Anne Doberstein, P&G Vice President, Consumer & Market Knowledge, Western Europe

The 2th April 2012

Agence L / Womenology
Do you know which group of customers/shoppers are the ones consuming products of your brand? Those who decide? Those who buy?

Anne Doberstein
Roughly speaking, about 80% of our products are bought by women. This includes up to 60% of male grooming products like Gillette, Braun or Old Spice being bought by mums, wives, girlfriends etc for the men in their family. Often, however, the actual purchase decision on brand or product may already have been made as loyalty in these categories is high.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you noticed in which proportion that group of consumers has increased in the past ten years?

Anne Doberstein
It really depends on the product category and varies by countries, but as cultural and family roles evolve over time so do the consumers and shoppers. One example is the trend of men who are taking a real interest in their appearance and the products that they purchase.

Agence L / Womenology
Is your brand communicating specifically towards the feminine target group? if yes, how?

Anne Doberstein
Today, consumers want to know more about the companies who make the products in their supermarkets and in their homes. With this in mind, our partnership with the IOC provides a great opportunity and platform from which to talk to consumers directly about the P&G brand and what we stand for.
P&G has been listening to the needs of Mums for over 170 years – Mums have inspired and driven our innovations and marketing.  She is the one that buys our products for her entire household, from hair shampoos, toothpaste, detergents, washing up liquids – so we are taking this opportunity to say ‘Thank You Mum’.
Another campaign targeting women was the one of Old Spice. With the disproportionately high level of women buying the product, you can see from the campaign materials and results how successful this campaign has been in marketing a male brand by talking to women.
But this isn’t a concrete rule.  We do have specific brand campaigns targeting men, e.g. our male grooming brands such as Gillette and Braun.  Some other brands, like Head&Shoulders, present very different messages and campaigns for their male and female variants.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you noticed differences on how your communication campaigns and messages are perceived by men and women? Are they perceived differently?

Anne Doberstein
Of course, we can show the same publicity to two different groups and you will get very different responses.  Though some clichés still exist with how you speak to men vs women, this is evolving as consumers are even more complex today with varying needs, consumption pattern, influencers, and shopping experiences. This is why some brands like Head&Shoulders present very different messages and campaigns for their male and female variants.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you noticed specific communication tools that were particularly attractive to women (compared to men) and increased the understanding of your key messages?

Anne Doberstein
Women are, in general, more engaged with brands in social media space as well as forums, networks and peer review spaces. More and more, women are looking to each other and beauty experts for reviews and recommendations in media, forums and social media spaces.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you observed differences in the purchase behaviour of products of your brand between female and male consumers? If yes, which ones? As far as your products are concerned, do you know what influences the purchase decision of women?

Anne Doberstein
Women are very influenced by people they trust such as friends and family. And women are, in general, more engaged with brands in social media space as well as forums, networks and peer review spaces. They are researching and buying products online more than ever before. More and more, women are looking to each other and beauty experts for reviews and recommendations in media, forums and social media spaces.
Women search out to other women in social media that are going through similar life events. For example, mothers of babies often use “Mum” internet forums to learn what the best products to buy are. And when they are researching online, we try to make it as easy as possible for them to not only learn about the products, but also buy them online (Beauty products for example).

Agence L / Womenology
Do you know what is definitely influencing the purchase decision of women on the products of your brand (design, cost, functionality…)?

Anne Doberstein
Drivers influencing the purchase decision include i) how much I need the product (the product has to fill a specific and real need), ii) product benefit (the performance of a product is essential), iii) cost, iv) design, and v) ease of use. But this varies according to the categories of products.

Agence L / womenology
Thank you

Contact Agence L : Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
Contact aufeminin.com / Womenology: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com

Website of the agency : Agence L

Lire aussi :

1. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°5
2. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°2
3. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°3

January 6th 2012

Agence L / Womenology
What proportion of women buy Lesieur products ?

Davis Garbous
Lesieur is present in two huge markets : oils, which make up 90% of our company, and sauces and condiments. 74% of all consumers are women, and yet this is a figure that is on the decline. The consumer demographic in the oils sector is becoming increasingly male, with more and more men getting involved in the shopping process. In other words, they no longer blindly follow the shopping list they are given, but instead are starting to make their own decisions in choosing products.

Agence L / Womenology
Can this be explained by a shift in attitudes ?

Davis Garbous
It does appear that there has been an evolution in terms of the distribution of tasks, responsibilities and even social structure (17% of households are single-parent led, compared to 6% in 1962). However, there is still a deep-rooted notion that men should cook at the weekend, for friends and special occasions, while women should be relied upon for daily meals.

There are many paradoxes in the world of cooking. For an entire generation, namely our generation, there has been a lack of knowledge being passed down between mother and daughter, due to the hugely significant arrival of women into the professional world. This has had two major consequences : firstly, the explosion of pre-prepared meals and consumer products on to the market, and at the same time, a surge in cookery lessons, hugely successful TV cookery programmes, cookery books, etc….
And there is a new trend emerging in the world of cooking today which is very interesting to consider. Cooking has become a way of bringing people together, providing an opportunity to relax and share with others, as well as to show off your creative side. Indeed, cooking has huge mass appeal nowadays. It’s also a way to take what you eat into your own hands, because it means being able to choose your own ingredients for their quality and nutritional value. This, along with the idea of enjoying food with friends, I find to be emblematic of the aspirational 21st century lifestyle. What’s more, people are eager to rediscover “real” cuisine, particularly in France, where food and cooking are ingrained in our cultural makeup.
I believe that cooking is very much a topical issue. Profoundly modern, it represents a new kind of cohesive lifestyle. We have launched L’Observatoire des Cuisines Populaires with researchers, universities, nutrition specialists and sociologists. What it does is to explain and explore our day to day eating habits. The first study carried out by this group will look at how the French store their food. The idea : « Show me your kitchen cupboard, I’ll tell you what it says about you ». 250 photos of kitchen cupboards will be studied to explore different lifestyles, our day to day eating habits, our relationships with cooking…

Agence L / Womenology
These days, do you find you are increasingly looking at the question of men and cooking ?

Davis Garbous
Yes, because they play a crucial role in this reinvention of the world of cooking. If we consider the issue from a contemporary angle, nowadays, men take part in all social interactions. If we are stuck in the dated notion that it should always be women that do the cooking, we risk missing the exciting changes that are taking place all around us. It is very important to try to understand the actions and the behaviour trends of both gender targets.

Agence L / Womenology
And do you envisage a specific brand message for men ?

Davis Garbous
Yes, but it’s still in its very early stages. In 2011 we launched a discussion forum on the brand Isio4, the first brand to appear on the market. We recognise the increasing number of single-parent households, and believe that the number of people buying oils is on the decline. In response to this, we have launched the small Isio4 format.

Agence L / Womenology
In your product range, are there any products that are more masculine than others ?

Davis Garbous
Olivie oil, an AOC product, is more often than not chosen by men. But Puget olive oil, for everyday use, tends to be bought by women. When it comes to appetizers, the demographic seems to be more masculine than feminine, both in terms of buying the products as well as making the food. With mayonnaise, we’ve discovered that it is mostly bought by women for the whole family, because they are trying to get their male partners to cut down on how much they eat! In the same way, after speaking to various different women, it appears that they tend to take on a maternal role when it comes to what every member of the family eats; they want to be in control. Ketchup, for example, is used to make kids eat their greens, as it improves the taste. This idea of handing down culinary values is increasingly becoming a reality amongst women in today’s households.

