After a year of planning and occasional heated discussion, we rolled out our re-brand DM campaign last month with some interesting results. Maybe you were one of the lucky recipients and have in front of you a very glam Barbie brightening up your desk. Or perhaps you’ve entered our competition and are waiting to hear if you’ve won a Half Day Handbag Strategists Consultancy to give your brand the gender check. If not there’s still time as our last call for entries is on May 31st and if you feel your brand doesn’t need a gender consultancy we urge you to read on.

We knew hand delivering designer Barbie dolls to some of our key contacts would elicit some interesting comments but we hadn’t banked on the confusion. While some people loved the doll, others thought our prices must be sky high if we invest that much in a piece of DM (it was a small DM run; we pride ourselves on great creative work at good honest prices), and a few thought the Barbie meant we’re only about fashion and women (we work with a range of clients including some decidedly blokey brands). Yet others reasoned we must have a thing about Barbie dolls but our reason for choosing one as our campaign mascot was more about the interesting juxtaposition of the doll with the messaging about what women really want. Although we do admit to having a soft spot for Barbie Dolls, that’s a 70’s upbringing for you.

So in the spirit of transparency here’s a taste of what we’re about, some myth-busting on female marketing, and our reasons why it’s essential to have a Handbag Strategy as part of your marketing plan, whoever you’re marketing to:

• Women make or are responsible for influencing approximately 80% of purchase decisions and are fast becoming the most valuable and important target market on earth when it comes to cars, electronics, homes, holidays and healthcare

• As Handbag Strategists (with a department headed up by women amounting to over 35 years of experience on a diverse range of brands) we have in-depth knowledge of how to market to this key group of buyers and influencers

• Unfortunately we’re not typical. Despite the fact that most agencies deal primarily with brands targeted at women (either directly or as influencers) these departments are largely made up of men, with over 90% of men in head creative roles, and only 15% of art directors and copywriters in creative departments being women

• Studies show that women feel alienated and turned off by a lot of female marketing – could a poor understanding on how to communicate effectively to them underpin this?

• Stereotypical consumer marketing from a gender perspective could also be at fault:

• Over 80% of all consumer electronics purchase decisions were made by women in 2005 which counts for $65 billion of the $100 billion plus spent on consumer electronics

• Women are responsible for 66% of all computer purchases

• Still not sure your brand could do with the feminine touch:

• Not only do women influence the majority of consumer purchases but by 2025 studies have shown that women will be richer than men and own 60% of the UK’s personal wealth

Want to know more? Call us for a chat or give your brand the feminine touch by entering our competition now to win a Half Day Handbag Strategists Consultancy worth over £1000 or a limited edition Christian Louboutin designer Barbie.

Contact Us: We’re right in the heart of the creative hub here in Manchester, so if you’re in town please come and see us. We’ll put the kettle on.