Gender and Generational Marketing

Women think differently than men. Generation Y thinks differently than the Boomer generation. Every generation grew up with different social influences that determine how they make decisions in their lives. Why is that important to your marketing campaign? Because you can’t talk to a 20 year old in 50 year old terms and expect a positive reaction. And you can’t talk to women the same way you talk to men and get the same result. Marketing must be targeted to the audience you are trying to reach in order to be effective.

Women make 85% of buying decisions in this country. Women are also growing in numbers among construction execs, facility managers and apprentices in the trades. If your message to them doesn’t connect with them emotionally you won’t get their attention or sell them your services. Why do you think Michelin tires started using adorable babies to sell their tires? Because women need to care about you, to want what you’re selling.

If you’re trying to recruit young people to the trades it’s all about speed, entertainment and interactivity. They don’t spend time relaxing on the couch, reading the newspaper. They sit at a computer communicating with others in a language we don’t understand and making new friends whom they will never meet face-to-face. It’s a whole new world.

Your marketing will only be as effective as your ability to identify your target audience, determine which media reaches your audience, and structure your message to appeal to that audience. A good marketing firm will spend as much time researching trends that vary from gender to generation as they do creating your clever marketing materials. Remember, the cleverest TV spot or brochure is a complete waste of money if it doesn’t reach your audience through the media they prefer and speak to them in their language.

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