Agence L / Womenology
Out of your latest campaigns, which one has had the most impact on your market ?

Davis Garbous
The advertising campaign for « Fleur de Colza » had a particularly significant response. We worked around the ideas that connect rural and city dwellers, and the image of the campaign is strong, so as to appeal to both groups: a farmer giving a bouquet of colza flowers to a woman.

Agence L / Womenology
With regards to your website, you seem to be very focused on the content and the exchanging of information and ideas. For you, is your website an integral part of your business?

Davis Garbous
The site’s approach is based on providing a service to our consumers. The most popular sections are recipes and cooking techniques. This reflects a real expectation that exists amongst people nowadays, linking back to the idea of the passing down of information. What we aim to do, on the internet, is to supply high-traffic portals with specific content that provides a service.

Agence L / Womenology
On your site, you have links directing to various different cooking blogs. Does this feature work well ?

Davis Garbous
Yes, and we plan to develop more dedicated spaces for bloggers to share their thoughts and ideas. We have been in collaboration with the bloggers’ showroom for the Soissons cooking blog for three years, and we have a huge network of up and coming blogs. We are also working with chef and culinary advisor Éric Reithler, who is in contact with the bloggers. It’s a relationship built on trust ; this long-term work is helping to establish and maintain our credibility.

Agence L / Womenology
In the forums, there are lots of questions about omega 3, omega 6, what they do etc… Have you ever thought about speaking directly to users through an online chat or a portal, in order to answer their questions ?

Davis Garbous
No but it’s a great idea, we should definitely do it. In our marketing team there is a “nutrition” unit where we’ve got together three experts; a nutritionist, a doctor and chef Eric Reithler. We organise food and nutrition training programmes, based on encouraging a healthy balance in our cooking, by explaining how to prepare perfectly balanced everyday meals. These programmes have been so successful that we are thinking of externalising them.
We’ve also developed a tool called the « diagnoforme » which shows the user in a flash where they are on the nutritional map, so that they can receive tailor-made advice specifically adapted to their needs. At the same time, we are also developing the « diagnomouv » which shows users where they are in terms of exercise and gives them simple advice. These tools have also enjoyed a huge success. They are led by an institute called « les rencontres de la forme » which is based around a principal of fun and interaction. All of these initiatives offer a tone, content and services that allow us to look at problems in a new and interesting way.

Agence L / Womenology
THANK YOU

Agence L contact : Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
aufeminin.com / Womenology contact: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com
Agency website : Agence L

Lire aussi :

1. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°3
2. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°2
3. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°5

11th January 2012

Agence L / Womenology
What share of the perfume market does the female market represent?

Xavier Vey
To give you an overall picture, the French fragrance market is the second biggest in the world, the first being the United States. But bear in mind that the size of these two markets is very similar despite the population of the United States being six times bigger than the population of France!
In France, the fragrance market represents 60% of the total consumption of skincare-cosmetics-fragrance products. And female perfume represents more than 40% of all these products in selective channels. Our target market is 80% female. And with a 20% share of fragrances for men, France is one of the most important markets, globally, for male fragrance.

Agence L / Womenology
Has this female/male division changed in your market?

Xavier Vey
The male share was very low twenty years ago. It’s our grandparents’ generation, very few men used a fragrance, except perhaps for an aftershave or eau de cologne. Nowadays, penetration into society is much greater, with big successes like Diesel who sought a younger target and a very large social spectrum. There’s simultaneously a societal shift and the work of the fragrance manufacturers in developing the market. A fragrance like Diesel which is nonconformist and not at all in keeping with the classic codes of fragrances attracts, by definition, a new market that hasn’t bought fragrance before and that is uninhibited about buying it.
The market for fragrances has therefore become bigger, but for skincare it’s different. Skincare products, in selective networks, represent a small part of the total market and they remain for the most part reserved for women, with very slow development. With Biotherm, we have created the skincare market for men.

Agence L / Womenology
In advertising, when you put a message out about a fragrance that’s 100% masculine, do you target men only?

Xavier Vey
No. Taking as an example the current success of the Saint-Laurent trilogy (“L’homme”, “ La nuit de l’homme”, “L’homme libre”), we have a lot of studies that show that Vincent Cassel speaks to men, but a great deal to women as well; he has an extremely strong appeal to both markets. A product for men is communicated to men but the message must also appeal to women.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you pre-test your adverts?

Xavier Vey
Yes, we pre-test and post-test them differently on men and women. This is how we know that the image of Vincent Cassel appeals to women. And in cases like this, it allows us to direct our media buying to reach women more.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you identified other campaigns that have had an impact like that?

Xavier Vey
Amongst the recent campaigns which have been highly successful there’s also « Loverdose » from Diesel. With this fragrance, we went all out, so much so that we were completely out of stock. At the launch, a lot of people were a bit shocked by the name, but it’s one of the fundamental keys of its success.
I can also think of the campaign for « Visionnaire » from Lancôme which is the number one serum on the market since its launch. In this case, the message is simply expressing the product which is exceptional. What’s new is that we speak differently to women than in the past. Up until as recently as two years ago, the only messages sent out to women about skincare products centred on anti-wrinkle and anti-ageing properties, ways to overcome the signs of ageing… The major innovation, which began with “Génifique” but came into its own with “Visionnaire”, is to simply say: “for perfect skin”. And we also emphasise the very strong claims that emerge from the tests, namely that one in two women who had tested the product had decided to delay a cosmetic procedure.

Agence L / Womenology
Which product characteristics affect women more than men and vice versa?

Xavier Vey
To take an example of skincare and “anti-age” products, women like to work with the texture of the product, to have what we call “play time” while applying it… whereas for men, application should be fast, immediate and easy.
The difference also lies in the way in which we speak to each of these markets: when we address women we enter into the details, we explain the technology behind the product. Men, however, don’t try to understand or know the differences between products as much. As a result, Biotherm’s new communication platform is simply called “Live like a man”, and answers the types of questions that a man might ask.
Concerning fragrances and their perfume bottles, there are different physical characteristics: women’s perfume bottles are slenderer with feminine colour schemes, whereas men’s fragrance bottles are more black, brown… more masculine codes. But these codes tend to evolve and the different types get closer to one another so we have fragrances that are less typical. Today, a lot of women say that they use a fragrance for men. For example, a product like “Aqua di Gio” by Giorgio Armani is used massively by women. However, the opposite is rare.

Agence L / Womenology
Which market is most responsive to the design of perfume bottles, men or women?

Xavier Vey
Both markets are very responsive to packaging, it’s a fundamental element of a product/perfume combination.

Agence L / Womenology
To finish off with purchase behaviour, do you know if men buy more via online shopping than via classic distribution channels?

Xavier Vey
I’ve no specific figures on the subject but I think that that is certainly the case because one of the difficulties in perfumeries is that the environment isn’t very masculine. And that’s normal since 80% of what’s sold there is for women!

