Role reversal: Men pursuing jobs once thought of as belonging to women

Observation:  This morning, the New York Times published an interesting article on gender role-reversals in the workplace.  But also important, the story suggested a shift toward a more modest “American dream” since the 2007-2009 recession; one that is focused on simply staying ahead of financial commitments, and having enough left over to go out for some dinner and entertainment once-in-a-while, take a modest vacation once a year, or otherwise enjoy occasional “small indulgences.”    (Not necessarily a big house and fancy cars.)  Click here to see the story.

Implications:   “Inverted expectations” is how this Times story refers to what we’ve called, “Reconciliation.”  Worth noting, as we’re seeing more and more evidence of this shift that we called out several years ago.

If men are opting into more roles that were traditionally held by women, what does that mean to the family dynamic?  Are women more likely to bring home the “breadwinner” paycheck, and men more likely to provide the “additional income?”  If she carries a greater income burden, is he assuming a greater role in such household responsibilities as childcare, housekeeping, and laundry?  If these kinds of changes are happening in the workplace or household… what do they look like by the time those changes walk into your store, dealership, or lobby?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Are dads the new moms?

Observation:  An essay from the Wall Street Journal explores the evolution of fatherhood in American life, as the dynamics of family continue to change.  It was a fascinating read, and you can see it by clicking here.

Implications:   If you sell to parents, it’s important to understand how the roles of moms and dads have changed over time.  After you read this WSJ piece, you must ask yourself whether you’re seeing some of these changes in your own business.  Is mom necessarily the one buying (or using) traditional products like laundry detergent, housecleaning supplies, or children’s medicine?  Who’s sending the kids off to the bus stop… and who’s greeting them when they come home?

Household composition and family dynamics are important considerations when you’re thinking about your most important customers, regardless of the business you’re in. 

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Younger women place more emphasis on careers, incomes

Observation:  A study from Pew Research indicates that younger women are placing more importance than ever on having a high-paying job.  The report got wide coverage today; you can click here to see the Wall Street Journal version of the story, or click here to see it as offered by USA Today.

Implications:   The role of women in the workplace began to evolve, en masse, in the early- and mid-seventies.  These Pew Research findings make the case that that role continues to evolve.

My question is, if she is playing a greater role as breadwinner, is he sharing more of the role as household operator?  How do these changes in employment priorities alter the idea of “consumer” at the grocery store?  Doctor’s office?  Car dealership?  Your company?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Men join the recovery in apparel spending

Observation:   A story in yesterday’s New York Times explains that men are spending more than ever on fashion accessories.  But perhaps more importantly, it points out unemployment and other recessionary issues impacted men differently than women.  Click here to see the story.

Implications:   It’s good to see men back spending again, and especially on themselves.  Both male and female heads-of-household delayed personal spending during the recent 2007-2009 recession… opting to support the needs of their family first.  Indulging a little more—or updating one’s wardrobe—might be another indication that the recovery and consumer confidence gaining a little momentum.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Men more likely to be behind the cart

Observation:  Over the past few years, terms like employment and head-of-household have taken on all new meanings.  For example, consider this recent story from Supermarket News, which suggests that men are more frequently behind the handlebar of a shopping cart.  (Click here to see the full story.)

Implications:   It’s time to divide your target consumer into (at least) two groups:  Those who buy what you sell, and those who actually consume what you sell.  It might not be the same person.  (In a world like that, who makes the decisions, and why?) 

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

What women want: Less anxiety

Today’s Marketing Daily features a story about the stress facing American women these days.  The information comes from a study by Boston Consulting Group, and suggests that household finances have taken-over the #1 spot (from time sensitivity) on the list of things causing anxiety.  Click here to see the story.

Implications:  I don’t think we should assume that time sensitivity is no longer causing anxiety.  Concern about household finances is “in addition to,” not, “instead of” all the other stresses involved with running a household.

Have you talked with your customers, lately?  What’s most on their minds?  How can you relieve some of that stress?  It might be in helping them buy more for the dollar.  Or, it might be a way they can spend time forgetting it all (i.e., a night our at your restaurant, a weekjend away at your resort, a few hours at your day spa, a few minutes at your coffee shop, or an evening relaxing on their new sofa, perhaps?). 

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Still from different planets: Purchase priorities differ by gender

Today’s Research Brief shares a study by NPD Group explaining the different criteria women and men might have when shopping for consumer electronics.  (Click here to see the story.)

Implications:    Gender is just one way to define your target audience, and just one dynamic that might influence the benefits sought when someone buys the product or service you sell.  Generally speaking, other attributes to consider are socio-economic status, geography, household composition, life stage, race, ethnicity, occupation, experience purchasing in the category, and more.

The better you understand your target consumer, the more likely your message will hit it.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Women worldwide are more empowered (and stressed)

According to a story from Marketing Daily, women are feeling more empowered, but feeling the stress that comes with that responsibility.  The article was based on research from Nielsen (click here to see the story). 

Implications:  I caught myself thinking back to the 1970’s, when American women headed for the workplace in droves, really for the first time since WWII.  The demands of a new career were in addition to—not instead of—the demands they felt at home... having the affect of creating multiple pressure-points on working women.

