Empty Promises: Hand-In-Hand With Good Intentions

by Jen Drexler
Published February 24, 2011 in Media

Half Truth: Women make strong commitments to a healthy lifestyle.

Whole Truth: Women have the best of intentions, but life gets in the way.

Women talk a good game of sticking to promises, even if they don’t actually follow through. They really do hope to organize their lives, stay on top of their finances, and take control of the unbelievably large amount of time they spend online. So how can marketers capitalize on their Good Intentions without getting shortchanged?

In face-to-face research, the first simple step to eliciting a woman’s Whole Truths rests with a one-word question: ‘Really?’ When a woman starts to preach about her rigorous beauty regimen (‘I never go to bed without carefully removing my makeup’) or how she plans to use all the applications of your new tech toy (‘I always read the entire instruction manual first’), try following up with ‘Really?’ in your most amazed, shocked voice. Let the word hang in the air for a moment. It’s funny how women will laugh and begin to confess how many times they have strayed and what they really do.

Want to see a Half Truth exposed in front of your eyes? In work we did for a healthcare marketer on chronic heartburn, women claimed that they avoided spicy foods. But when they arrived at the research venue, we put them to the test with a covert experiment. We offered a choice of bland turkey sandwich or lasagna with garlic bread. Guess which entre was decimated? (Proof that they were telling a Half Truth of Good Intentions!)

Want to learn more about Half and Whole Truths? This post is straight from our book, What She’s Not Telling You: Why Women Hide the Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About It. Read the first chapter online HERE, and grab a copy for yourself from Amazon.

Tags: Good Intentions, Half Truth

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My Mother’s Gift

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published October 18, 2010 in Media

Off and on, people ask me how I got into this “listening to women” business and while it’s natural to point to my ad career, or my appreciation for female consumers’ power, the real answer is my mom. She taught me how to listen and to find out what was inside other people, just by paying attention to the unspoken needs that can go undetected.

But what I never admitted before was how my mom secreted away her what she heard, the pleas for cures, fears, worries and tears, in something she called her “God Box.” It was a little trinket box, actually a series of them, where she’d stow away her handwritten petitions on behalf of anyone in need, whether family or a stranger. After she died, we discovered that she’d kept all those boxes, filled with hundreds of random scraps of every mountain and molehill we’d ever confided to her over 20 years. Listening to what people want is one thing; entrusting their worries to a higher power, without even asking for recognition, well, that was my mom.

This month in Real Simple magazine (November issue now on newsstands), I am giving her a standing ovation in an article called “Inside the God Box.” I loved her with all my heart. Now all I can do is share this story with anyone out there who might be looking for a way to turn listening into loving, even if it’s as small a gesture as a prayer written on a “While you Were Out” slip.

Tags: Memory Boxes, Real Simple, Relationships

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A Tribute to a Pioneering Friend: Marilyn Laurie

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published September 28, 2010 in Media

Last night I received notice of a memorial service in honor of a trailblazing woman who deserves a huge salute and thanks on behalf of so many—my longtime friend and onetime client Marilyn Laurie. I had not seen her in quite some time, and annual holiday cards kept me connected, but unaware of what she was going through. Marilyn’s obituary written by her devoted friend Dick Martin tells the details of her phenomenal career in communications, brand marketing and public relations, as well as her vast philanthropic and volunteer activities.

For today’s young women, the idea of having few or no female career allies or role models may seem oddly antiquated. Women have long since broken the boundaries that kept them apart and sometimes alone at the office. But in the 70s when Marilyn envisioned Earth Day in NYC and then over the next two decades, as she rose to the highest levels of AT&T, she didn’t have as much company.

She could fight fiercely within the boys’ club but she never stopped being a lady, in the most wonderful way and she never stopped reaching out to other women to pull them up alongside her, if they paid their dues.

When I was president of NWAyer, the ad agency that created AT&T campaigns from “Reach Out and Touch Someone” to the highly prescient “You Will”, Marilyn was the one (and nearly only!) woman I could turn to, who was near the top of the telecommunications giant.

