CHEYENNE - Because women influence the spending of 83 cents of every dollar spent in America, it's critical for advertisers to know how to market to them. This was the message of the author of "The Soccer Mom Myth," who spoke at the Wyoming Governor's Hospitality and Tourism Conference, held last month in Cheyenne.

In her address to travel and tourism specialists, Michele Miller, a partner in the marketing consulting firm Wizard of Ads, said women's perceptions require a different approach toward marketing.

The female brain has four times the connectors from the left to the right brain than the male brain does, Miller explained. Consequently, when they take in experiences and information, women are more influenced than men by their right brain - which rules emotion, imagination and human connections.

Miller referenced a study completed by the Indiana School of Medicine several years ago which monitored the right brain functions of men and women as they were read passages from a novel.

"What they learned was women were registering in the right brain off the charts," she said. "They were not only registering the words, but applying emotion to it. Women actually registered pain when hearing a sad story."

"The right brain is also home to reward behavior - things like chocolate, art, sex. Women have four times the connectors to the right brain," Miller said. "Wouldn't you like to bring your business into the reward behavior area of a woman's brain?"

The shopping style of women is also greatly affected by their right brain activity. They gather opinions before purchasing and have a very emotional connection to the process, Miller said.  They are more affected than men by emotional messages, those that trigger the senses or suggest family bonding. They are more influenced by customer service.

"Connect with emotion, the senses," Miller recommended.  "Start using the word YOU in your copy. Tell her how great SHE is."  

It's no surprise that women are more communicative than men, Miller said, but studies have actually proven that contrary to jokes and popular belief, women do not, on the average, speak a greater number of words per day than men.  

"That's not the difference," she said."It's the type of words. Men talk about concrete subjects.  They use harder, shorter words. Women use more emotion, talk more about connections and relationships. They use softer, more abstract words."

"If you try to communicate with women using concrete, male-based language, it won't work,"  Miller said.

Advertisers should discover the heart of their message and find as many ways as they can to deliver it, she said. Telling a story can be very effective; women are three times more likely than men to repeat a story to their friends.

Miller also described four buying modes of the female customer: methodical, competitive, spontaneous and humanistic. An appeal to the methodical approach includes specific data about the product and its cost. Ads geared toward the competitive mode include language about the product's superiority or certification, endorsement by experts or ability to elevate one's social status. To appeal to a spontaneous shopper, the ad copy should emphasize action, fun and immediate gratification. And to appeal to a woman's humanistic buying mode, ads should include what the product will help her do for others or how it can bring people together.

"You can't tell the whole story in one ad," Miller said, recommending a series of ads, each with a different approach. "Or if you create a brochure, use one panel for each approach."

 Finally, Miller advised against stereotyping women.

"There is no such thing as the soccer mom,"  she said. "Soccer moms are all different."



Wyoming Business Report Correspondent Mary L. Angell can be reached at news@wyoming.com.