Agence L / Womenology
THANK YOU
Contact Agence L : Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
Contact aufeminin.com / Womenology: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com
Site web de l’agence : Agence L

Lire aussi :

1. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°2
2. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°3
3. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°4

Agence L / Womenology
Globally, what’s the share of female consumers of your new brand Sosh, in relation to male consumers?

Odile Roujol
Sosh is the 100% digital mobile brand launched by Orange, it’s community-based and participatory. In community, on the social networks, we pretty much cover the French population. In terms of subscriptions, we were at about 2/3 men and 1/3 women in the first few weeks after its commercial launch in October 2011.

Agence L / Womenology
At Orange, have you seen this share evolve over the last 10 years?

Odile Roujol
The market has in fact evolved in terms of equipment with the development of smartphones and now tablets, new practices have developed from voice to Internet connection and we’re noticing that women are getting to grips with it just as much as men and with a real interest in all these new customs. There therefore isn’t really much of a difference in use.

Agence L / Womenology
And in terms of the applications downloaded on mobile phones?

Odile Roujol
Just like men, women personalise the way they use their phones through application downloads. What makes the difference is the interest, the lifestyle and the tastes of each person. For example, the League 1 application appeals more to men in theory. As part of our partnership with MyLittleParis, during the Sosh Bus tour, each female visitor received a guide to the “Top Sosh apps” which suggested applications for women: each woman can then choose the apps that match her profile… there’s something for everyone!

Agence L / Womenology
In terms of advertising messages, do you use specific ones for the female market?

Odile Roujol
As a matter of fact, we reflect a lot on how our messages our perceived. For example, in a previous campaign, the Christmas characters addressed both men and women. When we evaluate the perception of the Three Wise Men, the nutcracker, the little fairy… we’re mindful of what each of them can evoke. It was very important to us that the little Rock’n’Roll fairy wasn’t vulgar and didn’t find herself in a position where, all of a sudden, the only female Christmas character was looked on as shocking and was rejected by women.
The differentiation that occurs in our messages is done on the social networks. On Facebook, we have more than a million fans in total who follow our news and with whom we interact on a daily basis. We also have several platforms on the net: on film or music platforms, women are in the majority at 52%. We notice that they are more active at posting comments and “likes”. They are in the logic of “I’m expressing myself” rather than “I’m absorbing information”. This is sufficiently more so than amongst men which is why I mention it to you. On the subject of differentiation, we also have a webzine that’s called Le Collectif which deals with emerging topics such as the “the geek portrait of the month” but we also publish articles that address women, such as the one on fashion applications published during Fashion Week. Although women don’t express themselves in the same way as men on social networks, they are involved in a very active and committed way.

Agence L / Womenology
And therefore, in classic media communications, you don’t have a specific message that you address to each of the male/female markets?

Odile Roujol
No, because we’re the emotional connection and so we address everyone to show them that the diversity of lifestyles, customs and uses creates a family of wealth.
On Open, we represent a connected and futuristic household that’s reassuring and optimistic with fun colours; it’s a family that isn’t idealised. We know that this affects men and women. The woman looks after the business part, she’s in a meeting with someone else. We try to break up the codes a bit and at the same time maintain the role of each family member, the diversity of lifestyles and the use of screens by each person.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you pre-test your adverts with both target markets?

Odile Roujol
Yes but in the beginning, every time that we organised mixed groups, women expressed themselves less than men. In fact, we noticed that when women didn’t have a lot to say, it was because they still weren’t very comfortable with technical subjects, whereas they enthusiastically expressed themselves about uses and practices. Now, we also make differentiated projections that allow us to go a lot further in the pre-tests, post-tests and concepts.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you follow what’s being said on blogs and in forums?

Odile Roujol
Absolutely and on a regular basis! Discussions on blogs and forums are an important source of information for us. We’ve noticed that men tend to be more interested in the how to, in the “how does it work?” (the technical part), in comparing prices, while women are more into the accompaniment, uses, the entertainment element. This can encourage a degree of complementary action within the family.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you see male/female differences in purchasing decisions that will guide a certain choice? Are there any differential factors?

Odile Roujol
The quality/price relationship is perhaps sharper in men than in women. Aspects of pleasure, relations, emotions, safety… they stand out in all our studies as being more important for women. But it’s very complicated to establish a typical purchase behaviour because men may buy something for their partner, even though she has thought about it before.

Agence L / Womenology
In terms of influence, has the role of children progressed?

Odile Roujol
Definitely, in particular when it comes to passing things on, including onto grandparents. Those that we refer to as “digital tribes”, in other words mobile users, greatly influence their parents and grandparents. In France in March 2010, the “digital tribes” represented 13%, a trend that was equally stable in March 2011 with 13% (13% at the end of 2011). And the “digital adults”, those who are multi-equipped (who have several mobiles, a tablet, TV, Internet, etc.) represented 14% in 2010 and 18% in March 2011 (21% at the end of 2011).
The generations brought up with the net and for whom it’s essential to be connected, the “digital natives”, are also influential on behaviour within the family and have an influence on new digital practices.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you know if it’s the mother or the father who encourages this new bond?

Odile Roujol
In the RSE (Social Responsiability of Entreprises) study for women, the idea of passing things on and protecting the family is essential. In India, for example, women want to help their child succeed in life even if the family has to make sacrifices.
On the other hand, we carried out a study to follow the careers of female engineers because we’re largely concerned and we noticed that the biggest recruiter is the digital sector, ahead of chemistry and the food industry, with 14% of female engineers.
There’s therefore real modernity in the telecoms culture that’s driven by the dynamism of the new technologies which means that the digital world is in the process of evolving and women are playing an important role in it.
To finish off, digital technology is at the heart of what’s going to happen, whether it be in education, health, sustainable development… and women, like men, have just as much to pass on to their children, on different but complementary aspects. Creating a bond with others is one of the fundamental aspects, beyond consumption itself.

Agence L / Womenology
Merci

Contact Agence L : Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
Contact aufeminin.com / Womenology: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com
Website agency : Agence L

Lire aussi :

1. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°2
2. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°3
3. Gender Marketing encounters

4th November 2011

Agence L / Womenology
What is the core target of Monoprix these days? Has this target developed over the last few years?

Hubert Hémard
Monoprix is a working-class store, established in 1932. In the beginning, Monoprix stores were discount stores with clientele from the town centre of the time which was made up of small craftsmen, glaziers, carpenters and light industry. Therefore, Monoprix’s clientele was working class, and the brand came to be. Then this clientele from the town centre gradually became middle class and moved upmarket. Now, the glazier has become a lawyer, the carpenter has become a banker or trader and therefore expectations aren’t the same. In the past, people got up early and went to bed early; today, they maybe get up early but they go to bed a lot later, rites and rhythms have both changed.
Nowadays, Monoprix’s market is 75% female.
Before, women didn’t work much or at all, they looked after their children, and nowadays they work, they spend money on themselves, they can indulge themselves. This change of mentality, this development has created for us a change in the relationship we have with the client. The tone of communication is en rapport with the client, in other words, we always address the client in an intelligent way. We often hear in communication that you should be very direct; our hobby horse is to bring value to daily life, it’s an approach that’s in Monoprix’s genes, to enrich the daily lives of its clients. And this enrichment is about more than just material goods, it’s not enough to just give your clients coffee, it has to be the best of coffees and there has to be a service.
Finally, it’s about adding value to daily life, about being identified as a brand that provides this difference, this happiness, and that therefore gives us a particular tone of communication.

