WHAT WOMEN WANT: Getting inside women's heads isn't as easy as Mel Gibson made it seem in his last movie

<p>Unprecedented career opportunities and later marriages are just two </p><p>of many factors influencing women's consumption patterns, reports Atifa </p><p>Hargrave-Silk. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In a Hollywood comedy, Mel Gibson accidentally develops the power to </p><p>discover "what women want", but for marketers in Asia, acquiring that </p><p>knowledge is no laughing matter. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As consumer spending slows and women re-prioritise goals and establish </p><p>themselves as decision makers, they have become critical drivers of a </p><p>brand's performance. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In many parts of Asia, women are exercising serious purchasing power and </p><p>have made an indelible impact on society, and it's not only because of </p><p>their growing numbers. Better career prospects, a longer life expectancy </p><p>and the later age at which they marry, if they chose to do so at all, </p><p>have provided them with a level of freedom that was unheard of a </p><p>generation or two ago. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But as more women exercise the freedom to make lifestyle choices, they </p><p>have become more difficult to pigeon-hole. For marketers, this presents </p><p>a new set of challenges. In Japan, Hakuhodo's Sei-Katsu-Sha study puts </p><p>Asian women into six groups: Caring, New Feminine, High Class, Active, </p><p>High Achiever and Cool. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hakuhodo senior research director of its research and development </p><p>division, Shina Murokawa, says there is a strong link between preferred </p><p>lifestyles, average annual incomes and the percentage of women in the </p><p>workforce. "In mainland China, where incomes are a little better and the </p><p>percentage of working women higher, we found High Class or Active women. </p><p>In cities such as Manila, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, where women are </p><p>highly independent and have gained authority through work, women are </p><p>prioritising careers and spending more." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But for advertisers, it's the Cool, liberated woman of Japan, Hong Kong </p><p>and Taiwan that is the "future of Asia", adds Murokawa. "The new </p><p>favourite is the Cool type, whose lifestyle involves neither marriage </p><p>nor major responsibilities." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Some companies, like CSL's One2Free in Hong Kong, have been quick to </p><p>recognise the opportunities. To reach the so-called Cool segment, CSL </p><p>rolled out its interactive "U Date Me" game, the romance-laden </p><p>equivalent of the Tamagochi pet. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Subscribers have the choice of two potential partners to interact </p><p>with. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>If all goes well, the relationship will result in a marriage proposal - </p><p>cyber nuptials are apparently acceptable to marriage-wary females. "Andy </p><p>is a good looking IT engineer and Tim is a handsome creative director in </p><p>an ad agency," says Michelle Au, CSL's general manager of marketing </p><p>communications and public relations. Au says a romantic story was used </p><p>to market the interactive boyfriends, who were created along </p><p>Japanese-style animation, which Hakuhodo's research says is "more in </p><p>tune with Asian tastes". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In Taiwan, as lifestyles change, marketers are adapting to shifting </p><p>preferences. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This comes as independent women with higher income levels show their </p><p>distaste for advertising that patronise or underestimate their </p><p>self-sufficiency. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Advertising that affirms their intelligence and confidence have a better </p><p>chance of success. Which may explain why Taiwan's two largest local </p><p>lingerie brands, Audrey and Swear, have shifted creative directions. </p><p>Both brands now present Taiwanese women as self-assured and confident </p><p>people, a departure from the category's norm of using demure images. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>All this may be nothing new to marketers in the West, where campaigns </p><p>showing strong women, confident with their sexuality, are </p><p>commonplace. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>If anything, the West appears to have moved a step ahead, with its use </p><p>of more provocative and bolder images. For instance, in Christian Dior's </p><p>latest campaign, a model is slathered in oil and plays air-guitar by </p><p>strumming her crotch. With the jury still out on the bolder, sometimes </p><p>pornographic direction fashion brands are taking in the West, it leaves </p><p>many speculating on the success rate such campaigns will have in Asia. </p><p>Hachette Filipacchi Asia-Pacific regional sales and marketing director, </p><p>Angeline Chow, says advertisers have sometimes had to alter images for a </p><p>softer sell. "We often tone down hard images for Asian readers. The </p><p>recent cover of Elle UK has a celebrity looking very wild and </p><p>aggressive. We had to arrange another photo shoot as we needed a softer </p><p>sell." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The battle for female customers has sparked an explosion in women's </p><p>magazines in key Asian markets. And the hyper competitive climate in </p><p>women's titles has seen publishers throw in freebies and discount </p><p>newsstand rates to keep their readers. Jessica's chief executive and </p><p>publisher, Jessica Ng, says: "Women in Hong Kong are not loyal. They run </p><p>from one title to another. Premiums and gimmicks work very well, but </p><p>nothing works better than a drop in price. Women in Hong Kong are most </p><p>sensitive to pricing." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Still, most Hong Kong fashion magazines are packed with freebies, from </p><p>CDs and accessories to cosmetic and makeup bags. Freebies can apparently </p><p>spike issue sales by 10 per cent. Jessica recently celebrated its </p><p>anniversary by lowering its cover price from HK$35 to HK$10. According to Ng, the issue, which also featured a lucky draw with </p><p>the coveted prize of a HK$4,000 Loewe bag, sold out within three </p><p>days. A TVC was launched in conjunction with the price reduction to </p><p>"show women the real value of the magazine", says Ng. The lucky draw was </p><p>such a hit that Jessica plans to organise similar marketing initiatives </p><p>for future issues. "An issue of another female title, Marie Claire, also </p><p>sold out within one day when a free T-shirt was given away," says </p><p>Ng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Lifestyle magazines have also become marketing vehicles for banking and </p><p>financial institutions to reach women. "These traditionally male-focused </p><p>advertisers are taking more interest in women because they are in </p><p>control of their financial futures, whether they are single or married. </p><p>We work with companies on credit card promotions. There is also a column </p><p>in Marie Claire that gives financial advice and talks about money, and </p><p>that has been sponsored by AIG," says Ng. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Automakers are also beginning to see women as consumers in their own </p><p>right. Brands such as Toyota, Ford and Peugeot are now advertising in </p><p>women's magazines to reach this audience as more women start buying </p><p>cars. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In Japan, Toyota Motor has launched a campaign to attract women to its </p><p>WiLL Vi car. It is hoping that this small, funky four-door vehicle will </p><p>help the carmaker shed its conservative image. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The goal is for 70 per cent of Vi's buyers to be women; of this, Toyota </p><p>anticipates that 40 per cent of buyers will be single, twentysomething </p><p>women. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>A report by Euromonitor International found that even in markets such as </p><p>India - the country with the lowest proportion of women in the workforce </p><p>- the demand for branded products among women is growing. The country's </p><p>series of beauty pageant wins is helping to power the nation's beauty </p><p>business. The rise of Indian beauty queens as role models has encouraged </p><p>young girls and women to spend more on skincare and cosmetics. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Indian shoppers, previously limited to a couple of brands of cosmetics, </p><p>now enjoy a wide selection for every product. Analysts in the country </p><p>say the beauty market, now worth US$1.5 billion, could swell by </p><p>20 per cent each year - double the rate of growth in the US and European </p><p>beauty markets. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Companies in other sectors are also adapting to the emerging woman's </p><p>world. Long known as a brand catering to male athletes and built on </p><p>names like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, Nike has begun to step up </p><p>product development and advertising campaigns aimed at women in Asia, </p><p>especially in Hong Kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>From creating an online sisterhood, opening a women's store in Hong Kong </p><p>and creating funky sneakers, Nike is trying to dominate a market where </p><p>having a trendy image scores more points. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Nike marketing director, Rosanna Hon, has come up with strategies she </p><p>hopes will take advantage of the differences between how women and men </p><p>perceive sports and how they shop for clothing and shoes. The brand </p><p>wants to be seen as encouraging women's desires to lead an active </p><p>lifestyle rather than having them become hardcore athletes. