A Personal Letter to Disney: Be Brave

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published May 14, 2013 in Kids, Media

There is a storm brewing with the Disney release of a toy line featuring its first truly ‘brave’ heroine, Princess Merida. Seems that in an effort to appeal traditionally to little girls’ doll tastes, the rough and tumble star of “Brave” has lost weight, filled out her too tight gown and adopted that doe-eyed sparkle princess look….the look and the life that the animated Merida despised.

I will let anthropologists and psychologists dissect why this is right or wrong. Or just cowardly.

I will turn instead to my own experience, watching the animated film alongside a 7 year old redhead named Soleil.  From the moment that Merida, the cartoon ginger wild child, picked up her bow and galloped through the woods, Soleil’s heart pounded in the saddle alongside her heroine. Proud, cheering, valiant.

For once, the story wasn’t about a cookie-cutter forgotten waif lifted by a prince to a palace. This was true grit, the kind of beauty any girl with guts can achieve. The knowing eyes, the powerful stance, the in-your-face joy of being a girl alive in her own skin spoke to Soleil. And the hair, the untamed, boundless curls that said, “Remember me!” Go ahead, Disney, give our real ‘brave’ Merida a sparkly crown. We need her in the Magic Kingdom. But don’t mess with her curls or her curves or her courage.

Tags: Advertising, Disney, Ego Protection, For Women, Good Intentions, Just Ask a Woman, Marketing to Women, marketing with women in mind, Mary Lou Quinlan, Psychology, Retail, Shopping, Whole Truths, women, working moms

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Just Ask Y: A little glamour and a lot of sweat

by Chelsea Castner
Published February 15, 2013 in Retail

Marketplace Radio interviewed me this morning to get the women’s perspective on Under Armour, as they opened a test store in Baltimore today to help draw a larger female crowd. I weighed in on why bringing bright colors and joy to their clothing and stores is key when building a devoted female consumer base, like their competitor Lululemon.

We all know that staying committed to getting fit is tough. It takes a lot of hard work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. Actually, you need to have fun with it. If getting healthy isn’t fun and rewarding, then you’ll never stick with it. Fitness apparel sets your mood and can change your mind set before you even enter a gym or start pounding the pavement. Spandex that hugs in your trouble zones and bright tank tops that make you feel sexy play a bigger role in your workout success then you may even realize. When you look good, you do good.

Click here to listen to the Marketplace interview, it’s only a minute long.

Tags: Customer Service, For Women, Gen Y, generation y, Half Truth, Marketing to Women, marketing with women in mind, Marketplace, Online Shopping, Psychology, Retail, Shopping, Under Armour

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Just Ask Y: Deal Finder

by Chelsea Castner
Published January 17, 2013 in Food, Tech

Like most Gen Y women, few things are as satisfying as finding a really great deal. I am excited to share with you my favorite deal finding app that gets you 50% off at great restaurants around the city. Watch my first video blog as we go on a little field trip together.

I’d hope by now you’ve searched and downloaded “Scoutmob” from the app store. I would love you to leave a comment below if you have used the app before,  maybe even share a restaurant suggestion from it. Or if you know of another app that is just as kind to your wallet, we’d all greatly appreciate you sharing it with us.

I hope you enjoyed this first video blog. I will keep posting them when there is something really juicy I have to share.

Tags: Advertising, Apps, Coupons, For Women, Gen Y, generation y, iPhone, Just Ask a Woman, Marketing to Women, Marketing to Women in Mind, Online Shopping, Psychology, Retail, Shopping, Social Networking

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The Lesson in Guilt Free Shopping

by Chelsea Castner
Published December 11, 2012 in Fashion

If you ask any of my friends they can all attest to the fact that I love a good deal. And I’m not talking about an extra 20% at the register with your Friends and Family coupon, those gimmicks don’t even make me flinch. I’m mean deep discount, red slashed, brag worthy purchases where you save more money then you actually spend. I am no stranger to flash sale websites and Gilt Groupe is one of my favorites to visit.  This past week I happened to see they were having a sample sale at a warehouse in Chelsea. My mind immediately started working like a cash register, figuring that normal Gilt loot is already reduced about 50% or so and getting an additional discount on top of that seemed like gold.  But the catch to it was you had  to purchase an entrance ticket, which varied in price depending what time slot you choose to go. I sent the link to my roommate Christine and immediately she was game to go. We purchased the $20 ticket, figuring we didn’t have to be the first ones in but we should get there early enough so we wouldn’t be left with odd sizes and shoes with broken straps.