Agence L / Womenology
Are your campaigns perceived differently by men and by women?

Hubert Hémard
The female market recognises itself more in Monoprix than the male market. Men say that they don’t go to Monoprix to indulge themselves but to go do the shopping, because they’re obliged to, whereas women say that they go to indulge themselves and relax. Between 12 and 2pm, women go there to look at make-up and beauty products, but it’s linked to our clothing and toiletries ranges; men are less bothered about those.

Agence L / Womenology
For menswear purchases, do you know if it’s the woman who buys the product?

Hubert Hémard
It’s quite divided, I think it’s about 50/50. Sometimes they buy it together, the man buys functional things like underwear but for anything else, he tends to go with his wife. Meanwhile, his wife makes purchases on her own.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you identified factors of influence amongst men and women in the act of purchasing?

Hubert Hémard
Yes, we see surprising things with Facebook, blogs and the buzz that’s created in forums about a bag, coat or capsule collection that’s just come out; we see the snowball effect, people respond and it’s mainly women who talk amongst themselves.

Agence L / Womenology
You have 150,000 fans on Facebook today. What made you decide to have a Facebook page?

Hubert Hémard
We realised that social networks were having an enormous influence and we thought that it would be interesting to have our own network to be able to say what we have to say. We use it to launch a product, announce the arrival of a designer, explain a new activity and that’s along with the launch of our online food and clothing shop. These days people use word-of-mouth, advertising, the media and social networks… so if you’re not there, you lose out on part of your ability to build relationships with your clientele.

Agence L / Womenology
Is the average female shopping basket more expensive than the average male shopping basket?

Hubert Hémard
I don’t know. We have different segments of clientele: the “in a rush, low-spend” shoppers, students in a rush who don’t have much money and who buy sandwiches, ready meals or pizza for dinner; the “chefs and co”, mums who buy a lot of different products, mostly food-related and that we won’t necessarily find in the clothing department; the “trendy crowd”, that’s those who buy new products; the “authentic” shoppers, senior citizens who come in to chat with the shop assistants. There are also men and women who buy slimming and low-fat products; and the “label readers” who are the second biggest purchasers of organic products. Amongst these different segments, “chefs and co” is the segment with the biggest basket. Those in the “trendy crowd” don’t bring in much money but they set the trends!

Agence L / Womenology
We’ve noticed, in different sectors, that purchase behaviour isn’t the same amongst men and women. Do you notice this difference in your stores?

Hubert Hémard
Yes, we’ve noticed it and as we have a lot of women, we try to respond to the issues raised by our customers, but we also have very masculine products, shaving products for example.
Another example: for the wine fair, we had the idea of inviting bloggers or, in any case, those who talk about wine on social networks. And when they turned up, there were only women of 18 or 20 years of age. We weren’t expecting that, no men turned up.
That reinforced our approach. We want to create the wine collection in the clearest way possible because the woman doesn’t want to get it wrong. Her behaviour is much more accessible and much smarter with wine, she will search for a nice bottle of wine. Monoprix has expanded its range of wines over the last 4 or 5 years to cater for this but we were nevertheless very surprised.

Womenology
Do you have any new things planned in Monoprix stores in 2012?

Hubert Hémard
No, nothing new is planned but there will be notable improvements made towards better people flow, greater recognition, replying more appropriately to clients’ expectations in terms of what we have to offer. We prefer to make worthwhile evolutions, rather than bad revolutions. Monoprix is an agile brand that evolves with its clientele; we’re in a world where we have to constantly be in accordance. We move while accompanying people.

Agence L / Womenology
In conclusion, you have a uniqueness, you speak to ¾ women, you have messages that, without wanting to, target women more through claims, colours, brand identity… so it is nevertheless segmenting isn’t it?

Hubert Hémard
Yes, I’m sure that if we only addressed men, everything would be in black and white possibly. Before you contacted me, I never thought about it in this way, about the differences in how men and women perceive messages, and yet I’ve been doing marketing for a long time!

Agence L / Womenology
Merci

Contact Agence L : Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
Contact aufeminin.com / Womenology: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com

Site web de l’agence : Agence L

Lire aussi :

1. Gender Marketing encounters, interview n°2
2. Gender Marketing encounters
3. “Gender, Design and Marketing”, a book justifying marketing to women with biological arguments

22nd November 2011
Agence L / Womenology                                    
Is there a typical Gemey Maybelline woman? Or are there several Gemey Maybelline women?

Caroline Lamprecht
There are several types of women, that’s absolutely certain. Primarily, we’re a brand with a double logo. The Gemey woman isn’t the Maybelline woman and there are also “Gemey-Maybellines”. Historically, the Gemey woman is a bit older. Women in their 40s and over call the brand Gemey, not Gemey Maybelline. They’re very attached to the values of Gemey, a traditional French brand with quality products that inspire confidence. Gemey and Maybelline are complementary. And to this duo, Maybelline provides all the energy of New York, the trends, the colours, in one word the SHOW! The Maybelline woman is young, very trendy, on the lookout for innovation and must-haves!

Agence L / Womenology
Is it a market that buys a lot online?

Caroline Lamprecht
More and more so, and it’s a growing market. It’s quite surprising because lipsticks work very well on the Internet whereas you’d think that for lipsticks, the colour should be tried out before buying.

Agence L / Womenology
Are you looking to develop online sales?

Caroline Lamprecht
Yes, we launched our e-commerce site via Brandalley as well as a shop on our site. For now, we don’t have any plans for online mobile sales.
We also launched a mobile application that works very well on all smartphones and we’re certainly going to develop applications for use on tablets in 2012. What we’d really like to push is advice, above all because lots of women don’t apply much make-up because they don’t know how to or they’re afraid of getting it wrong and therefore they don’t buy a lot, just one or two products a year.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you think there has been a digital campaign that has made a big impact?

Caroline Lamprecht
We came up with the “Chasse aux cils à cils” event which worked very well, people really liked it and we got some very good feedback. In my sector, there are all the virals and digital videos from Fructis Style or ESSIE which are excellent.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you pay attention to what’s being said on social networks?

Caroline Lamprecht
We’re really intent on developing our relationships with bloggers. They are informed of all our new products. When we have a press conference, we always dedicate a specific moment to the bloggers. They have different expectations in terms of information, they work on whims. Thanks to the Internet, they are very reactive and practically post immediately.
We therefore read the blogs, what they’re saying, we follow their news, comments… and not only the bloggers, but the consumers who use the forums as well, who bring to our attention either good ideas about products or problems that they’ve had. These are sources of information to adapt our position or make changes to our products.

AgenceL / Womenology
Which sorts of customers are most involved in the forums?

Caroline Lamprecht
Generally, it’s the young market when it comes to the digital world. But there are also two other markets that are developing: mums and the community of people who are retiring and remaining active.

Agence L / Womenology
How many Facebook fans do you have today?

