{"product_id":"the-she-spot-isbn-9781576754726","title":"The She Spot","description":"\u003cb\u003eA guide for nonprofits and social change organizations on how to tap the potential of the female market and why it helps.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe secret to changing the world is hidden in plain sight. In fact, it’s half the population. Women vote more, volunteer more, and give to more charities than men do. They control over half of the total wealth in America. Corporations have long recognized the growing power of women and have been targeting them for years. \u003ci\u003eThe She Spot\u003c\/i\u003e is a practical and provocative primer showing how nonprofits and social change organizations can do it too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLisa Witter and Lisa Chen cite eye-opening research that reveals some surprising facts: women are less likely to trust politicians and politics as usual; African American women donate a larger percentage of their income to nonprofits than white women but get asked to give a lot less often; and in one poll only seven percent of women identified “protecting reproductive choice,” supposedly \u003ci\u003ethe\u003c\/i\u003e women’s issue, as a top priority for Congress. Building on insights like these, they identify and describe four core principles—care, control, connect, and cultivate—for designing messages that will resonate with women of all ages and backgrounds. And using case histories from companies like Home Depot, T-Mobile, and Kellogg’s as well as nonprofits like MoveOn.org, the American Lung Association, and the Environmental Defense Fund, they explain precisely how to put these four principles into practice.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book makes the case that simply painting your marketing campaign “pink” and calling it a day will miss the mark with most women. Witter and Chen show that connecting with women can help you connect with men too—think both\/and, not either\/or. You’ll raise more money and recruit more supporters for your cause. In the end, those who hit the “She Spot” claim the power to create a better, brighter world for all of us.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Smart, engaging, and eminently useful, \u003ci\u003eThe She Spot\u003c\/i\u003e puts its finger on how to score with the key drivers of social change: women.” —Arianna Huffington\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The authors present their material efficiently and engagingly, tackling the motivation—both social and neurological—behind women’s contributions and interest, and the methods to appeal to them, from news media to online. Bolstered with helpful chapter takeaway lists and concrete examples of companies that have successfully reached the female audience, Witter and Chen have crafted a thoughtful, helpful guide to nonprofit marketers.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eForeword by Gary Hirshberg, CEO of Stonyfield Farm \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Preface\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Introduction: A Women-Centered (Marketing) Revolution \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Part I: Understanding the She Spot\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 1: Why Women Matter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 2: How Women Think\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 3: What Women Want\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Part II: How to Hit the She Spot\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 4: Care \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 5: Connect \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 6: Cultivate \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 7: Control\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Part III: Where to Hit the She Spot\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 8: Where to Reach Women\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Chapter 9: Segmenting the Women’s Market\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Conclusion: The Not So Secret Secret to Changing the World\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Resources\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e About the Authors“The principles of Marketing to Women are as true for social change as they are for products and brands. I applaud the Lisas—Witter and Chen—for applying them to such a good cause. Women are always striving to improve the world, and their book lays out the case convincingly.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMarti Barletta, Founder, the TrendSight Group, and author of Marketing to Women and PrimeTime Women\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Finally, the book I’ve been waiting for that connects the dots between the research on what women want and actionable ways to reach them. I recommend it to any nonprofit or political candidate who wants to tap into the women’s vote and their power as donors and activists.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eCelinda Lake, President, Lake Research Partners, and coauthor of What Women Really Want: How American Women Are Quietly Erasing Political, Racial, Class, and Religious Lines to Change the Way We Live\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “If you’re in the business of social change, you need the information in The She Spot. Transforming the world can only happen if you under- stand what this book has to say about what women value, how they operate, and how important they are to making change happen.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eBarbara A. Brenner, Executive Director, Breast Cancer Action\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “The She Spot proves that women are at the forefront of power and change and shows executives of all types how to reach them. Finally, concrete steps to better tapping women’s potential.