Integrating Visibility

Quality, price and reputation will mean nothing if a woman can tell you slapped a "for women" sticker on the pastel version of the same old product. If you haven't developed truly gender-specific features and benefits, or conducted research into how a woman might buy the product, it will be evident to your potential customers. To keep your products and marketing authentic and integrated, you should decide whether to use the visible approach right from the beginning. Let product development in response to women's real needs dictate your sales efforts and marketing messages.

For example, if the Gillette Venus razor had not been designed specifically for a woman's body, its more feminine color and name would feel inauthentic to potential buyers , and Gillette's visible approach would have failed. As it is, the shape of the razor was designed intentionally to fit a woman's curves, so the color and name integrated well with the design and thus felt authentic.

A woman's interest in purchasing your product or service will be significantly affected by whether your brand's marketing approach is genuine , through and through, or a superficial (however sincere) effort to gain her attention. So, choose and utilize the visible marketing option with great care if you want to reach women.

Companies certainly don't set out to make products that will fail with women. Success comes by making the effort to understand the women customers you are trying to reach before you even create the product. Then, a genuine reality-based visible approach can win new customers and create new markets.