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Every purchase of ours tends to be high involvement. We work closely </p><p>with our team in the US to create products that will appeal to women in </p><p>Asia. It's a learning process," says Hon. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Women's athletic footwear, which accounts for a third of total sales, </p><p>only makes up 20 per cent of products at Nike. The problem, Hon says, is </p><p>that women's sneaker wall displays at sports outlets tend to be just a </p><p>wash of white, pink and turquoise. "Most women actually have a hard time </p><p>finding athletic wear they like, and may end up buying from the men's </p><p>section," Hon adds. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But Nike may have more of an uphill battle in widening its image to </p><p>appeal to women. Well-established brands like Reebok and Adidas, and </p><p>younger ones like Skechers, have achieved fast growth in the women's </p><p>athletic market because they enjoy a trendy image. Reebok in particular </p><p>has taken steps to introduce trendier products that appeal to young </p><p>women. In a statement, the company says it wants to "invite a younger, </p><p>active, fashion-conscious woman to join" its brand. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>So does Nike. But the problem Nike faces is that, unlike Adidas and </p><p>Reebok, it has always stressed its sports rather than fashion </p><p>credentials. Nike plans to kick off a major campaign in Hong Kong next </p><p>month, targeting women in their 20s and 30s. The campaign will promote </p><p>Nike's lifestyle image. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"It will coincide with the opening of our new outlet and will be adapted </p><p>to the design of the new shop. We have built a solid relationship online </p><p>through our community; now the goal is to maintain that trust offline," </p><p>says Hon. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As women become increasingly wired, the internet is providing a unique </p><p>forum for marketers like Nike to build virtual communities. Without the </p><p>limits of time and place, women are sharing ideas and experiences with </p><p>others at sites like she.com, which enjoys the highest reach in Hong </p><p>Kong, according to a NetValue survey. "In Hong Kong, women users have </p><p>the highest affinity for fashion/beauty and astrology/horoscope sites. </p><p>This is followed by club-related sites and employment sites," says </p><p>Janice Lee, marketing communications executive at NetValue. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Defying the stereotype that women are indifferent to technology, a </p><p>multitude of surveys suggests that the internet's gender gap is fast </p><p>narrowing. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Women are increasingly becoming wired and connected, racing onto the web </p><p>in record numbers across Asia. The good news: they're ready, willing, </p><p>and able to spend their money online. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>NetValue claims the gender gap is fast closing in Korea, where 47.5 per </p><p>cent of internet users are female, followed by Taiwan, Hong Kong and </p><p>Singapore where almost 44 per cent of users are women. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Nielsen//NetRatings has also found that the number of women using the </p><p>net increased an average of 36 per cent since January. "In terms of </p><p>online purchasing, while women have historically been more concerned </p><p>about security and privacy than men, US data shows that women are just </p><p>as willing to make purchases at major shopping sites with trusted brand </p><p>names," says Hugh Bloch, managing director ACNielsen eRatings North </p><p>Asia. "In Hong Kong, however, women are still outnumbered by men at the </p><p>top shopping sites." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, research in the US suggests that e-tailers are still not doing </p><p>enough to make potential female purchasers feel comfortable. A report by </p><p>Cyber Dialogue in the US found 28 per cent of female online users said </p><p>they were e-consumers as well, of which 40 per cent were concerned with </p><p>credit card security. It added that nearly 70 per cent of women who seek </p><p>products online still end up going offline to make purchases. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>They may be a diverse group, but women consumers - whether they buy on </p><p>or offline - share some common characteristics. They are ready to </p><p>research a product or service in detail before buying it. Their </p><p>relationships are based on quality, making them loyal to brands they </p><p>trust. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Murokawa of Hakuhodo adds: "Asian women are increasingly participating </p><p>in the global economy. Tracking and responding to their aspirations will </p><p>be critical challenges for brand managers and marketers. And those that </p><p>choose to ignore this segment, do so at their peril." </p><p><BR><BR> </p>