In May of 1996, my boss suddenly left Ayer and I was thrown into the role of instant CEO under tremendous media fire and attention. At day’s end, I went to a reception where Marilyn was receiving the coveted Human Relations Award of the American Jewish Committee. I was pretty freaked out by my day’s events yet kept a stiff upper lip as I joined her fans. My husband Joe was in attendance and he confided to Marilyn what had just happened, and she asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?” And Joe said, “Don’t fire her agency.”  She didn’t and in fact, guided me through some challenging business times, always with her clear and honest point of view and her personal style of encouragement, understanding and high expectations.

The business world has lost an incredible talent and leader in Marilyn. I feel I’ve lost a special woman who never forgot how to reach out and touch someone with her gentle and brilliant spirit. I won’t be able to go to her memorial service because that night, I am scheduled to speak to a large group of women about their careers. Guess who I will be channeling that night?

Tags: AT&T

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Mary Lou Speaks in Long Island on Oct 27

by Jen Drexler
Published September 1, 2010 in Media

From New York Women in Communications:
If you want to know what women want from your business, the woman to ask is Mary Lou Quinlan. She’s a nationally renowned speaker, author, TV personality and CEO of Just Ask a Woman, the country’s leading women’s marketing company. Mary Lou has interviewed thousands of women to turn insights into success for major corporations and now she will share her in-depth knowledge with you. Take a break from your email and come join Mary Lou Quinlan, and some of Long Island’s most respected and influential decision makers, for an interactive evening of networking, sharing of stories and education. Mary Lou’s entertaining and provocative style will make this one of the most powerful presentations ever.

Date
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Location
New Hyde Park, NY 11040
Time
5:30 p.m – 6:30 p.m. Cocktails/Networking
6:45 – 8:00 p.m. Marketing to Women Program/Q&A

For more information click here

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Go ahead and Whine!

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published July 14, 2010 in Media

At Just Ask a Woman, we are proud of the way we listen to women differently. We let them open up and tell us their stories, good or bad, and we always push for the Whole Truth, no matter how hard it is to say. But in real life, women don’t always have someone to talk to…(or to whine to!) and many of us tend to keep stuff inside because let’s face it, we all grow up being told that nobody likes a whiner.

Well, now there’s a place where you can whine your heart out! As a new Just Ask a Woman adventure, I’ve just launched WhineAt9.com, a site that features a new free weekly audio podcast with my friend Nancy Berk, a clinical psychologist, humor writer and stand-up comic. You can download it onto iTunes or listen on your computer while you work (what, you never do that?) and get a laugh as we talk about what’s bugging us…and you! You can even call your own whine into our Whine Line at 1-203-7Whine9 and be part of the show. Or send us your whine at WhineAt9@gmail.com for the site.

We just posted our second episode (enjoy!) and tonight, we will be introducing Whine at 9 here in NYC….where else? The SNL studios at 30 Rock at an event called “Ladies Who Laugh” sponsored by New York Women in Communications! Get ready for another way that we tell the Whole Truth about women.  

 Whine at 9, the show where it’s fine to whine!

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Shout Outs In Two New Books

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published June 1, 2010 in Media

It’s nice to write books but it’s extra nice to be featured in someone else’s!  This month, three terrific authors were kind enough to include pieces about Just Ask a Woman and me and I want to thank them here and give them some ink.

First up, Maddy Dychtwald, nationally recognized demographer and marketer just launched “Influence, How Women’s Soaring Economic Power Will Transform Our World for the Better”, written with Christine Larson, a wonderful journalist. The book from the VOICE division of Hyperion is a huge resource for any business that’s ready to learn about the transformative economic power of women. In the book, the authors interviewed dozens of successful corporations and marketers to advance their story of women’s influence. Just Ask a Woman pops up all over it. Here’s an example from one of our interviews: “As a marketer, I would look at my most successful competitor and wonder why I’m not getting that money. Intelligence about women customers will give you a leg up.” Thanks, Maddy and Christine! We are so glad to be part of your provocative new book.