Caroline Lamprecht
350,000 fans on Facebook and we have also opened WeLoveMakeUp, a forum for make-up addicts. It’s a real trendsetting market that’s aware of everything, they know all the brands, they’re looking for expert advice, wanting to know if there are other ways of using the products that they already use. On WeLoveMakeUp they can exchange looks, post videos, bloggers also get involved, they’re mostly consumers who talk about products. We currently have 14,000 looks and 1,200 videos so it’s very animated. WeLoveMakeUp is closer to girls than the Gemey-Maybelline brand website which is more institutional. There are 70,000 addicts on WeLoveMakeUp with an “addict” posting at least once a week. This site was created in May 2010 and it’s going to be launched internationally because today we want to have a real brand website and not just a site about products. We’re therefore trying to develop another way of talking to our customers.

Agence L / Womenology
Who influences your customers the most? Friends and family? The forums? Internet or other media?

Caroline Lamprecht
It’s not very different from other sectors, young people are primarily influenced by their mother or older sister. The influence also comes from close friends or friends on the Internet. Today, people want to know what’s being said about a product before they buy it, it’s the culture of Tripadvisor. And I think it’s true for all categories, even make-up, even though we’re obviously not in the same price range as a holiday.

Agence L / Womenology
We recently saw with a perfume survey that we conducted, that even in this sector, women need the opinion of others even though it’s a very personal purchase. How much do impulse purchases represent at Gemey-Maybelline compared to purchases prepared in advance? Are there differences per segment?

Caroline Lamprecht
Quite clearly, there’s more of an impulsion towards colours when you combine all the segments. If you take all of Hygiene-Beauty, it’s clear that make-up is the category where there are the most impulse buys. In large supermarkets, one of the main impulse buys is chocolate, make-up is in the top 5 of categories combined. From our studies, we see that around 60% of purchase decisions are made in the shops. If you need shampoo, you go to the shop and buy it, for make-up there isn’t really a need, it’s something that’s bought for the pleasure and the more you go towards the colour, the happier it makes you. The usefulness of a nail varnish or a lipstick is relative for example in comparison to a bottle of shampoo, it’s just to make you happy, which is important as well! It’s a purchase that’s completely impulsive, a colour of nail varnish to match the mood in a way.

Agence L / Womenology
Do you look at what men like in terms of make-up? Are you indirectly involved with this market? If you had to launch a male product, would you use different means?

Caroline Lamprecht
Of course there are men who buy make-up as a gift for their partner but a lot less than the number who buy fragrance, because they don’t necessarily know what to choose. Make-up purchases are for oneself. But a lot of young people are now buying make-up as birthday gifts for their friends, particularly nail varnish. I think that ours will be one of the last continents to launch make-up for men. If we launched it today it would be more in Asia than in Europe. In terms of communication, it depends a lot on the product. Actually, there’s an online campaign that’s fabulous, it’s the Dermablend Zombie Boy. If I’d had this product and this idea I would be very proud. They used a man. And I think that for men, I would work mostly online. With the same budget, you can do a lot more online than you can with a TV advert.

Agence L / Womenology
Thank you
Agence L contact: Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
aufeminin.com / Womenology contact: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com

Website of the agency:  Agence L

Lire aussi :

1. Gender Marketing encounters
3. “Gender, Design and Marketing”, a book justifying marketing to women with biological arguments

6th October 2011                                                            

 Agence L / Womenology
Have you noticed, over the last few years, a change in women’s involvement when it comes to decision-making for new car purchases?

Gilles Quetel
Toyota is quite a masculine brand which established itself in France with 4x4s, and at the time 4x4s were very masculine. So over time we’ve brought out other more feminine models. Today, 42% of Toyota’s customers are women.
And little by little we’re also starting to have women in the sales network. They’re still the minority, but we know that our customers appreciate being listened to, informed and served by a saleswoman.

Agence L / Womenology
Concerning your advertising, do you develop two different messages when you have two different media? For men and for women?

Gilles Quetel
That can happen. For the launch of the Yaris, we placed an advertorial in women’s magazines. To reach women, we found it interesting to have testimonials rather than a classic advert, even though in the end, the arguments are the same.
More generally, in our advertisements, we avoid having a stereotypical depiction of women, that doesn’t happen anymore.
However, we still put more men than women in our adverts. We have a lot of adverts in which there’s a couple and it’s always the man who’s driving. In the Yaris adverts, we already had women driving but they weren’t accompanied by a man.

Agence L / Womenology
Why do you think that is?

Gilles Quetel
When you look in the street, the man is driving and the woman is by his side. As long as that remains the case, why change it in an advert?
I think it’s a question of time: we make adverts with women driving and that isn’t shocking, whereas if we had done that thirty years ago, it would have been very shocking.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you identified differences in how men and women perceive messages?

Gilles Quetel
We often notice that our adverts appeal more to men than to women. I don’t know if that’s due to interest in our products, but we generally get better marks from men; they understand better, they’ve liked the advert more, they’ve remembered the model or the brand seen in an advert. The figures are always better with the male audience.

Agence L / Womenology
Have you noticed behavioural differences between men and women in Toyota dealerships?

Gilles Quetel
Women are more involved in the choice of cars, and they no longer just decide on the colour! I think that mentalities have changed these days and salespeople have a higher regard for the women who come to the dealerships to choose their car. The real development is that women come having already made a shortlist, and the Internet is an essential tool in the pre-sale stage.

Agence L / Womenology
On Womenology, we published an article from the United States that compares the communications strategies of different American and Asian manufacturers. American manufacturers have always highlighted very masculine values and codes as part of their views in contrast to Asian manufacturers who stress aspects related to family, design, manoeuvrability, reliability, etc.
What do you think about this article’s conclusion: Asian manufacturers started to get women interested in cars, while American constructors were late to target women, who didn’t recognise themselves at all in the values promoted by the advertising campaigns?

Gilles Quetel
I think that it’s very accurate but in Europe, it’s maybe less so because I get the impression that we’ve taken the female market into account for a while now. All the constructors have had at least one model, or limited series, that targets women. We don’t have the pickups or trucks like in the States. We’ve got more “normal” cars, except perhaps for the 4×4 phenomenon. Toyota was nevertheless a pioneer with the Rav4, an urban 4×4, and women became customers of ours although it wasn’t a vehicle that had been particularly aimed at them, but they made it theirs. There are even models that are specifically designed for women, like the Mini, but which are still intended to attract men as well.

Agence L / Womenology
A study conducted by aufeminin.com highlights that women like options which personalise the car.

Gilles Quetel
Toyota is a bit behind in comparison to other brands that allow the owner to really personalise their car. But we’re going to bring out two IQ series, a more masculine version, City Racer, and the other, IQ Flower. The interior of the car is the same, just the exterior design changes. Even though there’s no longer much of a trend for distinguishing between masculine and feminine, these two models are addressed at two different markets. Displaying these models in our showroom on the Champs Elysées has shown that women are more attracted to the Flower and men to the Racer.

Agence L / Womenology
Next year, the Paris Motor Show is taking place, are you planning a specific event for women?

Gilles Quetel
Attendance at the show is completely unbalanced: ¾ of visitors are men but we did actually put together a special offer for women in partnership with a women’s magazine.
However, even though Toyota doesn’t conduct any particular casting calls for hosts and hostesses on our stand, there are still no men welcoming guests!

