign brands. Pond's uses the baseline " As beautiful as you want to be " I consider it as one of the best baselines currently on air. It tries to redefine beauty as something more than superficial. The baseline of Pond's cold cream " Googly Woogly Woosh" does not convey any meaning but the ads are lovely. I have serious reservations of other ads of Pond's but I hope it appeals to the target market. Pond's is a brand that is not complacent. In the talcum Powder category , Pond's have many variants like Dream Flower, Sandal, Prickly Heat ,and recently relaunched Magic. This has ensured that the leadership position remains intact.

Pond's is a brand for " Well grounded, self assured, and confident " women. HLL have used campaigns and events ( the prestigious Pond's Femina Miss India) to create and capture the beautiful moments in the life of the Indian Women. 1. HORLICKS

46

This year Horlicks has launched another variant : Women's Horlicks. The brand is being positioned as a health drink for women. Horlicks claim to have formulated this variant conforming to WHO recommendations. The rationale behind this variant is the understanding that the life of a women is hectic with the responsibilities of both households and career to manage . Most often these heavy responsibilities take a toll on her health. According to press reports, this new Horlicks variant contains micronutrients recommended by WHO for women aged 19-50. The brand is a health supplement and supplements all the daily dietary requirements of a women just by having 2 serves ( 60gms ) of Women's Horlicks every day. The brand comes in attractive package which is modern and eye-catching. Women's Horlicks comes in two flavors : Chocolate and Caramel. Women's Horlicks claims to have HEMOCAL nutrients which is a combination of vital vitamins for healthy bones and blood. The company has done and ingredient branding by registering the ingredient brand HEMOCAL as a trademark. Although targeted at the urban women, the launch of this variant throws up certain

47

facts which are conveniently forgotten by the male community .The national family survey of 2006 reveals that one out of two women are anemic and 39 % of Indian women suffering from mild anemia. This together with modern work-life pressure is taking a toll on Indian women's health. I got these information from the website : Indianwomenshealth.com which is the website sponsored by the brand. It is heartening to see that this brand has taken up women's health as a platform or base for this variant. The website is being developed as an informative site for the brand's users and contains information about women health and fitness. Besides these initiatives Horlicks has undertaken an outreach program aimed at Doctors and Nutritionists who are influencer in the purchase of this product. In Horlicks' Product rage, Women's Horlicks co-exists with Mother's Horlicks which is a specialized nutritional supplement for young mothers. Women's Horlicks is being promoted using print media initially and according to reports, TVC will soon follow with actress Konkona Sen as the brand ambassador.

48

Now Horlicks' range has Horlicks: Ordinary Horlicks for Kids Junior Horlicks : For young ones Horlicks Lite : For health conscious adults Mothers Horlicks Women's Horlicks. Horlicks Biscuits The brand so far has been able to position these variants in their respective segments without diluting the core brand equity. The choice of the media and the message has been made very cautiously that each of these brands were perceived to be individual brands with individual personality. Here in the case of Women's Horlicks, the brand has used different colors and packing to make this variant independent of other Horlicks variants. This was earlier done effectively in Junior Horlicks and Mother's Horlicks.

49

DYNA BEAUTY SOAP :Be A Lady

50

For the last couple of months I was intrigued with a tvc featuring a new brand of toilet soap DYNA. The ad featured the super model Katrina Kaif and the frequency of the tvc was quite heavy that it was sure the brand had some large corporate backing it. It took some time to find out that this new brand is owned by Anchor groups who rules the electrical accessories market in India.

51

Anchor has been very aggressive in its diversification strategies. From Electricals, the company moved into a totally unrelated and cluttered FMCG space by launching Anchor toothpaste. Branding experts were shell shocked at seeing the Electrical accessory brand extending itself to toothpastes. I thought the brand will fail, but it didn't . Anchor brand of toothpaste is now having a market share of 7% in the toothpaste market with a differentiating feature of being 100% vegetarian. Anchor has enteredthe soap market, which is estimated to be around 4800 crore . The market is cluttered with lot of brands, dominated by none other than HLL with a market share of over 55%. So it is a brave move by Anchor. Dyna is available in two variants. The brand is said to have higher total fatty matter and is positioned as a popular grade one soap. Although the company is spending money in building the brand and is using a well known model to endorse the brand, the execution of the campaign failed miserably in communicating the Brand. There is no positioning , no segmentation. I think that the brand is aimed at the mass market. The baseline " Be a Lady" conveys no meaning at all. The tvc just shows the beautiful Katrina using Dyna Beauty Soap . Thats it... Dyna has entered a market which is fragmented and segmented in all possible way.The brands in this market are positioned on all possible ways . You name a positioning strategy based on feature/benefit/size/shape/attribute/celebrity/price/value/ psychographics any thing, a brand has taken that positioning. So can Dyna survive as being "Just A Soap" + Katrina ?