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eIlana Goldman, President, Women’s Campaign Forum\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “I am buying a copy for everyone I have ever worked with! The authors prove that marketing to women is so much more than turning every- thing pink, and most importantly, The She Spot tells you how.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMorra Aarons-Mele, blogger and Political Director, BlogHer.com\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Want to connect with the rising tide of world-changing women? Ditch the pink logos, petunias, and pandering. Let this book show you how to supercharge your campaign, company, or community with powerful stories, open and insightful conversation, and opportunities for action that actually fit the way smart women live in the 21st century.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Alex Steffen, Executive Editor, WorldChanging.com\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “This book taps into a truth that labor organizers learn in the shops: women don’t just hope and wait for change, they fight for it. When motivated and mobilized, women do change the world, and this book gives us the tools to make it happen.”\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Amanda Cooper, Director of Communications, UNITE HERE!\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “‘Add women, change everything.’ That’s The White House Project’s prescription for transformation. The change we seek so passionately can only be delivered by adding our nation’s most untapped natural resource. The She Spot is ‘spot on’ about how we get there.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMarie Wilson, President, The White House Project, and author of Closing the Leadership Gap: Add Women, Change Everything\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “By claiming ‘they are the audience,’ The She Spot is the book that gives women the opportunity to claim their space as key agents of social change. In return, this is a must read for those who want to change the world and believe that the road to success is making sure women are at the table and active.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eChristine Grumm, President and CEO, Women’s Funding Network\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “This book is a brilliant no-brainer that unlocks a treasure chest of fascinating insights. It’s sure to generate an ‘aha’ moment for save-the- worlders everywhere.”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eRicken Patel, Executive Director, Avaaz.org\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eLisa Witter is the chief operating officer of Fenton Communication, where she heads the firm’s practice in women’s is- sues and global affairs. Her clients include Women for Women International, Global Fund for Women, Women’s Funding Net- work, MoveOn.org, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Harvard School of Public Health, and American Medical As- sociation.\u003cbr\u003e Co-founder of the award-winning SheSource.org, a database of women experts to help close the gender gap among commentators in the news media, Witter is a political and social commentator and blogger, who in 2004 was featured in Showtime’s American Candidate. Honored as an outstanding activist and ex- pert on women’s issues by Oxygen.com for her work on a national campaign against privatizing Social Security during the 2000 presidential election, she is on the board of directors or advisory council for Climate Counts, MomsRising.org, and Women for Women International.\u003cbr\u003e Lisa Chen, a former reporter with the San Jose Mercury News, has been working in the public interest communications field for the past 10 years, serving clients including the New York Academy of Medicine, National Urban League, Physicians for Human Rights, Blue Shield of California Foundation, EngenderHealth, and Asian Americans\/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy.\u003cbr\u003e A senior vice president at Fenton Communications, she is the firm’s head editor and writer and develops creative messaging for clients across a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from public health to education reform. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere.\u003cbr\u003e She lives in New York City.A Women-Centered (Marketing) Revolution\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Home Depot of today is a lot different than it was ten years ago. The stores feel less cluttered and more airy. Everything, from light fixtures to carpet samples, is more stylish and varied. Home décor departments have been expanded. The company’s ad campaigns and catalogues, which used to simply showcase products, now feature more people. In its first six months, a new store feature, “Do-It-Herself” workshops, drew 40,000 women.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Stonyfield Farm grew from being a seven-cow organic farming school in the early 80s into a company with $250 million in annual sales. Every cup of Stonyfield yogurt bears a personal message from the CEO and founder Gary Hirshberg. Turn the lid over and you’ll find tips on how to make the world a better place. Stonyfield was ahead of the curve when it came to products that had special appeal to moms, like Yo-Baby yogurt and calcium-fortified yogurt. All of this has been critical to the company’s surge as the fastest-growing yogurt company in the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The success of these companies are representative of a sea change in the business world in the past 10 years as business leaders have come to recognize women as much more than an “emerging” or niche market. Today, women represent the largest and most important consumer market there is.