Where women go, dollars will follow: ad:tech panelist
November 7, 2007
Kate Everett Throp, CEO RGM
NEW YORK – Women online make up a powerful force because they are such avid consumers of not just products and services, but of information and experiences.
That was the consensus from panelists Nov. 7 at an ad:tech New York session titled, “The Online Female Consumer.”
“The real female online consumer is a pretty attractive consumer,” said Kate Thorp, CEO of Real Girls Media Network, San Francisco. “She uses a lot of the Web, has some great habits that are getting better and is aiming at ruling the planet.”
The panel comprised of local New York women, mothers Julie Richards and Louise Peter, and Brooklyn-based artist, Midori Nakamura.
Moderator Ms. Thorp introduced the topic with statistics and video. Real Girls Media Network is a publisher of digital sites and communication for women and girls. It launched its first brand, Divine Caroline, earlier this year.
There are 97 million females and 91 million males online, Ms. Thorp said. In terms of time spent, the Internet trails only work, sleep and family time. The Internet is now the most vital medium in women's lives.
“Where women go, dollars will follow,” Ms. Thorp said. “Eighty-five percent of consumer purchases in the US are made by women.”
The Advertising Age newspaper says the average person receives more than three thousand commercial messages a day, she said. The question is, how do advertisers break through that clutter?
Start with better communication, develop a relationship, be valuable to her, deliver on brand promises and create a brand advocate, Ms. Thorp said.
“If I'm not sleeping, I'm probably online,” Ms. Richards told the audience of interactive marketers. “The company I work for is on the West Coast. I’m a full-time mom and work part-time. I find that ever more so I'm doing all my purchasing online. I'll probably do 100 percent of my Christmas shopping online.”
Ms. Richards is a mother of two and lives in Rye, NY. Her kids are in elementary school.
She said that she spends three to four hours online per day to communicate with friends and to make purchases.
“Shopping online is just easier,” Ms. Richards said. “This way I don’t have to take the kids to the store.”
Ms. Nakamura has become so dependent on her computer that it is hardly ever off. She does all of her shopping and buying online.
“I have a lot of friends who are still into the old-fashioned idea of shopping,” Ms. Nakamura said. “It's been years since I've done that. I can get better deals online.
“I'm afraid of ads,” she said. “I do look at ads. I'm afraid I'm going to miss something. I do click on ads. I pass ads along. If something is very beautiful, I'll look at it and get into it. I hate pop-ups. If something is genuinely funny, I'll pass it along.”
Ms. Richards welcomes intelligent humor.
“If something is smart, funny and passionate, it will grab your attention,” she said. “I honestly don't click on ads. Unless the ad has something to do with me specifically, I don't care.”
Ms. Thorp asked these women which ads would work for them.
“E-mail advertisements,” Ms. Peter said. “It's there and I may decide that it may be interesting later, even if I don't have the time now.”
Ms. Nakamura liked email as well.
“Even if it's not more personal, it seems more personal,” she said. “But there is a fine line. I think the way things look is so important – to me banner ads all look the same now.”