When we arrived at the sample sale we had to wait in a short line before we were ushered into an elevator and brought up to a large loft. I b-lined straight for the shoes, as Christine bravely began navigating the jam-packed clothing racks. It wasn’t a mad house, it was actually fairly calm, and of course I didn’t expect the merchandise to be displayed all neat and pretty, but it was difficult to sift through a table of shoe boxes to find something I liked and in my right size. And the worst part was the lack of chairs to sit on, so here I am trying to balance myself as I shove my size 9 foot into a WAY to high size 8 L.A.M.B pump. Needless to say I looked like a 6 year old trying my mom’s high heels on for the first time. The clothes were even more of a maze to work through, but I did have a lot of fun finding high end designer labels that I have only ever seen in magazines. Like this beautiful Valentino jacket on sale for $1,000. A deep discount I am sure, but not for this girl who’s working on a tight budget.

Although both Christine and I walked out empty handed, well not technically because I think we took enough free KIND bars, Pop chips and sipped on a glass of champagne to make up for the $20 ticket we bought, we had a great time. It was fun to see the merchandise, look for a bargain and watch others frantically dive through bins looking for a necklace that wasn’t broken into pieces. However, it dawned on me that we both spent money in order to have the privilege of sifting through merchandise that was not only left over from the designers past seasons, but also was unable to sell on the discount site. So essentially I spent my morning trying to find love with someone’s leftovers (twice removed).

After leaving the sample sale, Christine and I headed over to Marshalls and TJ Maxx where my inner Maxxinista got the best of me. I satisfied my desire to get a great deal that day with a new pair of pumps and leopard printed jeans for a total price of $49. I headed out that night for a friend’s birthday in my new purchases, and was rather proud by the compliments I received on my jeans. And like a true bargain shopper I wasn’t ashamed (actually rather proud) to share my secret that I found them in the teen section at TJ Maxx.

Tags: Customer Service, Ego Protection, Favorite Products, For Women, Gilt Groupe, Holiday Shopping, Holidays, Marketing to Women, marketing with women in mind, Online Shopping, Psychology, Recession Spending, Sample Sales, Shopping

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Hip Santa’s Workshop is Subletting in Soho

by Chelsea Castner
Published December 4, 2012 in Retail

I will be picking up this gift plate for my Dad!

If you need a reason to get your butt down to Soho, (actually you should be running since this message expires in five days,) I am here to give you one: The Etsy Holiday Shop. This pop-up store is aglow with holiday chic-ness. It is that unique factor that we New Yorkers brag about (although let’s admit it, most days we are all far from unique, standing in line at Starbucks or ordering the same Chop’t salad every day of the week). However, a visit to this pop-up store will be sure to reenergize your inner New Yorker and put you in the holiday spirit.

If you happen to be unfamiliar with the Etsy website (which would make me question where you go during the hours you spend surfing the internet…?) it is a marketplace to discover, buy and sell handmade and vintage goods in every product category imaginable. It’s one of those sites that sucks you in for hours “ahhh-ing” and “ohhh-ing” at products that are so cute and creative you feel more artsy just looking at them.

The Etsy Holiday Shop has found a temporary residence at 131 Greene Street until December 8^th. A place where you will feel right at home when you walk in. Immediately you are greeted by a friendly Etsy Gift Guide Expert, a crafty elf spreading holiday cheer and who is genuinely excited to watch as you are inspired by the products that adorn the walls and the living room scenes around the store.

Even if you aren’t in the market to buy a tree branch coat rack, personal engraved flask, recycled skateboard stool or a pom pom light fixture, you can schedule your visit to the store around one of the many events they have planned.  Check out the website to see the list of performances and workshops offered.

