Some companies fumble when they’re about to score.
F or a good example of businesses in the automotive sector that use gender intelligent marketing, we need look no further than the OEM. More and more manufacturers are beginning to ask women what they’re looking for in a vehicle, but this is still a remarkably recent trend.
While it is one that most women welcome, we run into trouble when a manufacturer makes the “hoopla” all about the car, rather than include where one buys it - the real burning issue for most women. Volvo is a company that has women on their radar, and has for years. However, the following is an example of what can happen if you let gender drop from your company worldview, even for a moment. Although it involves a manufacturer, it is an example that has just as much relevance for repairers.
Point of viewLike GM, Ford and other manufacturers, Volvo got a group of female engineers together to design a concept car from a woman’s point of view.
Seat pads, attached with magnets, could be removed to be cleaned. The back seats could be folded down leaving space for shopping and sports bags behind the front seats when they weren’t being used. It had special umbrella, coins and key compartments inside the car’s bodywork.
They shifted the filling station for washer fluid to the side of the car, next to where you fill up with fuel so you didn’t have to open the hood. They created a body scanning system which enabled the car to automatically adjust seats, mirrors, steering wheels and pedals. All good. Really, really good. And very much needed.
In fact, this vehicle addressed everyone of the design flaws women have been complaining to us about for years. We did hear from women, however, they were miffed that this was a concept car only - never to be taken into production, though some of the features might find their way into production vehicles.
But here is where someone dropped the ball. What some companies don’t seem to realize is that women can smell a “fem-marketing” rat a mile away.
One of the press releases touted that seat pads were available in different colours and textures to match a woman’s outfit, or even the weather. It quoted a Volvo executive: “In winter you might choose a woolen seat pad, maybe in a strong cozy colour or you may go for the lighter, more Scandinavian looking one.”
Genius? uh...noHuh? Rather than tell me the seat pad can be removed so I can wash out the grape juice Kate spilled on the backseat, some genius actually thought women cared about buying a car to match their coat.
Taking women seriously? On one hand, absolutely. On the other? You’ve got to be kidding. I’m willing to bet good money that you can guess which story burned through women’s jungle telegraph.
Many critics of the whole notion of women designing cars for women will say good design is good design, gender is irrelevant. One could then ask why haven’t the car design guys (who have essentially been designing cars since they were invented) come up with the design improvements that women do?
Because these guys (and until recently is was all men) look at the world through what I call a MAWG perspective; middle-aged white guy.
Every company that we’ve worked with that has funneled their product or service through a gender lens uncovers the ultimate universal truth - make something women-friendly, you make it everybody-friendly.
Meet and exceedIt’s well-known amongst companies that get this that if you meet the needs of women, you’ll exceed the expectations of men.
The first step is fixing the one part of the process that drives Miss Daisy crazy - the sales process.
According to a Canadian Automotive Retail Industry Report, “Men believe that they can sell well to women and the comments we have received from customers suggest that women have no gender preference from their sales person. Perhaps this supports the contention that men can sell to women but few have the necessary gender sensitivity.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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