52

2. VIVEL DI WILLS : Beauty with Confidence

Shortly after launching the up-market personal care brand - Fiama Di Wills, ITC has launched another personal care brand - Vivel Di Wills. Not only that, another two brands has been launched - Vivel and Superia in close succession. Vivel Di Wills can be termed as a brand for the middle class and priced well below Fiama Di Wills. Vivel Di Wills has been launched even before the brand Fiama Di Wills settled in the market. In a way ITC is flooding the personal care market with its brands. Vivel Di Wills - as the name suggests shares the term ' Di Wills ' with Fiama and Essenza. Vivel Di Wills comes in two variants: Sheer Radiance and Sheer Creme. Sheer Radiance contains Olive Oil while Creme variant contains Shea Butter. What differentiates Vivel Di Wills is the ingredient branded Actipro-N which was developed by ITC R & D team. Actipro -N nourishes, protects and hydrates the skin thus enhancing the beauty of the skin.

53

Vivel Di Wills comes in an attractive carton package with some elegant color scheme. The brand is priced at Rs 16 for 75 gm cake. Now comes the interesting part. When I was shopping, the attractive packing and display of Vivel Di Wills prompted me to take one. But when I reached the section for soaps, I was surprised to see another set of soaps with the brand name Vivel. This was confusing to me and I thought that it was a fake brand taking advantage of Vivel Di Wills. On closer examination, I was surprised to find that Vivel also belong to ITC. Then I checked the price and it was less that Vivel Di Wills. The packaging was ordinary and there was even a sales promotion offer attached with the soap (Price off).

So there are two brands Vivel Di Wills and Vivel priced differently and even the brand elements are different. News reports say that Vivel has four variants: Satin soft, Young Glow, Ayurvedic Essence, and Sandal Sparkle. So the natural question is about the logic of these two brands with similar brand names launched simultaneously. In a press release available in the ITC portal, the category head Sandeep Kaul mentions that they are going to use price and positioning difference to separate the brands Fiama and Vivel Di Wills since Fiama also launched a soap recently. But the question is with Vivel Di Wills and Vivel. I am a little confused but a parallel can be drawn between Vivel Di Wills, Vivel , Lux and Lux International. Lux International is positioned as a premium soap while Lux is a mass market one. ITC may be adopting the same strategy. ITC is looking at two segments within the medium priced soap category and using a small price differential, it is tapping customers who can pay a little more for extra benefits ( Masstige brand). The campaign for Vivel Di Wills will indirectly draw customers ( Value conscious ) towards Vivel.

54

Vivel Di Wills is being promoted using TVC and the message is that the lady is so beautiful that the husband does not notice any other ladies. My initial impression about the soap is positive and I find the fragrance refreshing and new. The brand name Vivel Di Wills is urban and will definitely appeal the educated urban consumers . The brand also has its advantage interms of the ingredients. Indian consumers will be impressed by the ingredients like Olive Oil, Active Clay, Shea butter which gives this brand a unique healthy natural perception. The idea behind these fast launches is to provide a complete range of soap brands to the Indian consumer. ITC knew that it is a late entrant to the market. Time is too short for phased launches. Hence the strategy is to offer a full portfolio at one go and then try to manage the differences.

55

3. RIN

Hindustan Unilver Ltd ( HUL ) is a master marketer. The owner of some of the iconic brands in the Indian FMCG space, I used to look at the marketing practices of this company with a sense of awe and admiration. And at the same time, this is a company known for getting the brands & consumers into a state of utter confusion. In the name of change, HUL brand mandarins experiment with their brands and some of the strategies can drive Philip Kotler to suicide.

