From Experience to Targets

Ilana Westerman (Create with Context), Elisa Camahort Page (BlogHer), Delphine Gatignol (comScore Europe ), Polly Sumner (salesforce.com)

Moderated by: Irene Au (Google)

Delphine Gatignol (comScore Europe )
(please note that their data is only based on the installation of their toolbar, only on PC and then extrapolated)

• women do spend more time online then men
• women spend less time on social networking sites
• there are some clichés we cannot deny: women are visiting sites around retail, coupons, jewelry and alike
• 118 million women are mobile users in the EU
• ages matter in what you do mobile
• more mature users do mail and news, younger people are more into chatting and social networking
• 30% of the women, 60% of the men recall seeing mobile advertisement
• women are more likely to engage with advertisement

Ilana Westerman (Create with Context),

• tend to do deep qualitative research
• use a lot of story telling techniques
• use quantitative research as a spring board for research
• number one thing to see: people are more similar than different (over cultures and men and women as well)
• women interacting with technology tend to be outcome focused with less interest in how it works
• example: wanted to have a camera and the only thing she wanted to do is “being able to blow up the picture”, but did not care about the tech or brand behind it
• women tend to use it through “how it feels”: Rather then pressing the popcorn button on the microwave the test woman rather ‘made popcorn by feeling when it is ready’
• complicated products may be embarrassing in public because one does not know how to use them
• which unmet needs does she see: when people are building products, they are building for people like themselves, so when men design for ‘people’ they tend to build things for men
• example: women have problems with shopping sites because it does not support their fluid kind of decision process: for example you have to choose a TV based on criteria instead of what the women really might want (for example how the TV looks instead of tech criteria)

Elisa Camahort Page (BlogHer),

• met her co-founders through serendipity and founded BlogHer in 2005
• problem was that the blogosphere was starting to grow and the mainstream media started to pay attention – but realizing the same kind of old boys network started to appear
• lead to the rhetorical question of “where are the female bloggers” so the real female bloggers stood up and made an event out of it, BlogHer
• women want not only their voices to be heard, and connect with other women – and want to earn money with this
• 25 million unique per month
• The need? For women’s voices to be spotlighted
• Problem with female only event? There is a difference between separatism and solidarity.
• No body is asking today “where are the women blogging” anymore

 Polly Sumner (salesforce.com)

• we see a fundamental shift how companies work
• how do you interact with the public social network, and how do you find out what is being said about you plus how can you engage with the customer
• trend: build your own social network for your company, think of it as a Facebook for the enterprise
• what about the having that total transparency inside your company?
• This is about creating a new culture in the enterprise world, raising of new voices
• It is not just more about being social with people. What happens when products can become social, when my car talks to me?
• Brings the example for KLM working with public networks and deliver them a surprise by listening out f.e. on twitter, created goodwill through this
• The better we can understand the social profile of an individual the better can you develop products

Eliza: BlogHer member expect a human to be on the other side of the tweet. It may not be the most efficient for the company, but the customer expects this. There is a lot of power in it for the company as well: to be there when the customer is at different stages of a complaint or else.

Question for Polly: Does it open up more opportunity for women?

• Companies experience a culture shift: the rise of the individual contributor
• she thinks that women have a lot of great ideas, and now they are more chances to have them visible
• enterprise social networks allow people to stay in touch, for example when you are on maternity leave. You can now come back and be just as effective as before
• women are very good at organizing and managing project, using these tools it will be even more helpful to let them do what they are good at

What do you recommend as effective ways to target and encourage women

Ilana: There is too much to do and not enough time. Current products require too much attention, so women are looking more for ‘snacks’ to just snap in and out, like for example games of Zynga.

Eliza: Different model now, it is not more about luring them to your destination – they already have a good place where they have fun, you need to go there. And different Social Networks need to be treated different with different purposes. Example: Fun and entertain yourself and connect with friends is where you go for on Facebook – not for a product review. Many times people start with Google search first, so you need to have content in all kind of places. Women are interested in interaction and community.

Delphine: Research does prove where to reach them, but still needs to be relevant in message If you have the knowledge of your target group you also know how to best reach them.

Polly: We are innovating into a new model of corporate anthropology It is our own responsibility to give people opportunity. Go proactively out and find talent.

Eliza: Metrics are not yet good enough yet for online. They had 50-60 years to track offline if for example a TV commercial is successful. But it has not yet built up for the net. People still watch more TV than they are online.  Consumers are media hungry.