Too Busy to Shop: Marketing to “Multi-Minding” Women

If you still consider women a marketing “niche segment,” this book by brand expert Skoloda is a must-read. The author reveals that women not only “control $3.3 trillion in consumer spending,” but also make more than 80% of household purchase decisions and increasingly control this country's wealth. She asserts that women are far beyond multitasking—they actually “multi-mind”: simultaneously juggle home, family, work, social and financial obligations. In order to reach them, advertisers need to change their tactics, as her research illustrates that these busy women are immune to conventional marketing methods (they routinely Tivo through commercials and are inconvenienced rather than drawn in by new product displays). She presents studies that show women increasingly get shopping advice from friends and family, make purchasing decisions before entering stores and are drawn by “cause connectivity,” a company's involvement in issues that are meaningful to them. While occasionally repetitive and geared more toward professional marketers than general readers, this book offers a treasure trove of timely insights on how to better understand and engage women consumers. (Mar.)