Sharon's Marketing Missive

Woman/man, girlfriend/boyfriend, wife/husband, marketer/customer…we are in such different camps, it’s no wonder we have trouble communicating and understanding each other! But the sooner the marketer realizes he needs to think from his customer’s point of view, the more effective the communications will be.

Friday night I had a Chick Flick night out planned with girlfriends to see “Julie and Julia.” That afternoon, my boyfriend asked—again—which movie we planned to see. I showed him the delightful trailer and all he could do is shake his head and mutter, “That is such a chick flick.” When it was over, he perked up and said energetically, “Now let’s watch the GI Joe trailer!” Which we did. What a contrast. What a lesson in women and men.

Women: talking, nurturing, creating. Men: adrenaline, aggression, destruction.

My boyfriend and I had a great chuckle out of the contrast. And that difference doesn’t mean I have to be like him, nor him like me. We just need to be aware the contrast exists.

Same with the marketer. The marketer wants to customer to buy. But the customer might be shopping for something other than the marketer is selling…or at least that’s the perception due to a lack of understanding!

Take the “Julie and Julia” movie for example. Both husbands are portrayed as strong and steady yet supportive, only mildly annoyed by hormonal moodiness and female fits. This type of husband, one who “gets” the emotional side of women, was obviously concocted by a female director. Had my boyfriend accompanied me to the movie, these men would have been labeled “pussies” within a few minutes of the film’s beginning. But that is what the woman thinks she wants. When in reality what she wants is the beefy and brave protector in the GI Joe movie.

The marketer’s job is to package what he’s selling in a way that appeals to the customer, to frame the story in a way that attracts her. But in order to do that he has to understand two things:

1. The difference between him and the customer
2. What appeals to the customer

Until the marketer—and copywriter—know these two critical factors, the message will fall flat, just as it would if my boyfriend had suggested we see the GI Joe movie on Chick Flick night.