A recent attitudinal study about women conducted by Marie Claire in the US gives a great insight for marketers. This study confirms what I often blog about regarding brand experience. Is this a women’s only issue though?

In partnership with consumer research expert Pam Danziger, the study of 1,800 was exploring ‘What is on women’s minds?’  ‘How does she manage her priorities?’ ‘How do her values impact her role as a consumer?’

“The 5 top priorities for women are:

1. Emotional Health & Family—Caring and supporting her family is the No. 1 priority at 88%. Her top challenge is finding time to relax, unwind and take care of herself at 61%.
2. Career & Finances—Achieving financial goals and saving for retirement are tops in this category (78%). Women apply their business acumen to their lives: She is in a constant search for value in her life. She’ll pay more—a lot more—for value.
3. Society & Politics—”Society” category, 80% of women give back to charity financially or with a time commitment.
4. Health & Wellness—She’s busy, she’s stressed.  Wellness takes time.  Nearly half (49%) of women surveyed sacrifice sleep as one of her primary time-management strategies.  Women need products and services that help her make time for her health.
5. Fashion & Beauty— She is an extremely powerful consumer: Her consumer power comes not just from having money, but from knowledge. She invests her time—her most valuable currency—to learn more and to be a smarter person and a smarter shopper.  While her family and her job are very important to her, fashion and beauty are areas that are hers and hers alone.

Overall, marketers have to deliver an experience: Women want more than just a product.  She doesn’t need more tangible things in her life, rather she wants a shopping experience that enhances her life.”

“Marketers need to rise to the occasion that this new powerful – and empowered – woman shopper represents.  Marketers and retailers want to build a more meaningful connection with this woman than simply having her as their customer,” said Danziger.  “They want more than just a transaction, they want to develop a relationship and the way to do that is to align their marketing and branding messages with her values and priorities.”

The question I would pose is “Are women that different than men?  Are men more transactional than women? Or are we all looking for a wonderful brand experience?”

About the “All Access Woman” Survey
“All Access Woman” included both qualitative focus groups and quantitative survey methodologies.  The survey was conducted February 15-23, 2008, using an online polling service.  Survey respondents were qualified by reading one of eight leading women’s magazines, including Marie Claire, Allure, Elle, Glamour, InStyle, Lucky, Vanity Fair and Vogue. It totalled 1,803 women, with an average age of 37.2 and average household income of approximately $87,500.  Nearly two-thirds of women surveyed were married and 70 percent owned their own home or condominium/apartment.  Some 63 percent were employed full time and 14 percent worked part time.  The survey sample was also highly educated with 64 percent having completed a four-year college degree or post-graduate level attainment