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e How did this happen? It began with demographic changes among women themselves in their roles at work and at home. Today, women make 83 percent of all consumer purchases—everything from breakfast cereal to big-ticket items like cars and personal computers—for themselves and for their families. They are also responsible for 80 percent of all health care-related decisions for their households.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 2\u003cbr\u003e Wising up to the power of the purse and its ripple effects in the marketplace, smart companies began putting female customers first by thinking creatively and critically about what they want. They shaped the consumer experience to appeal to women from the minute they walk into the store or click on the company Web site, all the way through the point of purchase.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As marketing gurus Tom Peters and Marti Barletta put it, there is “a widespread recognition among business leaders of the blazingly obvious… that women are where the money is.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yet the nonprofit and political sectors have been slower to pick up on this demographic revolution. Not only do women have the power to profoundly influence the world of consumer goods, they also have the power to rouse and accelerate our ability to do good—provided we know how to unleash that power.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Why Women Are the Key to\u003cbr\u003e Moving the Needle on Social Issues\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But wait, the skeptic in you is asking, What does selling kitchen tiles and yogurt have to do with securing universal health care or curbing global warming?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The answer is a lot. Because women as a group affect much more than the consumer marketplace. Research shows they are also the pistons that keep the engine of most nonprofits running successfully and are key in determining the outcome of political elections and campaigns. Consider the following:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Women give. Conventional wisdom suggests that because men as a group earn more money, it follows that they give more to charity. Wrong. Women actually give just as much, but they give differently. Women control over half of the total wealth in America, and all evidence points to their inheriting and managing more wealth in the near future. Women also account for roughly 60 percent of socially conscious investors. The 2008 election has also proven to be a milestone year in women’s political giving, with women making donations to candidates in unprecedented numbers.3\u003cbr\u003e Women volunteer. Women, particularly mothers and women who work, volunteer at significantly higher rates than men, according to a 2006 federal study. Across the nation, about 32 percent of women volunteer compared with 25 percent of men. These findings have financial consequences as well: studies show that volunteers often make gifts on average two and a half times more than non-volunteers.\u003cbr\u003e Women vote. Since the 1960s, women have turned out in higher numbers at the voting booth. Women made the difference in the 2006 mid-term elections, accounting for the decisive margin in a number of close races that ultimately shifted the balance of power in Congress.\u003cbr\u003e Women pay it forward. Women are inherently communityminded and love to seek advice and share good information when they have it. This makes them ideal “connectors” and foot-soldiers for advocacy or fundraising campaigns. What’s more, and as described in more detail later, what “works” for women often clicks with men as well.\u003cbr\u003e Women are behind major social movements. Throughout American history, women have been a major force behind important social movements, from the abolition of slavery and the temperance movement, to the suffragist and civil rights movements. Their roles may not have been written in the history books, but these social reforms could not have occurred without their leadership and support.\u003cbr\u003e Doing a better job of marketing to women does not mean that we neglect or forget men in the process. As we’ll discuss in greater detail later, the experience of corporate marketing campaigns has shown that when you market to women’s concerns and meet their higher expectations on return, you will sweep up men’s support as well. In other words, hit the She Spot and you’ll hit the He Spot, too. 4\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Why Gender-Neutral Marketing is Not Enough\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Many of us are comfortable with and, indeed, support the idea that campaigns targeting youth or people of color be tuned into nuances, into differences between these populations and the perceptions held by them if they are to succeed. Yet when we talked to people about the concept behind this book—why it’s important to market differently to women than to men—we encountered enthusiasm from some (“It’s about time!”) and resistance from others who expressed concern that calling out gender differences threatens to undermine the hard-won notion that women and men are equal and should be treated equally.