Sex versus Smartphone: How well do marketers really know women?

Smartphone wins.  That is the answer given by 400 “influential” women in a survey  (conducted by Ginger Consulting as reported in Adweek 4/23/12)  that asked “What can’t you go without for 30 days?”.  As a matter of fact 41% said they couldn’t do without their smartphone versus only 4% opting to do without sex.

Okay, so this is low hanging fruit in terms of catchy survey stuff.  But it does underscore lifestyle shifts in women that marketers need to pay attention to such as the decline and/or delay in marriage which is also accompanied by a shift to later-life child rearing.     Adweek’s Women’s Issue profile of three generations of women; the Indie Woman (28-34), the Mom Achiever (35-45) and the Alpha Goddess  (55-64) tries to connect the dots in these lifestyles changes  to shifts in the way women are using technology.

The millennial Indie Woman is easily identified and accepted as a strong user of technology. “Her virtual image is as important to her as her real-world one” is the quote Adweek uses to describe this independent career focused lifestyle.

The real surprise comes from the older two lifestyles; the Mom Achiever and the Alpha Goddess are both much more likely to be technologically proficient than previously thought. The Mom Achiever users technology to gain some control over their busy work and childcare roles.  Their kid’s technology habits actually influence them to use the latest more recent media.

The 55-64 year old may be the biggest shocker of all with a current smartphone penetration of 30%.  In this same Adweek issue Forrester Research is noted as observing that “women 55-65 spend about the same on consumer electronics as a typical Gen Y-er..”.

Shift happens in lifestyles and the outcomes increasingly are demonstrated in technology use.  Keeping connected to consumer research is critical in making the right technology and media decisions.   Marketers need to continually monitor this kind of research to stay relevant and impactful.

Room for discussion:

How do these trends affect marketing plans?  Where in the marketing planning do you take these trends into consideration? Compare and contrast the effects on a Children’s Science Center marketing plan versus the plans of the Symphony.