That shift was the beginning of a wave that continues to move across the world. 

This story also reminds me that women can benefit from a reliable, hard-working partner who is willing to share the burdens of work, home and family.  Not just a spouse or significant other; one of those partners could be your company, product or service.

Are you presenting yourself that way?  Could you?  Should you?

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

One size does not fit all

Today’s New York Times features a story about sizing in the apparel industry.  There is no real standardized practice between designers or retailers now, but a move is afoot to change that.  Click here to read the story.

Implications:   My take-away on this story is focused on consumer frustration while clothes shopping.  If you can be a size ten in one line, but go to another store and wear a size 000, one must wonder why this issue has not been addressed before.  (And one might now better understand why many women pick a favorite designer or brand in clothing, and then tend to stick with it.) 

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Not A, B or C... but some combination of the above

Once upon a time, advertisers could target consumers based on several fundamental criteria, such as age, gender, income, education, and/or race and ethnicity. One thing we’re learning as the 2011 Census rolls out is more people consider themselves to belong to more than one race or ethnic group. We live in an age where mixed marriages are common (and mixed relationships are even more common).

For more on this issue, visit this recent story from The New York Times (click to link). Also, see this story from Marketing Daily, which also focuses on the issue of multi-racial family demographics.

Implications: These days, understanding your target consumers might involve sitting down to talk with them, and transcribing their life stages, careers, hobbies, family composition and other lifestyle attributes… rather than sorting to the pre-existing terms that might be found in the traditional vocabulary of advertising.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

Financial infidelity

Today’s Media Post Marketing Daily provides an interesting look at something we have long referred to as as financial infidelity… that is, concealing expenditures from a spouse or significant other, either through silent spending or providing outright misinformation. Click here to read the story.

Implications: The story suggests that Gen Y members are more notorious about financial infidelity than their elders… but I wonder if that has something to do with the extreme economic circumstances that have impacted this group at a younger point in their lives.

In our on-location Elm Street Economics workshops, I have explained what the behavior of financial infidelity might look like… and that sometimes, it might even involve a form of money laundering at the household level. For example, someone indulges in the purchase of an expensive golf club at the pro shop, but doesn’t mention it to their spouse. Further, the golfer pays for the club partly in cash, partly with a household check card, and perhaps partly with a charge card. Any of the three amounts are less likely to be noticed by the spouse… so the big-ticket purchase is less conspicuous.

Do you sell a big-ticket item that might be purchased on the down-low? How could you make the purchase easier to accomplish “in bits and pieces” (do you offer a layaway program that would help move the purchase to the “up and up”)? How could you help a customer “out” their purchase intention, by helping them sell their spouse on why this purchase is a great idea? (In other words, it’s not enough for you to make the sale… how can you help your customer make the sale to their spouse/significant other?)

Indulgent purchases that had seemed “out of the question” during the great recession may be more acceptable, now that the recovery is underway. But that doesn’t mean that conspicuous consumption is back. You may still have customers who think an extravagant or indulgent purchase should be done carefully and with discretion. How can you help that become accomplished… or unnecessary?

[Note: For a counter trend to financial infidelity, see the preceding story, which follows immediately below.]

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.

The consumer might not be who you think

Back in September, 2009, I offered some thoughts about how the unemployment issues of the Great Recession were impacting men in different ways that women [see “Déjà Vu, Women in the Workforce”]. It simply asserted that companies did not just fire people during the downturn, they fired paychecks… seeking not to reduce headcount, but to dramatically cut payroll. This put a target on the backs of a lot of men in management and in the C-suite. Also, the recession was particularly tough on people whose jobs were tied to manufacturing and construction.

Yesterday, Advertising Age offered a story that explains one of the possible implications of that shift, explaining that more men are in control of the household’s grocery shopping chores. Click here for the full story.

Implications: It’s not enough for a company to understand who their target consumers are. They must understand, also, how their target consumer groups are changing over time. And this isn’t just about groceries and packaged goods. Who’s taking the kids to the doctor? Who’s more likely to have a commute (and thus, decide on the next vehicle the household will purchase and the gas station/convenience store/coffee shop to stop at)? Who’s more likely to purchase business apparel, and who’s more likely to plan the next family vacation? Who will balance the checkbook and pay the household’s bills?

Who will drive the decision about the product or service you sell?

Mike Anderson

Are women still hitting a glass ceiling? (And can that last much longer?)

Earlier this week, there was a story in the New York Times about a GAO report that women are still not on equal footing in terms of holding management jobs. Click here to see the story.

Implications: Sorry to hear that the playing field has not yet been “leveled” effectively, according to this report. But I think the next couple of years are going to be very interesting to watch, in terms of employment.

Men, after all, took a bigger hit than women during the recession, at least in terms of job loss (according to this story from the NY Times back in February). I’ve heard from a lot of business owners during the past few years… and I’m also under the impression that companies did not cut people during the recession, they cut payroll. (Companies were not targeting people, they were targeting paychecks.) If that assertion is reasonably accurate, and if men were earning more as we entered the recession, it would only follow that men were a more attractive target in management reductions during the great recession.