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It’s worth noting that these different reactions were more or less split along generational lines, with Generation X and Y women in the positive camp, and some baby boomer women taking a skeptical, even wary position. It’s not difficult to see why: women who came of age in the 1960s have had to fight precedent-setting battles for equality with men; women of younger generations hold social and political perceptions shaped as inheritors of their legacy, including the cultural shifts that grew out of the second-wave feminist movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When it comes to improving the lives of women and girls and creating the society we want to live in, we couldn’t agree more that women should be treated on equal footing as men. But we are selling ourselves short if we deny the fact that gender differences exist. These differences are supported by a body of scientific evidence that shows that differences in male and female brain structure, chemistry, and hormones shape our different priorities, preferences, and approach to the choices we make in life. We see these differences in action by watching how little boys and girls behave on the playground. And they affect us as adults as we make decisions about everything from what we buy, to who we vote for, to which causes we choose to champion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Culture, of course, has an enormous influence as well. At work, at home and at play, and in their relationships with others, men and women take on different roles that shape their priorities, attitudes, and preferences. If we ignore the real differences between how men and women think and perceive the world, we significantly cripple our own efforts to appeal and activate the audiences we need on our side.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In short, women are from Venus and men are from Mars. But for too long, traditional marketing and outreach approaches have placed men’s worldviews and preferences front and center, marooning women on Mars 5 and crippling their ability to recognize women as a critical audience requiring sophisticated communications strategies if we are to reach them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e It’s About Her\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Those of us in the public sector got into this line of work because we care passionately about righting wrongs, protecting the environment, and helping people. But it’s a mistake to think that simply getting the word out about “the issues” will convert people into taking up worthy causes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In the early days of marketing and advertising, it was enough for a business to sing the praises of a product’s attributes, whether shampoo or headache medicine. But in today’s competitive marketplace, where store shelves carry five or more brands of essentially the same product, a straight description of attributes is no longer a persuasive selling strategy. That’s why modern-day marketing campaigns focus much less on the product, and much more on the prospect—the needs of the customer.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Marketing in the nonprofit sector must make a similar conversion. Today there are 1.4 million nonprofits in the U.S. competing for a limited pool of dollars. Public sector organizations must combat “compassion fatigue” and a thickening fog of information overload. Meanwhile, political candidates and statewide ballot initiative campaigns are challenged to drum up support and voters, many of whom are cynical and disengaged from the political process.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In light of these challenges, it’s more important than ever that public sector professionals rigorously re-examine how they’re communicating to their target audiences—and who that target audience is. It’s our argument, of course, that the audience is women, and that the first step in marketing to them effectively is to rid ourselves of the notion that women are a niche audience. In other words, ditch the niche. The steps after that make up the meat of this book, where we describe the elements involved in creating marketing efforts that appeal to the things women care about and respond to.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We’re sympathetic to nonprofit staff for whom the idea of reformulating their organization’s marketing and outreach efforts to be femalefriendly can sound overwhelming. But don’t panic. Keep these things in mind:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Marketing to women is not about adding another layer to your communications as you would add an extension on your house. 6 Remember, women are not a niche. They are the audience. Once you take this to heart, you’ll see that what you’re doing is pouring cement in your communications foundation, building in this approach rather than adding on. As we’ll get into later in the book, women have built-in attributes of their own that make them a sure return on your marketing investment.\u003cbr\u003e You won’t have to start from scratch. Chances are you’re already applying a few (or more than a few) of the marketing tactics that women respond to. Our hope is that, in the future, you’ll do so more intentionally, and become even more sophisticated and effective in your application.\u003cbr\u003e The bottom line is this: Just as the rules of the game have changed in the consumer marketplace, they’ve changed in the social change marketplace as well. Busy lives, shortening attention spans, data overload, competing demands—these are factors that define modern life and have conspired to make it tougher to break through. To do more than survive and actually thrive in this environment, the public sector must do a better job of marketing by looking through a prospect-focused rather than a product- or issue-focused lens. Because when we successfully connect with our target audiences in deep and personal ways, we build loyal and longer-lasting relationships with donors and members that strengthen our organizations and bolster our ability to make change on the scale necessary to truly make a difference in people’s lives.