Marketing to women discussion - Tuesday 1pm

[carriemumsnet]

Hi all

We've been asked by a new specialist female marketing company www.prettylittlehead.co.uk to find out what women think of marketing that's targeted at women. By marketing they mean anything from radio/TV/ newspaper/magazine ads to direct marketing that comes through the door. We're not talking about marketing to children (that's a whole other subject) but more what brands you like and which you don't and why? What irritates you about the way companies market to you and which brands or products should be more aimed at women which currently seem completely focused on men. Do you think advertisers try and make you feel good or bad about yourself in order to flog their products to you? Who or what do you trust for advice on products ? (need we ask? ) There is of course no compulsion to take part in the debate/discussion, and as usual with online chats you can post your thoughts in advance, but anyone who joins in between 1pm Tues and 1pm Weds (to give all the night shift a chance) will be entered into this week's competition.

Hope to see you there

[hunkermunker]

LIZS, yes - the one I've seen recently for Gow & Gate's new jars (well, rebranded jars) - where the baby's growing up and doesn't seem to have one meal with anyone else at all - it's just his mother dashing about shoving stuff in front of him.

And their labels say "baby-grade fruit" on them - wtf? I really mean wtff?!

[MrsBadger]

am with hunker on the bounty packs

I have recycled about 5kg of useless pregnancy- and baby-related paper so far, some potentially harmful, some actively misleading, some insidious and some just plain stupid.
The baby isn't even blardy due till August.

[Zeitgeist]

Agree with hunkermunker about Bountypacks, would not use a single product inside mine and refused the second one.

Oh wait, I used the Johnson's baby bath for cleaning the cooker/toilet with.....

[oliveoil]

I loved my Bounty packs

I love free samples

BUT

I use them and do not necessarily then go on to buy them again

I don't watch much tv tbh so ads can pass me by

magazines I usually take more notice of

[wildwoman]

I don't like "advertisment features" in mags where you skim through thinking it's an actual article and then it dawns on you that X product is used in every other sentence

[hunkermunker]

I can't understand why they put a bottle of fabric conditioner in the Bounty pack you get in hospital. Ooh, that'll be handy [puzzled]

And iirc you get a different one with your first baby from second and subsequent - is that because you're more or less susceptible to marketing after you've had more than one?!

You all know what I think about marketing follow-on milk - so I won't bore you again with it.

[hunkermunker]

WW, me either - and using celebrities to promote something is fraught with difficulty too - look at M&S and their "suave Bryan Ferry wears our shirts...oh, fuck, he's a Nazi-admirer, bang goes the suave"

[foxinsocks]

I feel much the same as pph and have taught my children the same - they used to see those adverts on TV (those ridiculous phone ins) and say 'oh look, we're going to win £10,000 if we text in' so I have put them right and now they don't believe any of the nonsense in adverts anymore.

I like informative adverts too - something like those Ronseal 'does exactly what it says on the tin' type ads. I think most people are savvy enough not to believe what is spouted at them. I remember the Sheila Wheels ad but it's never made me get a quote from them.

And I too trust John Lewis - I consistently get good service from them and I've not been let down by them so far. I actually cannot think of any other retailer/company I think of in the same light.

[wildwoman]

That should test the all publicity is good publicity theory!

[LIZS]

prettyLH , can I just ask if we are likely to get any feedback from you during/after this discussion or is this purely just market research ?

[wildwoman]

I was just thinking that LIZS

[foxinsocks]

and I don't look at the catalogues shoved through my door - anything that isn't a letter goes straight on the recycling pile.

[hunkermunker]

I don't trust John Lewis as they made me fight after my new fridge freezer broke (actually, it never worked) and they made me wait for four engineers to come and look at it over the course of a fortnight before they admitted it was dead as dead...and I was 8.5m pg by the time it was replaced.

OK, they eventually came through, but they were arsey as all hell about it - I had to say "This is John Lewis, everyone I've told about this debacle has expressed their surprise that a heavily pregnant woman could be left without a fridge by John Lewis. I mean, Comet, and I could understand it..."

Got a better fridge freezer and £50 eventually, but still - I earned it! The fuckers.

[hunkermunker]

I weasel the free pens out of charity envelopes and chuck the marketing sob stories in the bin. I choose who to give my money to, I don't do it based on what falls through my letterbox.

[wildwoman]

Oh the free pens thing pisses me off no end! Save the money for the actual charity you dumbasses...how many charity pens end up in the bin in an un opened letter?

[foxinsocks]

lol hm - I'm sure I'll be let down at some point but my goodness, compared to the dealings I've had with Argos, Currys and Dixons, JL are saints!

yes, I ignore the charity stuff too - even more annoying are the people who knock on your door and ask for money or pounce on you in the street. Go away! I guess it only takes a small percentage to respond that way and they'll carry on churning out the stuff like that arrghh.

[prettyLH]

Usually we are asked to look at specific brands, but sometimes it's good for us to get a general feel about what seems to be sticking with people and what is not.
We're just generally interested in your views about how companies market to you.

[AitchTwoOh]

sorry to be so crass, but are you paying MN for this free market research?

[Twiglett]

DS (6) said to me "the things they advertise on the television never do what they say they will do they mummy. They only want us to buy things so they can have our money to buy toys"

and then says to his friends "My mummy knows its all rubbish because she used to make them"

I am so proud

[UtterPigsty]

Hate blue sutff on sanitary towels

[AitchTwoOh]

has the payment thing been discussed already? i 've only skimmed the thread.

[oliveoil]

my two 'know' that Bratz and most toys are crap because mummy says so

and Lelly Kelli shoes are rubbish as 'the sequins fall off dd1' 'now put on your Clarks ta v much'

[prettyLH]

Twiglett - to answer your q. about why we are called prettylittlehead: we called ourselves that because our book was titled 'Inside Her Pretty Little Head' (meant ironically obviously).

[AitchTwoOh]

sorry, the payment question..? i'm curious. fair dos if MNHQ are getting paid, but i'd like to know.

[oliveoil]

I presume they are if carrie started the thread

and is it any concern of ours anyway?