What are the secrets of the world’s most powerful women?
Women control spending in most categories. But what types of products do they really want?
Until 1984 there were more women in tech than men. What made things change?
These are the subjects presented in July 2017’s monthly roundup.
As women, we face different challenges than men. Those challenges come into focus in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes it’s unclear whether challenges arise because of sexism or simply a male culture where nobody stopped to think about their mother, wife, sister or daughter. Marketing to women is important. So is inspiring them. This monthly roundup focuses on both inspiring women and the importance of marketing to them.
Video – Secrets of The World’s Most Powerful Women
You can’t be whole if you’re trying to be perfect. -Jane Fonda
Why You Should Watch It
This curated video of tips on success from the world’s more powerful women outlines the fact that successful women face the same challenges as the rest of us. Success comes with cutting ourselves some slack, knowing who we are, what we want and accepting our limitations. Watch it because it’s inspiring to hear these important messages come out of the mouths of the world’s most powerful women, from Arianna Huffington to Sheryl Sandberg.
Thoughts
There are so many elements that go into success. When you carefully fold in the additional hurdles women must overcome, it’s so easy to give up on your dream. And this is why inspiration is so important; not only on the days that you’re down, but on the days that you feel like success is imminent.
Book – Women Want More by Michael J. Silverstein & Kate Sayre
Book – “The ladder of benefits is highly relevant to an understanding of what women look for in goods in any economy and in every part of the world. There are three “rungs” on the ladder: technical, functional and emotional.”
Why You Should Read It
Not a particularly fun read, but it’s a must-read for anybody who sells or markets products to women, especially those in e-commerce. The book provides a good understanding of what the female economy is as well as the key categories that women are interested in. The third part of the book explores the needs of women around the world, specifically Europe, Japan, BRIC, Mexico and the Middle East.
Thoughts
With an increasing amount of money to spend, women are looking for more and more products that answer their needs and wants. As a copywriter whose niche is women, I couldn’t overlook this book. I highly recommend this book, though it didn’t provide me with even an ounce of insight on Israeli women. The Middle East in this book, only includes countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. I emailed the author’s consulting group to learn about other insights he may have, perhaps about Israel, but I haven’t heard back which was somewhat disappointing though not surprising.
Podcast – Planet Money – When Women Stopped Coding
“Early home computers popped up in the places that were already the world of boys.”
Why You Should Listen
This episode of Planet Money is fascinating. Until 1984 there were more girls in hi-tech than boys. In 1984, women students were dropping out of computer science programs, despite their smarts and talent. This episode delves into the reasons.
Thoughts
My first thought is to thank Ilan Finkelstein for pointing out this episode. My second thought is to simply notice that culture or sexism or both can affect an entire industry so profoundly. When ads for computers are geared towards boys, the message is, ‘girls, this isn’t for you.’ And it’s not limited to computers. That should disturb every single one of us. Sadly, only the UK seems to be doing something about it. In Israel of course, the problem is two-fold. On the one hand, gender stereotypes are very strong here. On the other hand, women are often erased or completely absent from some advertising campaigns. Especially in places like Jerusalem.