\u003cbr\u003e The Four Cs: Care, Connect, Cultivate, and Control\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Based on our own field experience as communications consultants for nonprofit clients and our research into corporate marketing practices, we’ve identified four key principles to effectively marketing to women. They are:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Care. Most people choose to do good not because they’ve reasoned it’s the logical thing to do, but because their sense of caring and empathy has been triggered and it becomes the right thing to do. When we strike directly at the “heart” of our issues, we unleash an emotional response, the necessary first step to engagement. 7\u003cbr\u003e Connect. Women place a premium value on creating community in their lives. They understand that the ties between people are the force that make the world go round—and forward. When we tap into this powerful force, we honor people’s deep-felt desire to connect with others, and help build a movement for progressive change.\u003cbr\u003e Cultivate. Women are tough customers who take decisionmaking seriously. If they’ve signed up to support your organization, it’s because you’ve successfully addressed their check-list of concerns. Once they’re on board, however, they more than pay it back by being true believers and loyal supporters who turn around and cultivate new donors and members on your behalf.\u003cbr\u003e Control. Remember our prospect versus product argument? This marketing principle is about working within, not against, women’s busy, multi-tasking lifestyles and leveraging their hopeful, take-control approach to life to creating a better future for all of us.\u003cbr\u003e These marketing principles are especially effective at reaching women, but, as we’ll show, they work for men as well—and this is no accident. Our goal is to help sharpen your marketing senses and help you cast aside misguided assumptions regarding gendered marketing that may be inadvertently tuning out or turning off women and preventing you from identifying opportunities that can help you actively appeal to them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The smarter and more effective we are at reaching women, the better our chances of deepening their commitment, of moving them from the transactional (cutting one check or signing up for a one-time volunteer gig) to a deeper sense of responsibility that inspires more meaningful and, ultimately, more seismic change at the social and cultural level.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Marketing—for Social Change\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Some of us may be unaccustomed to the idea of “marketing” as an approach for reaching target audiences to achieve social change goals. Still others may be skeptical about using lessons borrowed from the business sector, considering that corporations have been responsible for many social ills that nonprofit groups are working to fix, from environmental pollution to economic disenfranchisement. Beyond these concerns, 8 there may be others still who are wary that marketing directly to women adds another troubling dimension—that of manipulating this critical demographic to serve specific interests.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But remember, marketing strategies and tactics don’t hurt people; people hurt people. If you’re reading this book, chances are you aren’t in the business of selling tobacco or expanding your oil drilling ventures. You’re in the social change business, and your goals make all the difference. So does the level of respect, sensitivity, and insight you bring to your marketing efforts as you seek to reach women and bring them on board.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Indeed, as Katya Andersen points out in her book, Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes, “There is no nobility in preaching to an audience of one.” As change agents, we have an ethical responsibility to ourselves, to our work, and to the people who support us—financially and as activists—to fully harness tools that time and experience have shown make us more effective as communicators and bring us closer to transforming the world for the better.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We must also remind ourselves that social change sector audiences are often the same people who corporations target to buy cars or switch to their brand of fabric softener. They are the same people who are receiving direct mail appeals from groups working in opposition to your goals. And these same people must filter an unprecedented tsunami of information—from billboards and magazines to the Internet and TV advertisements—from the minute they wake up to when their heads hit the pillow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The organizations and companies that break through the data smog are the ones that use smart, sophisticated strategies that appeal—and connect—directly with their target audiences. This is the power of effective marketing.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We must also remember that if we do not take a more sophisticated approach to marketing, with an eye for how particular messages or tactics may or may not appeal to women, we may, at best, be unintentionally sidelining this important audience, and, at worst, unintentionally applying a male-centric approach to our outreach. This would not only do women a disservice, it undermines our best efforts to create a groundswell of support for the causes we believe in.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In the next chapter, we take a closer look at why women are the key market for the public and political sectors by examining the power they wield in pulling the levers of change: service, giving, voting, and taking action.","brand":"Berrett-Koehler Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46305508262117,"sku":"NP9781576754726","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781576754726.jpg?v=1767741496","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-she-spot-isbn-9781576754726","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}