Welcome back once again to the Ask Patty blog carnival. Can you believe
it’s May already? Man, I feel like we were just doing the holiday gift
garage posts and here we are, already past Easter and rounding the
corner into summer vacation! We’ve got a special carnival for you to
celebrate the beginning of the Mother’s Day month; we are applauding
women! (Duh) We have gathered great posts and articles out there that
focus on marketing to women and the shift in the industry’s focus
toward the fairer (and we like to think smarter) of the sexes. Fill up
your tank and get ready for our trip down our women’s lane!
To start us off, we want to congratulate Alba Colon, GM Racing Chevrolet NASCAR Nextel Cup Program Manager, because she has been chosen as one of Hispanic Business magazine's
20 Elite Women for 2007. Go Alba! Ms. Colon is leading a crew of
engineers who design cars for the GM Racing team, and she's still
beaming after her squad's victory at the NASCAR Daytona 500. Ms. Colon
was born in Spain and received a mechanical engineering degree from the
University of Puerto Rico. GM hired her in 1994 as a data acquisition
engineer for GM's Oval Track Group, which was then composed of NASCAR
Winston Cup, Craftsman Truck, ASA, and Busch Grand National programs.
Ms. Colon was named to her current position in 2001.
Car companies are fearful of scaring off male buyers so they don't talk
up women buyers very much. Well, we all know how much crap that really
is (excuse my excitability). We already know women have a lot of say in
most new-vehicle purchases and in fact influence 85% of them! They
can’t keep ignoring us for long… like I always say: “Satisfy the
expectations of women and you will exceed those of men.” Looks like the
Sun Journal feels the same way.
We love Marti Barletta here at Ask Patty. Barletta blogs that she has
just finished reading The Hummer and the Mini - Navigating the
Contradictions of the New Trend Landscape, by Robyn Waters. A fellow
member of the Women Gurus Network, Robyn is the former Vice President
of Trend, Design, and Product Development at Target, so according to
Barletta, “ she certainly knows a thing or two about identifying and
capitalizing on the powerful trends that drive the consumer landscape.”
Read all about her fascinating theory of trend and counter trend on
Barletta’s own Trendsight.
We got a lot of response to our reprint of Nance’s blog post on her
adventure in buying a new car and her husband’s two cents on the whole
deal. Lipsticking
posted her video narration of the article on their blog. It is the same
video that was premiered at the Women's Automotive Association
International breakfast event at the NYC Auto Show. Check out the cute
video narration!
Who doesn't know that marketing to women, online or off, often involves
kids? Moms are one of the largest segments in the marketing to women
overall demographic. Our gal pal at lipsticking makes the great point
that “women are the caretakers of hearth and home, of car and office,
and of kitchen and bathroom.” So what does this have to do with cars? Kevin Burke of Lucid Marketing is
wearing a pregnancy suit to understand what women go through when
pregnant. It can help companies trying to market to women gain a bit
more insight into the challenges women face when pregnant.
We know that women purchase more than 46 percent of all new vehicles
and influence over 80 percent of all automotive sales, according to a
recent study by CNW Marketing Research (CNW). That adds up to about $80
billion worth of business, according to a past female buyer study by
Road & Travel. Watch out dealerships, the gals are coming. Consumer Reports asks,
“If women are spending so much and have such power in the marketplace,
then why is the car-buying experience considered to be a nightmare for
many women?” The number one reason? Women feel they are not treated
well at dealerships.
By NASCAR standards, the numbers are staggering… as far as women fans
are concerned. More than 40% of the NASCAR fans are the mighty females!
Apparently that number is growing and doesn’t show signs of slowing.
No pro sport is better at reaching out to its fan base - and no fan
base is more loyal than in stock car racing. From Harlequin novels to
designer shoes to "driver associations" - fan clubs, essentially -
NASCAR and its marketing partners wisely are catering to the women who
not only come to the track, but who are the main consumers in most
households.
Though she’s stirred a ripple of interest in several markets, most Indy Racing League
fans don’t know Milka Duno—yet. Many sports business experts think the
first Hispanic woman to race in the openwheel series will turn heads,
as much for her ability to drive and her unusual professional and
academic background as anything else. When Duno tested an IRL car for
the first time at Kansas Speedway in mid-April, track officials said
fans were climbing the walls to get a glimpse of the Venezuelan driver.
Keep your eye on this one!
Ann Job has spoken, and the Detroit News
is listening… though we cant say much the for Detroit Three. According
to Job: “I've been frustrated for years that car companies, fearful of
scaring off male buyers, don't talk up women buyers very much. Come on.
Even if officials don't want to celebrate women customers, at least
they can readily admit female consumers exist and have a major impact.
So, imagine my surprise and pleasure when women were freely discussed
at this month's New York International Auto Show. Maybe, just maybe,
this silly macho posture is softening.” Oh we hope so Ann.
That’s it for this week! Thank you for all of your submissions! Make sure to submit next week! Please remember to submit your article using the online form or by emailing Breanne at Breanne@askpatty.com.