The magical thing about pop-up shops are that one day they’re there and the next day they’ve disappeared. So please don’t put this on the bottom of your never ending to-do list; unless you believe that by the time you actually get to cross it off, it will be next year when it has reappeared again. So seize this moment right now, YES NOW, and call up your girlfriend and tell her you have something way cooler to get into the holiday spirit than seeing the Rockefeller Center tree for the 10^th year in a row.

Tags: Customer Service, Etsy, Favorite Products, For Women, Holiday Shopping, Marketing to Women, Mary Lou Quinlan, Shopping

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Macy’s New Shoe Strategy: Stepping up Foot Traffic

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published August 16, 2012 in Fashion, Retail

Department stores have been outdoing each other with bigger and more extravagant shoe departments. Barney’s recently rehabbed their emporium and Saks floor bears its own zip code. This month Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square opened a new 63,000 square foot shoe floor with 300,000 pairs—stepping up to be the biggest shoe store in the world. A champagne and chocolate bar is located on the floor to celebrate when you find the perfect glass slipper. But what’s really behind the shoe madness?

Listen to the interview here!

Tags: Customer Service, Macy's, Marketing to Women, marketing with women in mind, Mary Lou Quinlan, Retail, Shoes, Shopping

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JCP: Meet your MVP. A lesson in knowing what women (don’t) want

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published May 16, 2012 in Retail

This morning the Wall St. Journal headlined the plummeting fortunes of JCPenney  or “JCP” as the company calls itself now that it’s run by former Apple veteran Ron Johnson.  I was among the zillions of marketers applauding the idea that the guy who orchestrated Apple’s sleek and engaging retail stores had come to spruce up the brand that is more “cheap” than “chic.” But it seems that the Penney customers were more than Johnson bargained for.

$163 million of losses later, company execs are admitting that maybe their aspirations to repair company performance in one year was a little too ambitious. Seems they’ve discovered that their customers are addicted to coupons, as they dub them,‘drugs.’

Really? What a surprise. Why would you shop Penney without a coupon? Women know that the store has been a go-to stop on their repertoire of low-priced retailers, along with every competitor who offers coupons, rebates, free stuff to get her dollar. Why did JCP think that they could not only change their customer’s habits but actually convince her to abandon her smart shopping behaviors, just by adding an entertainment space to hang around in? No matter how many ad campaigns they’ve tried, JCPenney’s is the friendly, low priced department store with lots of deals.

I think that JCP didn’t value their MVP, the woman who has counted on them for good quality at a low prices, urged on with a deal. More than that, I wonder if Ron really likes his customers. My guess is that like lots of marketers, he probably wishes his customer was cuter, thinner, younger, richer and just dying to hang around in his store while paying full price on their cool kiosk. (Trust me, she’s too busy to ‘hang around’ and there are about three of these skinny, premium price paying, underaged wealthy women to lure to the store and she’s already on every one else’s dance card.) And I also imagine that JCP’s focus groups were used to prove Johnson’s theory rather than to really listen to who the heck is paying his paycheck.

Apple knew its customers and brand by heart. Time for Penney’s to meet their own, face to face and romance her all over again.

My reco? Love the one you’re with and she will bring more customers like her to your store. Women aren’t going backwards to full price, not in this economy, not at the value tier that this store serves. She was loyal to you. Why are you abandoning her?

Tags: JCPenney, Just Ask a Woman, m2w, Marketing, Marketing to Women, Marketing to Women in Mind, Mary Lou Quinlan, Shopping, Wall Street Journal

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Like A Fruit Basket, But Better: Sephora Same-Day Delivery

by Libby Kane
Published July 11, 2011 in Fashion

Image: guestofaguest.com

If you’re a fan of makeup superstore Sephora, you probably already know that the store’s newest campaign is that of same-day delivery from their local store. For $15, makeup lovers can have products from around the corner delivered to their doors… or the doors of their friends.

The appeal is obvious: We don’t have to find the time to sneak from our desks to the Sephora store—a timeless, alternate universe of perfume clouds and color palettes. We also don’t have to dampen the fun of makeup shopping by going when we’re just refreshing the basics (sorry, can’t get excited about concealer), or sit at home waiting for our online order to arrive. And when our order does arrive a matter of hours later, it will be via “iconic Mini.” Let us know if you spot it around town!