56

Take the case of Rin. Rin is a power brand in the HUL's brand portfolio. This 500 crore brand is deeply etched in the mind of the Indian consumer with its strong association with whiteness. Then there is the iconic Surf. The brand has remained in the top slot thanks to sustained product and communication innovation. Now in the past two years, HUL has been trying to find out how to mess up these two brands in the detergent cake market. In April 2007 , HUL had initiated a process to migrate Rin Supreme to Surf Excel bar. The brand migration was a high profile one. The ads screamed : Rin Supreme is now Surf Excel. After a couple of months later, ads of Rin detergent cake began to pop up in TV. Now there is a high profile campaign featuring Bomman Irani for Rin Advanced Detergent cake. So Rin detergent cake is still alive ? The new ad talks about Sabooth ( proof ) of whiteness. Now Rin Advanced comes with a whiteness chart which will prove to the consumers that Rin offers better whiteness than other cakes. So what about Surf Excel bar and Rin Supreme ? Well . I suppose I need to take a lesson on brand portfolio management from HUL. Ok Lets go back to history of this brand . During early 2000, Rin had two variants Rin Shakthi and Rin Supreme. Shakthi was a low priced detergent cake and Supreme was the premium variant ( Product line extensions ). Some where down the line, HUL dropped Rin Shakthi . Then in 2004, Rin Shakthi was relaunched as Rin Advanced.

57

Then

in

2007

Rin

Supreme

was

migrated

to

Surf

Excel.

For What ? Frankly speaking I am clueless. Is it a brand rationalisation or brand confusion ? The result of all these is visible in the Economic Times' Brand Equity Survey results for the last 4 years. Rin was featured among top ten brands in the list during 2004,2005 & 2006. In 2004, the brand was in number 8 , in 2006 the brand was in number 3 and in 2006 the brand was in number 9. In 2008, Rin was not even in the top 20 list , it had the rank of 21. As a customer I walked into a super market in 2000 to buy a detergent cake. I see two variants of Rin : Supreme and Shakthi. I take Shakthi and happily walk away. In 2004 I walk into the store to buy Rin Shakthi and I find that Rin Shakthi is not there but there is Rin Advanced and Rin Supreme. I walk away with Rin Supreme. In 2006 I walk into the store to buy Rin Supreme , I find that now Rin Supreme is Surf Excel . I walk away with Tide detergent cake. In 2008 , I still buy Tide. If your strategy cannot be explained in one minute, then your strategy is not worth considering.

58

4. SURF EXCEL

An SKU is commonly defined as an inventory control count or a unique identifier for each of the products that can be ordered from a supplier ( Wiki). This is a common term used in relation to inventory control and often represented by a numeric. Another definition goes like this ' SKU or StockKeeping Unit is actually what is stocked i.e the unique combination of a particular flavor, quality/ price level, packet size , color / model specifications etc and also the identifying brand name ( source - a paper published in South London University by Jaywant, Andrew,Gerald) But for a marketer, SKU's are something more. It is a tool which is used by marketer to realize some of his objectives. It can be used to fight competition, acquire new customers, provide more choice to the customers trade pressure enable sampling etc.

59

The reason for all these fundas is because of the latest launch from Surf Excel Sixer Pack. Most often , small packs are used by marketers to make the product affordable to a larger market. We have seen the success of Shampoo sachet and later the rush of the marketers across categories providing smaller packs. Here Surf Excel is trying to promote the sachet customers to higher volume SKU's. The logic behind Surf Excel Sixer Packs is simple - Surf Excel now comes with a unique pack of six chota packs (sachets) . Each sachets is for one day's use hence the sixer pack is for a week. The Sixer pack costs only Rs 10. What I liked most is the way in which the brand communicated this idea to the consumers. Watch the ad here : Sixer Pack Lowe has once again used the charm of kids in communicating the message. The question arises as to the purpose behind introducing this new SKU. I think that it is to encourage the current sachet users to buy a convenient sixer pack rather than buying one or two sachets. The price is also psychologically comfortable . Another purpose is to make the brand more affordable to a larger market. The new pack will encourage those who use low priced brands to tryout Surf Excel on a regular basis. Those price conscious consumers may still buy low priced brands but will also buy Surf Excel Packs for their best clothes ( a possibility ! ).

Surf Excel is currently running two campaigns riding on the popularity of the "Daag Ache Hain" (Dirt is good) campaign. The new campaign too strikes a chord with the consumers. Continuing with the earlier campaign, the new ad features two kids taking a Puddle fight to distract their fighting parents fighting over a car collision. The voice over says " if some thing good happens because of dirt then Dirt is Good". According to a report in agencyfaqs, the

60

creative team had a tough task in continuing a classic campaign and no doubt they have been very successful. The second campaign takes a cue from the World cup. The ad features a group of kids preparing for World Cup 2015. Watch the TVC here: Surf Excel Cricket Both these ad takes on the spirit of the brand to a higher platform .The ads are also classic way of using kids to promote an adult brand. The " Dirt is Good" campaign is also a classic example of the power of a "Big Idea". The idea has been running for more than 3 years and still has not lost its relevance. The agency also has been able to keep the Idea relevant through smart execution.