On a more personal note, Ellyn Spragins has just launched the latest in her “Letters to my Younger Self” series, this one called, “What I Know about Success.”  She asked me to write a letter to my younger self, helping me understand a career lesson learned later in life. My letter titled, “You are not in charge of everyone else’s happiness” appears alongside letters from rockstar women I admire, like Barbara Walters, Bobbi Brown, Diane Von Furstenberg and Soledad O’Brien and Cathie Black. What an honor! And  my plug…it’s a great gift for new graduates…as well as women reflecting on their own reinventions!

Tags: Christine Larson, Ellyn Spragins, Letters to my Younger Self, Maddy Dychtwald

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Mary Lou on The Small Business Advocate with Jim Blasingame

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published May 6, 2010 in Media

In this fun interview with entrepreneurial guru Jim Blasingame, Mary Lou proposes the idea of pretending all your customers are women as a way to figure out solutions that appeal to both genders. Also available to hear on forbes.com.

Tags: Forbes, The Small Business Advocate

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The Power of One

by Jen Drexler
Published April 19, 2010 in Media

Andrew Adam Newman quoted me in an Adweek article today about marketing to single women called The Power of One. (BTW: I love when my quotes get to finish an article!) This is definitely a hot topic – Tracy was on NPR a few weeks ago being asked similar questions. The topic brings up the bigger issue of segmentation for marketers. So many times we have to ask clients to go back to the drawing board to decide “which women” when they say they want to market to women. Saying “single women” leads most marketers to think about Gen Y women whom they picture live like Carrie Bradshaw. In reality, the most powerful single women are older, with more work and life experience and a clear vision of where their lives are going. They have money to spend, are brand loyal and aren’t afraid to tell you what they are thinking. What do you think is holding marketers back from these women?

Tags: Adweek, Andrew Adam Newman, The Power of One

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The award goes to… US

by Jen Drexler
Published April 5, 2010 in Media

Recently we found out that we won a Gold Axiom Award in the Marketing category for our new book. This gets us really excited because the book continues to resonate with new audiences all of the time. (I particularly like when I see it on the shelf at the airport.) We tied with “Stories That Sell: Turn Satisfied Customers into Your Most Powerful Sales and Marketing Asset”, by Casey Hibbard. I haven’t read it (yet) but we are proud to be in good company. (FYI: The Axiom Awards are only for business books published each year for the North American market.)

So the Olympic style medal arrived next week and now we are all taking turns wearing it around the office.

Tags: Awards, Casey Hibbard

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Her Eyes Have Seen the Glory

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published February 24, 2010 in Media

Last night Canadian skater Joannie Rochette placed third on the ice, but won the hearts of every woman watching. Her mom died of a heart attack just two days before, never to see her stunning performance. Despite the emotional turmoil, Rochette skated with every ounce of her strength. But to me, it all came down to the end of her performance, her face looking into the crowd, scanning the stands, knowing for the first time that the woman behind her, wasn’t there to see.

This blog is about marketing, so I could easily defer to a tribute to P & G for their beautifully done and prescient “Thanks, Mom” Olympics campaign. But this one is personal. 

For those lucky women who had a great relationship with their moms, there is nothing sadder than that first moment when she’s not there to cheer anymore. My friend Ellyn Spragins who’s written the terrific series of books, “Letters to my Younger Self”, told of the first time she was interviewed on TV after losing her mom. She told me how her mom’s was always the first call she’d get to tell her she did a great job. The silence was deafening.

I know that feeling. Three years ago, a month after I lost my mom, I was interviewed on GMA, ironically talking about a piece I’d written for MORE magazine about how daughters can cope with talking to their elderly parents about health and aging. I remember coming off the set and thinking that my mom, who always left the first voice message telling me she loved my dress or my answers, wasn’t there to call. As women, there’s a part of us who’s still the girl who needs to hear it from mom.  When your baby takes its first step, you get the promotion or get over a disappointment, you’ll want her to know.

Today is my mom’s birthday. And for Joannie and Ellyn and all the women who miss the one who applauded the loudest, I say this. She’s still watching and smiling. In her eyes, you’ll always win the gold.

Tags: Ellyn Spragins, Joannie Rochette, Letters to my Younger Self, Olympics, Procter & Gamble, Thanks Mom

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