Agence L / Womenology
THANK YOU
Agence L contact: Marie-Estelle Wittersheim / mewittersheim@agencel.fr
aufeminin.com / Womenology contact: Benjamin Smadja / benjamin.smadja@aufeminin.com

Website of the agency: Agence L

Lire aussi :

1. “Gender, Design and Marketing”, a book justifying marketing to women with biological arguments
2. American marketing agencies that specialize in marketing to women
3. “Re-Gender the Gender,” how to talk to women through advertising

This European study, carried out in 13 countries and amongst 10,000 mums, reveals great changes in society, as well as new forms of “tension” linked to the individualisation of society and the thirst for personal fulfillment of each individual.
Womenology provides a synopsis of the study through 15 distinguishable results:

1. Men / Women: differences remain over home life and the way its organised

Serge Hefez, a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and family therapist, observes fathers making a strong and continual investment, like mothers, within the family home. Differences between men and women persist, however, regarding the nature of this investment and the time dedicated to home life. For fathers, the family home still remains symbolically associated with well-earned rest. It’s a “cocoon”-like place that he goes into after the “conquest”, his fulfillment coming first and foremost from his professional universe. Even if fathers are investing more than ever in home life, they quite willingly attribute the responsibility of the home to the mother.
For mothers, the home remains the focus of their personal and family fulfillment, sometimes leading to a sense of guilt for those mums who would like to invest more in their careers. “The level of guilt is higher amongst men than amongst women,” notes Serge Hefez.

2. European mums are short on time

Nowadays, they only have 48 minutes on average per day of time “for themselves”, that’s “free time” that they’re not dedicating to work activities or jobs around the home. This is too little time for mums to reflect and do some soul-searching in good conditions. According to Serge Hefez, it’s essential for women to have time for themselves so they can ask themselves fundamental questions like: “who am I really”? and “how can I be more fulfilled?”.
European exception: Finnish mums have more time than the average European mum with 69 minutes a day.

3. Product innovations have allowed women to save time

Changes in mums’ lives can also be explained by new products and innovations in household equipment that have allowed mums to gain a considerable amount of time. 91% of French mums say that the products designed to save them time in day-to-day life have enriched and facilitated their lives. More than half (54%) claim that the household appliances “considerably” simplify their lives, as opposed to 37% who claim that they simplify it “a bit”. Invited to indicate how they make the most of the time saved by using these household appliances and products, 59% of mums claim that the said appliances allow them to have more “quality time”.

4. “Us time” evolves compared with “me time”

Technological innovations, along with innovations in household appliances, have indisputably allowed mums to save time. Yet, less than one in six mums prefers to set time aside for herself with the extra time obtained through these innovations. Half of European mums prefer to spend this freed up time with their children, which illustrates the shift from “me time” to “us time”.

5. An ever “cumulative” identity for women

Our societies continue to represent women through a sort of “cumulative” identity: women with jobs, women with children, women with lovers, etc. Our definition is based more on the words “or … or” for men, and the words “and … and …” for women, summarises Serge Hefez. The female identity continues to be represented in our democratic societies through marital status and motherhood: a form of “suspicion” still exists towards women who don’t have children, says the psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.

6. A stronger feeling of guilt for women than for men

A phenomenon of guilt develops more in women than in men. Once their professional and family obligations have been met, men are more naturally able to start thinking about what they can do for themselves, while women continue to ask themselves questions relating to their partner and/or children: how can I spice up my relationship? What can I do to ensure that my children learn in the best conditions possible? Female “me time” is time that includes a form of otherness, in contrast to male “me time”: being beautiful to seduce one’s partner, buying clothes for one’s own pleasure as well as the pleasure of others of course… It’s guilt that can be expressed in numbers: 86% of French mums experience a sense of guilt when it comes to splitting their time between their career and their family.

7. Conscious and unconscious female conflict

A conflict develops in women between a conscious will (that of sharing household tasks and sharing the upbringing of the children) and unconscious mechanisms linked to their own education and to the demands that women put on themselves. Identification with maternal lines (upbringing by one’s own mother and/or grandmother) exists and increases the sense of guilt when certain mums feel that their professional life takes over too much of the time they could be spending bringing up their children.

8. A Nordic model?

Finland is the only country where the majority of mums feel that they have more free time compared with their own mum. On average, throughout Europe, only 41% of women who were questioned shared this opinion.
Moreover, the Nordic countries are very advanced in terms of sharing household tasks. In fact, in the whole of Europe, husbands or partners dedicate almost 50 minutes per day on average to education, household chores, etc. The help that a mum receives from her partner in these areas is the greatest in Denmark (64 minutes) and the least in France (34 minutes).

9. Mum managers: when logistics redefine household activities

Mums of today have more things in common with heads of households than traditional housewives of the previous generation. Serge Hefez notes that “it was only in 1970 that ‘autorité parentale conjointe’ (joint parental authority) replaced ‘puissance paternelle’ (paternal power) in France”; and even though that represents a real advance in terms of equality and autonomy for women, mums have seen themselves officially assigned new responsibilities. What’s more, new external demands, often linked to work, have changed the way in which mums approach household chores.

10. The 80s: the golden age for today’s mums?

Around one third (32%) of mums claimed that, if they were given the choice, they would return to the 1980s, in comparison to 23% who claimed to be satisfied being a mum in the 2000s. Happy childhood memories probably had an affect on mums’ responses to this question. The choice of the 80s as the best decade for being a mum is probably in part linked to the fact that a good many of the women questioned were children at the time.

11. Time spent with children: 3.26 hours of active time per day for French mums

The time spent by French mums looking after their children is one of the lowest in Europe. As part of our survey, we tried to identify how much “active” time mums spent with their children (for example time dedicated to reading, writing, games, washing, dressing).
On average, French mums spend 3.26 hours of active time per day with their children. In line with the results of other surveys mentioned previously, French mums spend relatively little time with their children in comparison to mums in other European countries. In the SRIC survey, only the Danish mums claimed to spend less active time with their children: 3.23 hours on average per day.

12. Partners help the most with childcare in France

It’s clear that dads are deemed to be playing a much more active role than in the past: 91% of people asked believe that today’s dads are “a bit more” or “a lot more” directly involved in childcare on a day-to-day basis than dads from the previous generation or granddads.
A woman’s partner is the person who helps out the most with childcare: this is the case for almost three quarters (72%) of mums.
Very few French mums resort to other sources of help for childcare at home. For example, maternal grandmothers are rarely asked to help out with this. Amongst all the countries taking part in the SIRC study, France is the country where maternal grandmothers contribute the least to childcare at home. Only 4% of French mums report that it was their mother who helped the most with childcare, in comparison to 33% of Italian mums.
More than a quarter (27%) of people questioned said that their partner dedicated 1 to 2 hours a week to household tasks. For childcare, French mums are helped out by their partner for only 4 hours on average, the lowest figure observed in Western Europe.

13. In spite of everything, French mums feel isolated

87% of French mums feel a certain amount of isolation and lack of support in their responsibilities as mothers; only British and Italian mothers feel a higher level of isolation. It’s an average that varies according to the woman’s professional situation because mums who work feel less isolated and more supported than their compatriots who don’t work.

