In 1955 when Ford launched it's Pink mobile all glamoured up and ready for the women of that generation, they had to pull it off the market in barely a year. Cut to 2012, Honda just launched She's (yes, in Pink!!) with features that have been made for women (with air conditioning and windshields made for our lovely sensitive skin) and touted to help Honda grab a foothold in the industry (where it is currently slipping). The world of doing business especially selling has changed. The primary target audience is no more male, affluent, urban and cosmopolitan. It now includes the female too and stretches across.
In a country that gets its 99% of sales in beer from men, international spirits (bottled in origin) are creating marketing opportunities by reaching out to the female population by encouraging a cocktail culture complete with the frills of women's nights, themed events/parties and even colorful party packs (did you see what Bacardi Breezer has made?). While vodka companies host parties by the pool with sexy cocktails in vibrant colors and encourage young women to come pick theirs, JW Blue Label has made whiskey sexy for women by creating the Blue Manhattan which has gained popularity among women.
This past decade has belonged to two important segments of consumers - women and emerging markets. Everyday women across the world are achieving great feats, small or big. Their thinking is changing. From winning Nobels ( Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian activist who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize) to crossing the arctic alone on skis in 59 days; or designing and creating sustainable eco friendly fashion, women across the world have given women elsewhere many reasons to feel proud of their gender. Now top that off with being a woman from an emerging market and you know what I am talking about. This decade has seen a huge shift in cultural paradigm amongst women across professions, age and economic strata in India. Independence, ambition, right to choose, have all become important aspects of a woman's life. Conventions have been broken and with the access to the world being made easy via affordable high speed internet, social media networking thanks to Facebook and Twitter, Indian women are far more exposed to the exciting world out there and to their sisters in different lands. Things have changed, unconventional is appreciated and admired. Be it creating a business opportunity where none existed (in gardening by My Sunny Balcony) in Bangalore; or acting in a highly risque movie about a sex siren of Indian cinema and winning a national award (Vidya Balan as Silk Smitha in Dirty Picture) the Indian woman of the 21st Century has changed the way she is perceived.
Get onto Amazon and you find a wide range of books targetted towards it's woman consumers, but what's encouraging is a similar trend on Flipkart in India. Online shopping is being made attractive for women consumers in India by sites such as Jabong and luxury products sites such as Fashion and You. Oriflame that has been in the country for the last 20 years and is now growing at 35% YOY as per a recent article and Avon isn't far behind. Tupperware had a slow start but is now gaining market share especially in Northern India by tapping into the mini societies where women are the target audience (for obvious reasons). Kaya Skin Clinic taps into kitty parties in Chandigarh and Ludhiana to introduce it's services to this highly influential and willing consumer group.
India has a hige consumer market on the verge of a retail explosion thanks to FDI in the sector. There are many choices for women in every category of products and services. For a highly discerning consumer that we Indians pride in being, companies are now making an added effort to find the need and fill the gap. Brittania and Safola have brought in masala oats and Safola goes a step further to target the calorie conscious Indian woman in it's recent TVC; Car companies now have a woman in the passenger seat with the 'male partner' making sure that she is happy with his choice - they get it now, women are the decision makers in a big way in Indian households; Airtel, Vodafone all have women as a huge part of their campaigns. Whisper has taken it a step further by designing sanitary pads for a woman's new lifestyle and by talking openly about it, Stayfree goes the CSR way and donates INR 1 to a foundation targeting a woman's cause in villages!
The Indian woman is a consumer who has finally been recognized. She is now being addressed as an individual and not as a collective (part of a couple or family). She is no more the individual you sold only soaps and detergents to; she is now an untapped 'market' and is being quoted in the same breath as the emerging markets of the world. It is an exciting new India out here and to be a marketeer watching this change and being part of it is a dream come true . This is the best time to be Indian and an even better to be an Indian woman.
Links:
1. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/27/business/japan-cars-females/index.html?hpt=ibu_c2
2. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/11/world/africa/nobel-peace-prize-leymah-gbowee/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
3. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/05/travel/felicity-aston-antarctic-explorer/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
In a country that gets its 99% of sales in beer from men, international spirits (bottled in origin) are creating marketing opportunities by reaching out to the female population by encouraging a cocktail culture complete with the frills of women's nights, themed events/parties and even colorful party packs (did you see what Bacardi Breezer has made?). While vodka companies host parties by the pool with sexy cocktails in vibrant colors and encourage young women to come pick theirs, JW Blue Label has made whiskey sexy for women by creating the Blue Manhattan which has gained popularity among women. This past decade has belonged to two important segments of consumers - women and emerging markets. Everyday women across the world are achieving great feats, small or big. Their thinking is changing. From winning Nobels ( Leymah Gbowee, the Liberian activist who last year won the Nobel Peace Prize) to crossing the arctic alone on skis in 59 days; or designing and creating sustainable eco friendly fashion, women across the world have given women elsewhere many reasons to feel proud of their gender. Now top that off with being a woman from an emerging market and you know what I am talking about. This decade has seen a huge shift in cultural paradigm amongst women across professions, age and economic strata in India. Independence, ambition, right to choose, have all become important aspects of a woman's life. Conventions have been broken and with the access to the world being made easy via affordable high speed internet, social media networking thanks to Facebook and Twitter, Indian women are far more exposed to the exciting world out there and to their sisters in different lands. Things have changed, unconventional is appreciated and admired. Be it creating a business opportunity where none existed (in gardening by My Sunny Balcony) in Bangalore; or acting in a highly risque movie about a sex siren of Indian cinema and winning a national award (Vidya Balan as Silk Smitha in Dirty Picture) the Indian woman of the 21st Century has changed the way she is perceived.Get onto Amazon and you find a wide range of books targetted towards it's woman consumers, but what's encouraging is a similar trend on Flipkart in India. Online shopping is being made attractive for women consumers in India by sites such as Jabong and luxury products sites such as Fashion and You. Oriflame that has been in the country for the last 20 years and is now growing at 35% YOY as per a recent article and Avon isn't far behind. Tupperware had a slow start but is now gaining market share especially in Northern India by tapping into the mini societies where women are the target audience (for obvious reasons). Kaya Skin Clinic taps into kitty parties in Chandigarh and Ludhiana to introduce it's services to this highly influential and willing consumer group.
India has a hige consumer market on the verge of a retail explosion thanks to FDI in the sector. There are many choices for women in every category of products and services. For a highly discerning consumer that we Indians pride in being, companies are now making an added effort to find the need and fill the gap. Brittania and Safola have brought in masala oats and Safola goes a step further to target the calorie conscious Indian woman in it's recent TVC; Car companies now have a woman in the passenger seat with the 'male partner' making sure that she is happy with his choice - they get it now, women are the decision makers in a big way in Indian households; Airtel, Vodafone all have women as a huge part of their campaigns. Whisper has taken it a step further by designing sanitary pads for a woman's new lifestyle and by talking openly about it, Stayfree goes the CSR way and donates INR 1 to a foundation targeting a woman's cause in villages!
The Indian woman is a consumer who has finally been recognized. She is now being addressed as an individual and not as a collective (part of a couple or family). She is no more the individual you sold only soaps and detergents to; she is now an untapped 'market' and is being quoted in the same breath as the emerging markets of the world. It is an exciting new India out here and to be a marketeer watching this change and being part of it is a dream come true . This is the best time to be Indian and an even better to be an Indian woman.Links:
1. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/27/business/japan-cars-females/index.html?hpt=ibu_c2
2. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/11/world/africa/nobel-peace-prize-leymah-gbowee/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
3. http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/05/travel/felicity-aston-antarctic-explorer/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
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