What Every Marketer Should Keep Up With – Trends!

I put down another good book and couldn’t wait to share it with you. It is one of the Tom Peters Essentials entitled Trends, and co-authored by Martha Barletta. Although most of the statistics and examples given in the book are based in the United States, every marketer should still keep in mind the important trends cited – that of marketing to women and the mature market (read: NOT 18-44 age bracket).

First, as women make majority of the household purchasing decisions, why ignore her in your marketing strategies? And as more and more women become career-oriented and are able to earn as much as men, their rise in the marketplace couldn’t be ignored. Even in the automobile industry, sales people need to pay attention to women as they influence their partners in making the decision, or if buying for herself, she knows exactly what she wants. As the book is co-written by a woman and is an authority in marketing to women consumers, it becomes more interesting and fascinating.

I can relate this with a recent experience with my ‘Wired’ team. As I am in charge of marketing, I had one sales lead where the CEO is a woman. Perhaps it is by instinct or maybe out of sheer luck that I instantly clicked with her and proposed exactly what she needed for her company. And guess what? I landed the account in one month’s time. What I am saying here is pretty simple – ‘know your customer.’ Had I dealt with a male CEO, my approach would have been different.

Second, the “mature” market. Because most marketers concentrate on 18-44 age bracket, the boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) are ignored, when they have the luxury of time and money to begin with. As some of them are on pension, being supported by their children, or has lifetime savings to dispose of, they become a perfect target market, especially for the hospitality and healthcare industries.

These and other important points are emphasized in the book. I can say it is an easy-read, as it is divided only into 5 chapters, with graphical representations and colorful images to go with the text. As I mentioned, though written with the US market in mind, marketers all over the world need to re-evaluate and realign their strategies and keep up with the trends. There’s actually no harm in trying!