What do women really want?

In the movie What Women Want, Mel Gibson’s chauvinistic advertising executive Nick Marshall discovers what makes women tick after being electrocuted while waxing his legs. The accident enables him to hear what women are thinking, giving him unique insight into the female mind. 

A similar – but less painful – awakening to the strength of women’s purchasing power has been taking place in the brand world. By 2030, one in four UK women will be the main earner in their household, predicts The Future Foundation.

But despite an evolution in gender roles, women are still attracted to many stereotypical brands, according to The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA), which has exclusively released gender breakdowns of its Superbrands 2010 data to Marketing Week.

Meanwhile, other big brands have attracted a surprisingly non-stereotypical following, according to TCBA’s other research into the UK’s most emotionally connected brands, in conjunction with consultancy Brandhouse (see Top 10, below). Both surveys involved 2,000 UK consumers. 

Female respondents, who were asked to rate Superbrands on attributes including quality, reliability and distinction, still tend to rate cosmetics, clothing and homeware brands most highly. At the top of the list of brands most attractive to women are personal electronics brand Braun, with 24% more female voters than male voters in the Superbrands poll, followed by toy maker Fisher-Price, with 23% more female voters. Cosmetics brand Bobbi Brown attracts 22% more female voters.

Life has become more complicated in terms of what men and women are expected to do, but brand gender stereotypes still exist

Stephen Cheliotis, TCBA

Other female-oriented brands that show a high gender bias in the survey’s results are Good Housekeeping magazine (19% more female voters than male voters), pushchair manufacturer Silver Cross (18% more), crayon maker Crayola (17% more) and tissue brand Kleenex (16% more). Providers of luxury experiences, such as spa Champneys, resort chain Sandals and luxury products such as Royal Doulton, Swarovski and Whittard of Chelsea also demonstrates a clear female bias.

Alcohol, sports, betting, online, electronics and fast-food brands display a high male bias. KFC, Burger King, Honda and Intel all register 13% more male voters than female voters in the Superbrands 2010 survey. Sony Vaio, Jack Daniel’s, TAG Heuer, Nintendo, William Hill, eBay and Arsenal FC all score 10% more male voters than female voters.

“Life has become more complicated in terms of what men and women are expected to do, but brand gender stereotypes still exist,” says TCBA chief executive Stephen Cheliotis.

The results reflect how men and women

differ in their views of what constitutes a Superbrand, even though they were asked to rate brands on the same factors.

Women associate quality with being premium, Cheliotis suggests, and place a strong value on ethical credentials such as Fairtrade or Carbon Trust. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to value the robustness of day-to-day brands.

The female connection
The brands that appeared in TCBA’s list of the top ten brands with emotional connections to women are a mix of traditionally female as well as non-stereotypical. The list features Google, Marks & Spencer, Heinz, Kellogg, BBC, Weetabix, Sony, Microsoft, Dulux and Nokia – many of which are not overtly female-oriented brands, but use engaging advertising to speak to women in a lively, practical way, suggests Cheliotis.

Women are more willing to be emotionally engaged with a brand, Cheliotis adds, and more willing to reward the brands they are engaged with when it is time to purchase. However, both surveys’ results give an insight into how brands are perceived by different genders. “Some brands might be focused on a specific gender and some might be gender-neutral, but these results might show that one gender is believing in or appreciates the brand more than the opposite gender,” says Cheliotis. 

Research by consultancy The Gild indicates that women want products that fit with their lifestyles and provide useful information, says The Gild consultant Lizzie Carr. “Women will look for brands that will help them make an informed decision. Boots was quoted in our survey as being a trusted editor of information,” Carr reveals.

L’Oréal, on the other hand, is named in The Gild’s survey as being misleading for using hair extensions on brand ambassador Cheryl Cole.

Despite not wanting to be marketed to in pink flowing script, women still want to see practical products that have been designed with them in mind. Carr names power tool manufacturer Bosch as a success story in marketing a smaller drill to women in a non-patronising way, while car insurance brand Sheilas’ Wheels designs policies only for women.

In a society where gender roles are blurring, it is hard to tell what images, tone and wording will speak to women effectively to develop brand and purchase loyalty. While the term “womenomics” has been bandied about since the Eighties, brands are still figuring out how to meet the needs of this powerful consumer group.

But there is no single strategy when it comes to marketing to women, meaning the answer to the question “what do women really want?” remains elusive. But there might be a new question to ask, TCBA’s Cheliotis suggests: “Don’t just ask what women want, but what do the women who purchase your product want?”