14. Women’s forums as a source of advice

The most common source of advice for mums is their own mum (35%). The second most common source (29%) are friends who are also mums. The use of technological sources such as the Internet is less common than asking family and friends, but it has a relatively important place amongst the main sources of advice. 14% of people questioned state that they use the Internet, online communities and forums dedicated to mums/parents as a main source of advice regarding their children’s upbringing.

Figure 1. Sources of advice for mums

What future for motherhood in France and the division of household tasks between men and women?

“We should follow the developments observed in the Nordic countries,” concludes Serge Hefez. Developments are taking place that are seeing men and women on a more equal footing in terms of roles within the home. These developments are slow but inevitable. Even in southern European countries where divisions between men and women are still present, we should see greater equality between men and women in the coming years in terms of responsibilities within the home and the division of tasks.

Benjamin SMADJA

Source:
The study was carried out by the Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) on behalf of P&G during the period October – December 2011. The research consisted of two parts:
1. Examination of data and statistics from the 1930s to the present day.
2. A quantitative study of 9582 mums, including 1000 French mums.

Lire aussi :

1. Women and men and their free time
2. Mums are satisfied with their sex lives but would like more sex!
3. Women and their appearance: not as tense a relationship as you might think

Women are more willing to buy on the Internet.

49% of surfers are women, 51% are men. But beyond this equity, Mediametrie Survey shows that women are more inclined to buy online than men. 45% of them made online purchases during last month in comparison to 40% of men, who generally prefer to compare prices on the internet in order to find the best available deals. During the last month 2 out of 3 men compared prices online, in contrast to only 57% of women.

Besides, a survey by Comscore published in December 2011 reveals that French mothers are a specific target population online. To « Comscore Releases Overview of European Internet Usage » for October 2011, online shopping resonates particularly well with mothers aged 25 and older with at least one child under 18 in the household. 76% of them are more inclined to visit service sites than the average internet user. Among their favourite websites, those selling toys and perfumes/cosmetics advance to the top.

Women are fond of social networking, men prefer to inform

86% of men and women are addicted to their email. On the other hand, they don’t single out the same forms of communication. 50% of women use real-time text messaging compared to 40% of men.
On the community website front, 68% of women are subscribed to 65% of men. Photo sharing is also a popular female trend with nearly 1 in 5 women uploading pictures during last month.

Mediametrie Survey confirms the results of a survey by Comscore (http://www.comscoredatamine.com/2011/12/women-spend-more-time-social-networking-than-men-worldwide/) – an American Internet marketing research company –published last December. Around the world females, aged 15 and older, spend more time social networking than men.
In Europe and Latin America, they spend an average of 8.2 hours a month on social Networking whereas men spend an average of 6.9 hours.

But Mediametrie highlights one social networking site as attracting a predominantly masculine fan base -Twitter. With 10% of men being registered users of the site in contrast with only 5% of women.

Finally, on the Internet, men are more inclined to seek out entertainment. Watching videos, listening to the radio, playing network games and downloading are activities that men enjoy more actively than women. Some behavioural differences online can be huge: in the past month, some 40% of males downloaded a file or software compared to only 22% of females.

Lire aussi :

1. Men and women don’t remember the same things from adverts
2. The internet, a main source of information
3. Women and men and their free time

 Less thongs, more comfort

In the big match between girdle and thong, the girdle amazingly wins. The survey shows that women buy thongs less than in the past. The thong simply isn’t fashionable anymore: between 2008 and 2011, purchases of thongs declined from 30 to 25%. On the other hand, shapewear could be the new brands’ spearhead. The girdle and high-waisted briefs are quickly regaining ground: 1 woman in 4 has one and 50% of women consider them to be practical buys, helping them to appear more slim or purchases which are fashionable again.

Inside their drawers, half of French women have less than five lingerie sets. Mainly underwire bras size B and briefs in 38/40. Suspender belts aren’t common: only 28% of women polled have one.

Most of their underwear is white, black and flesh-coloured. As formaterial, they prefer microfibre cotton over lace.

Cocooning: could it be the new current trend? The survey shows that half of all women change their clothes if they come back home in the afternoon (55%). By way of clothing for at home, they generally opt for sportswear or old recycled clothes. A choice of which they aren’t proud, obviously, since 56% of women refuse to be seen in such clothes, whereas only 35% of them wear outfits bought especially for domestic use. As for underwear, cotton is elected by 86% of women. The trend is definitely moving towards comfort!

By the way, loungewear was a landmark point of the Lingerie Salon. To be elegant in any circumstances, brands outdo each other in creativity, trying to provide women with the beauty and comfort combining goods that they are waiting for.

Lingerie and seduction, different perceptions between men and women

For 88% of men, lingerie is an essential element of seduction. Besides, 54% of them think that the thong is one of the sexiest kinds of underwear, in particular men under 35.

On the other hand, only 42% of women wear lingerie to seduce. Indeed, 77% of them feel themselves attractive and highlight themselves with clothes, make up, accessories and, only lastly, with lingerie. Anyway, 96% of women say they buy lingerie for themselves, because they were really taken by a particular item, and not for someone else, to the detriment of men who seem to know this domain all too well.

 82% of them have already entered into a lingerie shop, even though 40% of them didn’t feel at ease. Nevertheless, while 3 in 4 men know their wife’s lingerie size, only 30% of men buy it.

Men’s underwear

 66% of men buy their underwear by themselves and 77% of them more than twice a year. For 59% of men, it was a necessary or “unavoidable” buy.

Among their favourite kinds of underwear: boxers (57%) and briefs (45% continue to wear them). The survey reveals that 3.3% of men wear thongs.

Valentine’s Day myth

Contrary to received ideas, the 14th of February isn’t a key day for lingerie purchases.

Only 0.1% of women buy lingerie for Valentine’s Day in order for their attractive outfit to be perfect. Indeed, 77% of women consider this day not to be associated with lingerie and rightly so, because 70% of men don’t think of giving a lingerie set as a present. Besides, 80% of women confirm that they have never received lingerie as a gift on this special day.

Source: first survey on underwear made in October 2011 by Kantar Worldpanel for The International Lingerie Salon in a panel of 1000 French people.

Lire aussi :

1. Dement, lingerie with magnetic powers
2. (Français) Analyse sémiologique de la communication lingerie
3. (Français) Interview de Bérengère Bachellerie, créatrice de la marque de lingerie Oémée

Whilst Gleeden.com is the “number one extramarital dating site developed by women”, aufeminin.com’s infidelity forum, created in 2003, mirrors the behavioural and social evolution of women.

The evolution is behavioural because from a “passive” infidelity (where the women suffer due to being victims of it), women can now be seen communicating more often about an “active” infidelity, one in which they have an active role.

The evolution is social because the points of reference that women need to construct their lives have changed: religious and political spheres have less of an influence than before; women construct their points of reference themselves or with their community. Isolation is no more.

Paradoxically, writing has liberated speech.

Anonymity enables people to overcome social, family and religious pressure. The mask has a liberating effect, while transparency and self-esteem develop on major social networks.

While confessions once consisted of two elements, expressed vertically and destined for an authority, they have become collective, horizontal, almost about one’s identity.