61

5. KARA SKINCARE WIPES: At Your Best. Always

Kara Skincare wipes is a new product to hit the Indian market. The brand is nowrunning heavy print campaigns announcing the launch.

Kara Skincare wipes can be called as India's first branded skincare wipe product. Skincare wipes are popular in the west but in India the category is a new one. Although Indian consumers are familiar with the products which are imported, its the first time that an Indian company enter this segment. Kara means care . The brand also marks Aditya Birla Group's foray into the Indian FMCG market. According to reports, Wipes market is worth around Rs 30 crore ( source : Ginni filaments website). Kara Skincare wipes is positioned as am essential skincare accessory. The brand is being launched in five variants Refreshing Deep Pore Cleansing Toning

62

Moisturizing & Sunscreen Wipes

The brand is targeting the young lady professionals who often needs to meet lot of people. The brand aims to create a new category of wipes in India . Hence the challenge is to educate the TG about the usefulness of this product. This task is cut out for Kara since the TG is already exposed to such products. The only task is to inculcate the habit of buying and using the wipes. The product is relevant in the Indian market for two reasons. One is the climate which necessitates such a product and second is the growing number of lady professionals . The brand has the tagline " At your best. Always " which clearly communicates the core brand positioning. The brand is being promoted as the anytime solution to look good. Kara has a good potential to create and own a new category. The brand already has the first mover advantage. But the category does not have much entry barriers. It can face stiff competition from cheap imports. But Kara has the financial backing of Birla group and the investment in building this brand will pave the way for another successful marketing story.

63

6. SUNSILK

For its biggest hair-care product launch everthe U.S. debut of Sunsilk Unilever is giving its media dollars a workout in an ambitious attempt to reach its frenetic target audience wherever it may be. The packaged-goods giant is earmarking 15 percent of its total budget for the campaign, or about $30 million, for nontraditional media. Platforms include mall displays that use a new audio technology to grab the attention of passersby, a profile and ads on MySpace.com, cinema ads in nationwide theaters and eye-catching 3-D displays in close to 900 bars in key target markets such as Chicago, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Several unique branded content integrations are also being created for both television and print media.

64

Like the broader campaign, which broke in July, the far-reaching nontraditional effort centers on the concept of "hairapy" for young single women on the go. Unilever confirms that it's spending a total of $200 million on the yearlong launch. Susan Noble, senior partner and group marketing director at Unilever media agency MindShare, Chicago, confirmed that about 15 percent of the Sunsilk ad budget will go toward nontraditional efforts. Noble said that's about three times more than most media plans. Another executive said the money for nontraditional was shifted out of the print and TV budgets, but stressed that both of those areas remain key elements in the overall campaign. Several factors are driving the increased allocation to nontraditional venues, said Noble. "The bull's-eye target for this brand is the 25-year-old single woman who is in a so-called quarter-life crisis," she said. "They have one foot just out of college and one foot in the professional world, and she's trying to create a balance between the need to go out and see friends and have fun and the need to be at work the next day." So the strategy behind the media plan is to "reach her in multiple places," like movie theaters, bars and malls, but also at home in front of the TV, online and in print.

For Unilever the stakes are high. It's been steadily losing share in the U.S. hair care category for several years, the company confirmed. The U.S. launch of Sunsilk, a $1.2 billion brand worldwide, is designed to reverse that, said marketing manager Tiffany Kurtz. "There really is a lot riding on it. That's why the company is investing so much money in year one," she said. "We think it can really round out our portfolio." Over time, the company's goal is to make Sunsilk a top 5 brand in the U.S., she said.