Could the recession have served as an equalizing force, in terms of gender balance in the workplace? That might be important to think about… because employees (whether line-level or C-suite) are also influential consumers.

Mike Anderson

Thank the recession: Couples less likely to marry

To follow-up on a story I posted here earlier this week [see “As household income decreases,” below, posted 9/28/10], new analysis from the census bureau suggests that the trend toward delayed marriage is becoming even more dramatic, and the gap between low-income and affluent is getting bigger. For one example of the coverage about this analysis, click here to see the Associated Press story from WSB-TV in Atlanta.

Implications: If you needed any more evidence that the great recession has inspired long-term change in consumer behavior, this story provides it.

In several recent Consumer DNA workshops—where I help a group of marketing professionals explore findings in qualitative data—we’ve spent quite a bit of time talking about this fundamental point: Traditional families don’t look all that traditional anymore. In some cities, the number of adults who live in a two-adult household (but are not married) is larger than the number of people who could be described as, “Married with (1+) children.”

I’ve been looking forward to the wealth of information that should come from the 2010 census for quite some time. While most details won’t publish until early 2011, watch for more fascinating previews to be revealed beginning in October.

If you're a marketer, don’t just think of the census as a set of population statistics. Think of it as Consumer Anthropology.

Mike Anderson

Simple problem, digital solution

My wife and I were walking through a department store at Mall of America last week. Oddly, if you go in at the main entrance, you have to walk through the cosmetics and fragrance department (primarily aimed at women) to get to the men’s department on the same level.

As is typical on a Saturday afternoon, the store was offering a free make-over, giving consumers a chance to try-before-they-buy, and giving the store greater odds at making a sale. I asked my wife if she wanted to indulge while I shopped for the items I was looking for.

“No way,” she said. “You never know what some of those brushes and applicators have come into contact with.” Being an ignorant male, I hadn’t thought of that. (I don’t use make-up, so how would I know?) Turns out plenty of women have the same concerns. (And many are uncomfortable with having anything to do with make-up done in public.)

Out of sheer coincidence, a cool new product demonstration device was featured in this week’s issue of Springwise. It’s a mirror designed to be used at the cosmetic counter, which takes a digital photo of the customer, which can then be treated—virtually and hygienically—with samples of the make-up the store is selling. (To see the story about EZ Face, click here.) Trendwatching refers to this as a digital form of "Tryvertising."

Implications: Where do people come up with great ideas like this? By listening to people like my wife (or whomever they consider to be their target consumer).

What commonly-available tools could be modified slightly to create an extreme advantage for your company?

Mike Anderson

Déjà vu, circa 1970s: Women in the workforce

When times were great, many career women could afford to leave the workforce… opting to head home and raise a family. Now, with spouses who have either been laid off, or fear being laid off, or investment portfolios that took a beating the past few years, many of those women are headed back into the workforce… according to this story in the New York Times last weekend.

Implications: Women first hit the workforce en masse back in the 1970s (that’s not counting their jump into action during WWII, serving a critical role in the factories that supplied allied troops). And the more gender-balanced workplace gave way to accelerated growth for convenience appliances, prepared foods, and other items to help make their double-duty more manageable.

I’m wondering whether a resurgence in convenience items might soon follow (whether devices or packaged goods, such as heat-to-complete or grab-and-go foods). After all, we’re hearing a lot, lately, about more time in the kitchen, less dining out-of-home, etc. Is that reduced consumption of convenience or restaurant fare sustainable, if she’s pulling double-duty again?

Mike Anderson

UPDATE: More coverage on "shifting gender balance"

Back in February, I offered some thoughts on Shifting Gender Balance at Work and Home. Consider additional perspective on that topic from this recent story on ABC News, as featured during a Good Morning America segment.

Mike Anderson

Shifting gender balance at work and home?

Jobs traditionally held by men appear to be getting hit especially hard when it comes to recession-related layoffs, according to a recent story in the New York Times. So much so, in fact, that this decline in male employment—matched with the steady increase in the number of women who are employed—could result in a workforce that employs more women than men for the first time in history.

But before you focus exclusively on the relative increase in earning power held by women, consider the corresponding impact on spending influence that might now be in the hands of men. Because a recent story in Advertising Age suggests that an equal and opposite shift might be taking place at home. With a greater concentration of women in the workplace, more men are getting involved with the operation of the household, a fact that could have huge ramifications for products and services of all kinds. The essence of the Ad Age story is simple: Ignore men at your peril.

Implications: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Traditional households and traditional families don’t look all that traditional anymore.

If you’re in packaged goods, do you still assume that she’s the one doing the shopping? If you work in a business-to-business company, do you still assume he’s the one making the decisions? If you’re a retailer, is your store designed for all of your shoppers… or only those whom you used to cater to “back when?”

It is never a good time to stop assessing who your customer is… and the how’s and why’s of why those people buy. But in a climate of remarkable change like the one we’re in right now, it is even more important to consider who you’re talking to… lest you succeed at selling to someone who is no longer in charge of buying.

Mike Anderson