A few weeks ago, the French brand Celio launched a very original concept aimed at women. Celio is a men apparel brand, but 50% of their customers are women who want to buy clothes as a present. In more and more Celio shops, women can find "The Shoppenboys". The Shoppenboys are men from 19 to 63 that stand in the shops wearing only underwear. Their sizes vary from S to XXL and they are here to help women to buy the right clothes for their husbands, partners, sons, etc. The principle is very simple: the customer chooses the Shoppenboy according to his size and he follows her in the shop and tries on all the clothes. As a result, the risk of buying the wrong size is limited and it is also quite entertaining for customers.This marketing operation illustrates the fact that women are more and more important for firms; the idea to create a marketing campaign aimed at women for a men apparel brand can seem a little strange, but like more and more firms, Celio has understood that women are "the apple of marketers' eyes", as it is said in an article from Business Week.
[...] Shopping as a pleasure and an entertainment Thanks to the cultural evolution and the feminist revolution, women became more independent and claimed that they deserved to have fun shopping too. Therefore, they spent more and more time in the stores, sometimes with their female friends, and shopping began to be a real entertainment. c. The growing importance of women in the strategies of firms Firms take more and more into account the female part of their customers. This is also true for sectors that are traditionally masculine. [...]
[...] The Procter&Gamble club “Vocalpoint” is an example of a marketing operation which helps the brand to get to know women better. In general, women are more willing to participate to studies and they like to give their opinions, for instance in consumer groups or on internet websites. They are also more receptive to marketing operations such as mailing, direct marketing. According to a Cambridge study, women are more likely than men to respond positively to e-mail marketing messages. “They say it is a good way to learn about new products and promotions” agreed) Another market study from a private firm from Baltimore shows that women prefer direct mail to e-mail ads. [...]
[...] Sexism in advertising is an issue because it is a well-known fact that the image of woman is a marketing tool to seduce men but also women themselves. Of course, the image of an attractive girl can be efficient to lure men, but most of the naked bodies are seen for advertising products that are aimed at women! All the L'Oreal advertising for example, show top- models. The point is to tell women that buying the product will help them look more beautiful This is a paradox which is very difficult to solve: women are complaining about their image in advertising, but to my mind they are also very receptive to these same ads; consequently it does not incite firms to change their positioning! [...]
[...] Unfortunately, the Dodge LaFemme does not answer to the needs and the aspirations of women. Chrysler had to withdraw it from the market the next year. This example illustrates one of the major mistakes in marketing for women: marketers need to show women that they really care about them and their needs, and that they take them seriously; this is not enough to paint a car in pink, this is far more complicated than that. a. Women insights: is it easier to get to the women? [...]
[...] Conclusion Marketing to women is more and more developed and specific, because the purchasing power of women is constantly increasing. In my opinion, this is a positive phenomenon because marketers globally try to understand the psychology of women, and to answer their needs, and the results are not only new advertising, but also new products and new operations that are there to please them. However, sometimes the intelligence of certain brands seems to me dangerous, when they try to profit from the weaknesses of women and I think it is impossible, even for a feminist, to say that there are no weaknesses. [...]
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