65

Kurtz said she didn't need convincing to heavy up on the nontraditional platforms. "The research showed us that [the target consumers'] lifestyle isn't traditional, and the whole point of 'hairapy' is to help her laugh her way through her hair problems and life's problems," she said. "In order to do that, we quickly realized that we needed to be in her world where she is and when she is there. So to just kind of go by traditional means would be a dismissal of everything we know about this target." In shopping centers, Mindshare sibling The Wow Factory, a nontraditional ad specialist, teamed with high-tech brand firm Brand Experience Lab to create displays for malls that transmit "sonic blankets" of broadcast-quality audio. Wow president Connie Garrido said that laser-activated motion-detector technology triggers the audio when shoppers pass by the display, but the sound is contained to just within that "blanket" of space, so it doesn't echo throughout the mall. It's the first time the technology has been used for advertising, and Sunsilk has an option to retain the technique exclusively through 2007, she said. Some mall operators were concerned it would be disruptive to shoppers, but the feedback so far has been positive, said Garrido. The transmitted voiceovers address hair issues (e.g., "My hair is poofier than my bridesmaid dress") that reflect the visual message. Sex and the City co-star Mario Cantone, who played the sassy, raspy-voiced "gay friend" Anthony, is the voice of the effort. "The audio and the tone of the campaign is very distinctive, and we looked for a way to incorporate that audio into the media in ways that had never been done before," Noble said. In bars, 3-D bathroom ads offer perfect-world solutions like "I wish my hair could borrow volume from my butt," while ads in the main bar areas use motion-detector technology to morph into mirrors so passersby can get a look

66

at their tresses. Bars are also plastered with branded glasses, postcards and coasters. One of the core creative elements of the campaign is the advice dispensed by the so-called "Hairapy Guys," a trio of Queer Eye-type lifestyle specialists who offer thoughts on hair care, dating and other typical twenty something issues. They have their own MySpace profiles and have been integrated into two VH1 reality shows: Best Week Ever, chatting about celebrity gossip, and Flavor of Love. For the latter, a dating show featuring rap star Flavor Flav, the trio does 30-second promos for the program, dishing on the hairstyles of the would-be girlfriends. Those spots run through September.

This month and throughout the fall the hairapists will also be writing guest columns, which are actually paid integrations, in magazines such as InStyle, Us, Star, Glamour and Jane. The MySpace profile has been up for just two weeks and has already attracted more than 4,000 "friends"many of whom illustrate the dangers advertisers face on such sites. "Why does your page distort my face in this manner?" asked one young woman. Another Goth-looking youngsterwith a user name not fit for publicationsimply linked her site, complete with a corpse-like character definitely in need of hairapy, and the quote, "I'm the shadow in the background of the morgue." But Noble is unfazed. "In the world of usergenerated content you can't resort to censorship and remain true to your brand. You take the positive with the negative." And, one presumes, a smidge of the merely bizarre.

67

CONSLUSION Thus it is clearly evident that marketing to women in the last few years has gained utmost importance for organizations as women become a broader customer base than ever and the figures show exactly why women are as important as a target market. Be it furnishings, household, electronics, vacationswomen today are not afraid to shell out cash. It is seen that women are the choice makers in a house and so it is important to get their attention!! Women have their own taste and are not afraid to affirm it. As a result companies market their products in such a way that todays powerful and decisive women are spoilt for choice. Also the diversity and the range that women have shown in the past few years indicate that women are not only a large market but also a diverse clientele. There are no boundaries to what a woman may want to buy, from latest electro-gadgets to traditional chopping boards, from wardrobes to BMW,s the list can go on. Women tend to place a great emphasis on relationships. Women are generally skillful at developing and managing relationships. Use that ability in the context of marketing. People buy products and services based as much, if not more, on the person behind them as they buy based on the product or service itself. All things being equal, I believe that most of us will choose to deal with the individual who inspires trust. Develop your marketing strategies as if you were developing a relationship with the client. You are doing just that. Allow who you are

68

To shine through. Those that are attracted to you will come. Those that are not attracted to those qualities you exhibit will go elsewhere. And that is fine. Answer 5: If I target a market, I will exclude so many other potential buyers. Don't try to be all things to all people. Decide who you are, what you offer, what is unique about you and your product or service, and tell people about it. Your marketing will be focused and your time and energy better utilized if you are concerned with only one segment of the population. This niche will drive the context in which you develop your product or service, the places you will choose as marketing avenues and the manner in which you evolve your business. Let me add, marketing does not only apply to business owners and entrepreneurs. As an employee, there is a need to market you daily to your organization and industry. Keep your skills sharp, take advantage of opportunities for professional development, and apply networking skills to those in your organization and industry. Make yourself an invaluable resource. Make people aware of your accomplishments and your commitment as a means to market yourself for your next position. Marketing is not a dirty word. It is a valuable tool for all of us and one that can be most enjoyable and successful when aligned with our personal and professional values.

69

ANNEXURES

BOOKS: Marketing management 12th edition Philip Kotler Marketing to women Martha Barletta Marketing management Rajat Saxena PERIODICALS: Femina India today WEBSITES: www.btscene.com www.feminaindia.com www.iaso.com www.marketingpractice.com www.wonderbranding.com www.parexcellencemag.com

70