Yes Virginia, the glass ceiling does exist in PR and social media. In such a female heavy industry, males still seem to dominate. Which, is silly because women outnumber men in the blogosphere, social networking sites, and for overall internet usage.
So, what can smart marketers do? Cater to women. Why?
Women Are Online
According to a recent BlogHer survey in Advertising Age, one-third of women engage in the blogosphere weekly. They are actively reading, interacting, contributing, and reviewing content on the web. Of those, 53% read blogs, 37% post comments to blogs and 28% write or update blogs. Women read blogs for fun (46%); to get information (41%); stay up to date on family and friends (36%); stay up to date on specific topics (34%); connect with others (28%); and for entertainment (26%).
So, how do we use all this knowledge to reach out to the “elusive” online woman? Sex and the City did it right…
Sex and the City Is A Marketing Goldmine
The recent media frenzy and box office success of Sex & the City should only encourage marketers to make sure they are reaching out to women, and doing so in a variety of engaging and different ways. Promotional partners and brands that associate with the film are guaranteed to see a boost in sales, or at least in brand recognition.
Consider the fact that Sex & the City has the potential to raise not only movie revenues, but gives fashion and beauty retailers the chance to benefit as well. Well-known and -loved characters in movies have a way of driving sales for products and services, according to Laurie Sullivan at Media Post’s Marketing Daily. Audiences are provided “high-style fantasy relief” from these recession-heavy times in the form of Prada, Gucci, Manolo and more.
Aside from offline ad revenue, think of the online possibilities. Movie Marketing Madness gives a comprehensive look at Sex and the City’s marketing tactics to date for women (and men!) who are fans (or not). It’s even gone so far as to create spam click-through ads, take a look at this ad from Urban Observations:
From online Facebook applications to quizzes and contests, it’s clear that cross-promotion should not only occur in your blog posts, but in your marketing as well. Good marketing campaigns involve one target audience that can be reached through a variety of mediums. Whether it’s through video, social networking, blogs, radio/TV/online contests, or traditional media coverage, make sure that women are included. We do make up half the population you know.
[...] really mashed a great integrated channel campaign. From traditional to social, its one hell of a money churning machine. I feel embarrassed holding the Coke light now (Not a male chauvinist) with Sarah’s legs [...]