Improve Marketing - Defeat Stereotypes
Improve Marketing - Defeat Stereotypes
I read an interesting article this morning on advertising to single moms. Seems that marketers for the most part have very little clues as to reality. In that their perceptions are so misconstrued that they actually harm advertising clients as opposed to helping them truely.
First most women hate being labeled a “mom” and more despise being marketed to in that form. They prefer to be thought of as women with children as it seems are more receptive to advertising when marketers view them as such.
But this is not limited to moms and mothers..marketers must look beyond what is known or “perceived” to be target market and find out the reality of how the target market feels when being advertised to.
Here are some interesting sterotypes about single moms for example.
Age bracket
What marketers believe:
35% of single moms are 18-24 years old
The truth is:
12% of single moms are 18-24 years old
Education:
What marketers believe:
31% of single moms did not finish high school
The truth is:
19% of single moms did not finish high school
Ethnicity:
What marketers believe:
24% of single moms are Caucasian
The truth is:
58% of single moms are Caucasian
Source: DraftFCB
At the DraftFCB Advertising agency, the word “mom” is no longer to be used. Think about that for a minute when considering your marketing methods. What other words should we lose when talking with consumers?
As you can see sterotypes like the ones above will hurt your clients more than help. While the hurt is not measurable or felt in the P & L statments, it is the amount of lost sales that one has to consider.
The moral is to not let your own prejudices or stereotypes have a detrimental effect on your income. Be the smarter marketer!
