Above and beyond – The lure of going the ‘extra’ mile

Published on: September 9, 2022

An interesting way of attracting her to a category is enticing her with something extra or new – an additional usage of an existing product no one has really thought about or a novel product seen for the first time in a category.

New use: Information about new, different uses of existing products appeals more to women, as it gives them the satisfaction of being ‘economical’. Everything from a 5-in-1 shampoo to a multipurpose toolkit makes the life of a woman easy while helping her save her precious time. The idea behind the creation of such products is simple – trigger a need and earn your brand a pole position in the race to capture the demand market.

New product: Though women aren’t into novelty for the sake of it, a ‘new’ product that offers a better deal on a cherished benefit is also welcome. Something as simple as a mobile app that tracks menstrual cycles is really a crowd favorite among women – from the corporate head honcho who is too busy to remember dates to the newly-wed woman planning to start her family. A similar revolution was the smart watches – imagine the luxury of reading texts and making phone calls on-the-go and add to that the feature of an in-built fitness tracker! A total win-win as far as the ladies are concerned. Game changing innovation that prioritizes women’s needs is met with their greenbacks and eternal loyalty.

These two aspects combined have major marketing implications for brands targeting women customers. These types of products are usually developed by tech-forward companies, and marketed to tech-savvy customers – men, who believe not too much in exploring product relevance. Women, on the other hand, are less-tech, more touch – and with substantial control of the household’s purse strings, it is a market you don’t want to overlook. Women usually find their way into a category a few years after the innovation has made its way in the market, and imagine the floodgates that would open if your company could get the first-mover advantage.

So, marketers can adapt to this pattern in one of two ways: Go for a “one-two” approach by introducing a product first to men and after a few years to women. Or stall your competition by doing a twin-launch, targeting men and women together, with gender-tailored communication. The latter approach is certainly somewhat riskier and more aggressive. However, going by the intense global competition these days, weigh in the advantages of being the first to chase the “second-half” of your target customers, getting women on your side before your competitors even turn their attention to them.

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