Read this article on Retail Customer Experience awhile back but revisited it today. A cognitive anthropoligist, Dr. Bob Deutsh, says that women cycle, men consummate. Men and women were by all means created equal but very differently. Men typically are driven by the need to get things done, to "bring home the bacon" and women are often more conceptual and in tune with relationships. I think we all know men and women are quite different, but Dr.Deutsch hits on 10 difference that are quite valuable to brands. Or your boyfriend/girlfriend.
1. PATTERN, not just point. Recognize that women have the ability to perceive more than the metric of a product attribute or an instance in time; they appreciate the underlying pattern (idea) that gives rise to the fleeting moment.
2. AUTHENTICITY, not just immediate appearance. Recognize that persona, biography (or history), and current contingency must all be factored in, and that universal principles underlie particularities.
3. QUALITY, not just quantity (size). Recognize that for women bigger and more is not necessarily better; and that a steady build is often better than an impulsive response.
4. CONNECTEDNESS, not just individuals. Recognize that communality can reign over dominance. We are all bound together.
5. SOCIETY, not just markets. Recognize that markets are numbers, and that markets can be counted and the goodies duly noted. But numbers are not people. Women are people and people have personal feelings and social intentions.
6. QUALITY OF LIFE, not just accumulation. Recognize that there are material and spiritual needs made up of individual wants and musts, but that are cast in the context of a social matrix.
7. REASONABLENESS, not extremism or absolutism. Recognize that all issues have grays, and exaggerations to one side or the other only cover-up the reality of subtlety and nuance.