But with a minimum order of $50 and a delivery fee of $15, same-day orders have to be substantial. Therefore, we leave you with the following question: What’s it worth to you to avoid the perfume lady?

Tags: Cosmetics, Customer Service, Retail, Shopping

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ScanIt!, Then SpendIt!

by Libby Kane
Published May 18, 2011 in Retail

First there was the cashier. Then, the express lane. The self-scanner. And now, the ScanIt!.

Another testament to the idea that the better the tech, the smaller the package (and that exclamation points are silly in product names) the ScanIt! is a handheld device that scans grocery purchases as they’re made, keeps a running total, and even suggests relevant coupons and deals mid-shop.

Let’s do pros first: It’s really, really cool. Who doesn’t love scanning things? We see a prime distraction for bored shoppers, kids and moms alike. Then there’s the budget-policing aspect: No more fudging prices or mistyping on that smart phone calculator—the ScanIt! (feels silly, right?) will do the math for you.

Photo: coolestgadgets.com

Yet while the ScanIt! might be touted as a tool for the money-conscious shopper—and who isn’t one, these days?—it’s actually a pink plastic spending trap. Really though, it’s pink. The idea of suggestions for further purchases with coupons seems great, but it’s eerily reminiscent of the enjoyably black hole that is SuperTarget… you don’t think you need it until you see it on sale. The Wall Street Journal tells us that, unsurprisingly, shoppers who use the device spend about 10% more than shoppers who don’t.

Apparently, around half of Stop & Shop and Giant supermarkets in the Northeast have implemented the ScanIt!. But knowing that it’s a device that allows us to avoid lines and interacting with others, we expect that it will spread through NYC like wildfire.

Tags: Retail, Shopping

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Who’s Your Hidden Buyer? The True Power of Women

by Mary Lou Quinlan
Published April 26, 2011 in Retail

This past weekend, a newspaper columnist discredited the well known statistic that ‘women buy 80%’ of everything sold in the US. I could take issue with the article on several counts, including the fact that the writer discarded reams of data supplied by experts in the field and relied on only the more discouraging sources, oddly from overseas. But I understand why he struggled with the statistic in the first place. It’s virtually unproveable by its nature. What Just Ask a Woman and so many of our colleagues in the women’s marketing arena have espoused for years is that women ‘buy or influence the purchase of 80%’ and it’s that word ‘influence’ that provides too much wiggle room.

For indeed, if women buy or influence, then so do men. “Buy” is easy to define. Credit card handed over? That’s the buyer. Cash on the counter? That’s the buyer. Contract signed? That’s the buyer. But what does influence really mean? It’s the how, why, who and when that lead to that final decision. And in some of the biggest spending categories, women are the Hidden Buyers.

While leaders in the food, beauty and household products industries refer to all their customers as “she,” marketers of less traditionally gender-based  products and services, such as finance, electronics, major hardgoods, automotive, healthcare and insurance may need a wake- up call to be able to pick their hidden buyer out of a line up. (That’s why the 80% stat is a helpful eye-opener!)

Here’s an example.  Look at your kitchen, from the countertop to the appliances to the lighting. If you’re a couple, you both may have voted on whether you’ve got granite or a composite, a water dispenser or a wine cabinet,  Schoolhouse lights or modern overheads.  But whose idea was it? Who pulled pictures from Dwell, DVR’d HGTV and bookmarked Houzz? Who vetted ideas with friends? Who compared prices, walked the aisles, pushed for one more feature, one more deal? Even if the credit card receipt carried his signature, the likelihood, by far, is that the dealbreaking decisions were largely hers.

But retailers and marketers who give him all the credit are hugely missing her hidden buying power. The home improvement industry’s major players—who watch the in-store action firsthand– are convinced of women’s 80% clout. And the female hidden buyer is rocking the foundation of every car showroom, financial broker’s office and big box electronic retailer in this country and their power only increases each year.

The question isn’t whether your brand or business attributes 60, 80 or 90% of final sales to women. The real question is: are you seeing the hidden 100%…her sometimes invisible but always powerful influence?

Tags: Retail, Shopping, Whole Truths

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