Why She Buys

Why She Buys by Bridget Brennan Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: Why She Buys by Bridget Brennan Read Free Book Online
Authors: Bridget Brennan
overestimate their knowledge of women consumers. They understand women on a superficial level, which they mistake as being deep—and in a female-driven economy, that’s what’s known as swimming in dangerous waters. Yet it’s a problem easily rectified through a little education.
    Here It Is: A Little Education
    A S we examined in Chapter 1 , it’s hard to be an astute and vocal observer of women’s insights if you live in a society that pressures men to repress “feminine” behaviors—which arguably describes every major society in the world. If you scoff that this is old-school thinking, check out the “Get Some Nuts” British campaign from the Snickers chocolate bar brand, which features hypermasculine actor Mr. T attacking men who exhibit signs of “feminine” behavior, which apparently includes things like speed walking, yoga, going to wine bars, and moaning in pain after an injury. Astonishingly, Snickers appears to have chosen bullying as its brand platform—even in our supposedly enlightened age—proving that men are still under pressure to conceal feminine traits in public, lest they be viewed, in the words of the ads, as a “disgrace to the man race.”
    Men are not born knowing how to please women consumers and it can be considered emasculating to ask, giventhe pressures of male culture. And it can be awkward for female executives to bring up behaviors they believe men will find foolish, simply because the behaviors are perceived as feminine. Here’s a simple example. A woman named Jenny is working on a project to update an insurance company’s website. Her colleagues, a couple of guys, have chosen to use a stock photo of a couple sitting next to each other on a couch as one of the site’s primary images. Jenny believes the photo would be more effective if it showed the couple cuddling happily, not sitting shoulder to shoulder staring straight ahead. The couple doesn’t even look like they know each other , she thinks. Before she brings this up, however, she has to consider some of the implications of voicing her opinion.
    First, she knows that even using the word cuddling with her male colleagues might result in good-natured ribbing at her expense, because it sounds so “girly.” Cuddling is one of those words, such as sweet , cute , adorable , and amazing , that are associated with women and therefore rarely used by men. She can imagine their reaction: Cuddling! You want them to cuddle?
    Then there’s the chance that the conversation will turn to the topic of whether Jenny likes to cuddle at home with her husband. She doesn’t want her colleagues to picture her cuddling, or to tease her about enjoying cuddling (which of course she does enjoy, and they probably do, too, though none of them will admit it). She knows that any admission of her enjoyment of cuddling may undermine her reputation as a competent executive and could have lingering effects. If she brings up something equally “girly” on the next project, she could get a reputation for being soft, sappy, and not serious.
    In the end, Jenny gives her opinion but is careful abouthow she does it. She doesn’t use the word cuddle , and she frames everything from the perspective of the target audience and not as her own opinion, even though, as a professional, she is paid to make these kinds of judgment calls. Women find themselves treading carefully at work all the time, even when it comes to helping their colleagues understand what will appeal to an audience of women.
    The challenge is exacerbated by the fact that until now, actionable information about brain differences and gender hasn’t been widely available to a business audience. Luckily, there has been a great amount of new research that can help illuminate the differences that matter in business. This data can help both sexes overcome the perceived subjectivity and biases of ideas crafted for a female audience.
    Men’s and Women’s Brains: As Distinct as You’ve

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