Morality, love and guilt are at the centre of the thousands of discussions these women take part in. Like in a film, the actors share the roles. It’s an unusual film where the actors with supporting parts (those who condemn infidelity) want to take the lead role; they defend morality (their morality) by expressing their lack of understanding; they would like to deliver flashes of lucidity to these unfaithful women.

On the 7^th of January 2012, Eric Anderson an American sociologist caused a stir by justifying male infidelity; he described monogamy as a “socially-compelled sexual incarceration that can lead to a life of anger and contempt.” (The Huffington Post). He compares desire with gluttony: “We say we don’t want to eat that Snickers bar, but we also really do want to eat it. We eat it, we feel guilty about it, and afterwards we promise ourselves not to eat one again; but we nonetheless do.”

And is gluttony a sin with more of a feminine than masculine character?

Thoughts from the aufeminin.com forums:

Infidelity, a need to seduce and escape

“I’m madly in love with my man (we’ve been engaged for a while)… I really am passionately in love with him… so I don’t know why I cheated on him recently, he doesn’t know about it… I love flirting, he’s really into me too.”

“My lover allows me to escape, when I’m with him I don’t think about my day-to-day life or my life as a mother… It’s true, I’m a bit selfish for a few hours…”

Can infidelity be about happiness?

“I met my lover 4 months ago, it was love at first sight and we’re very much in love. He’s all that I’m looking for in a man. I’m married and so is he.”

Neither black nor white

I’m going to have to go make dinner because my poor husband is glued to the telly and if I wait for him to get up off his backside, we’ll all starve to death (yes I know, if I don’t like the way it is, I should just divorce him, it’s so easy)

Never say never
“If you tell me that since being with your partner, you’ve never felt anything for anyone else, you’re lying. The only difference with unfaithful people is that they’ve not been able to restrain themselves. But it’s not human to restrain oneself, it’s not normal.”

Support sought after

“I came to speak about my experience, simply to share it with other people.”

“I’m so sad today that I need to write and talk with other women who’ve been treated as badly as I have.”

“Well done to you for being brave enough to say what you’re feeling, good luck.”

“Don’t tell your partner, you’ll break his heart and as I said higher up, you’ll destroy more than you build.”

Although “happy” infidelity seems to be developing, there is equally a lot of suffering from women who can’t leave their partners. For financial reasons or because they have children who they don’t want to unsettle, infidelity is considered a dead end and a sacrifice.

“It’s been 15 years that my husband has been cheating on me. Leave him, you say? The problem is that I have a 14-year-old daughter, a very low income, and finding another job at my age is impossible, I’m told I’m too old. I’ve contacted a lawyer but the small pension that I’d have the right to (for my daughter) wouldn’t allow us to live comfortably. As well as that, my daughter isn’t aware of our problems and she’s very close to her dad.”

Female solidarity and mutual aid enable women to share:

“Don’t worry, the law’s on your side. You’re on the right forum, when a girl shares her cheating stories, she gets a thumbs up and encouragement, and when a girl’s been cheated on, the guy gets blasted. It’s great being a modern woman!”

You’ll find below the infographic developed by aufeminin.com

European women and jewellery

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1. European women and fashion
2. Europeans and beauty: what expectations for brands?
3. (Français) Une récente étude de l’Institut Français de la Mode décrypte le comportement des Européennes dans les magasins de vêtements

Our teens: bigger consumers of drugs than previous generations?
We commonly hear it mentioned that today’s youth is more depraved than previous generations: 31% of you think so. Essential point: 53% of you think that young people are, above all, more exposed to social pressure than in the past.

Drugs: ineffective prevention?
When asked about the effectiveness of youth drug prevention campaigns, your reponse is clear: only 3% of you think that they are truly effective.

Cannabis: Prohibition, legalisation?
You’re unanimous: legalising cannabis is out of the question! 64% of you voted against it. This is an opinion shared by our psychiatrist: “I’m against it because it risks increasing the level of consumption, but particularly because it favours usage from an earlier age.” On the issue of penalising people, however, our expert finds “excessive, the fact that you could end up in prison for simply using it. It would be more effective to direct these people towards compulsory treatment, rather than incarcerating them.”

Discover all the results from the survey and our expert analysis in the Teen section on aufeminin.com

[1] Survey online 15th September to 6th October 2011. 3156 respondents in France, Spain, Italy and Germany
aufeminin.com european survey [1] (extracts), December 2011.

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2. Women at the wheel: with many economical driving habits

Astonishing? Not really. Women are more and more interested in wine, becoming wine growers, wine stewards, buyers or just consumers. Let’s look at their importance in the sector.

Wine is not solely reserved for men

Even though a long tradition links men and wine (cf. “Women and wine”), women were often kept back from its consumption and production. Female drunkenness, considered to be vulgar, was banned. It was a privilege permitted only to prostitutes. Yet, in her book entitled “Les femmes et l’amour du vin,” the French researcher Segolène Lefèvre reveals that in antiquity, women from Babylon took part in libations and even queens could drink wine. A situation quite opposite to that of Athens, where women didn’t have the status of citizens and where their attendance during banquets would have been considered scandalous.

This is all changing today. Women have not only become consumers but a considerable economical target: 70% of wine purchases in France are made by women.
Many events have taken into account women’s investment in this domain. In 2007, Didier Martin created the “Féminalise” competition. Female professionals and oenologists get together once a year in Beaune to vote on the best wines. Gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to the best quality wines but, above all, “it’s the guarantee to have a wine which has been liked by women and which will seduce men”. The international women and wines competition was also created in 2007. Competitors are male and female but, as with the Feminalise competition, the jury is exclusively formed by women. Two competitions in which the medals awarded guide women’s purchase decisions. They shed light on the role of women in the world of wine.

Professions where there are more and more women

For a long time, wine had been considered a masculine stronghold. Women were kept away from wine and spirit warehouses because superstition claimed that they turn wine sour. Today they increasingly undermine this once popular belief and go on to join the ranks of the profession. In 2011, Christine Vernayle was even elected wine grower of 2011 by the French wine guide Bettane et Desseauve, walking off with five stars. It’s a real change in a traditionally male sector. Bacchus’ favourite beverage has become a feminine passion too. The French club “Femmes de vin” gathers about a hundred wine growers and tasters from all over France. Their goal? Sharing their great liking for wine. In Paris, “l’Ecole des femmes de Vin” was created in 2005 in order to promote the discovery of new wines and to provide benchmarks for tasting. In 2010, 43% of regular consumers were women, according to a study conducted by TNS-Sofres for wine broker 1855.

Bringing conviviality

Across the Atlantic, the passion for wine exists without any hang-ups in “momswhoneedwine.com”, a website where mothers can share their latest wine discovery. With humour, they lay claim to this drink, which provides great comfort after a busy day with children. It’s also an opportunity for them to chat about many other subjects. Because wine encourages conviviality for 69.7% of women according to the Vinexpo survey in 2011 conducted on the Internet with 10,500 women from five countries (France, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Germany and the United States). The survey also shows that drinking wine is considered to be “an art of living” for 28.6% of French women, stylish for 25.5% and natural for 44.5%. Wine brings conviviality and has become a women’s way of life.

Sabrina Bouarour

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3. Champagne, a favourite amongst women

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3. Interview with Monique Grande, specialist in female personal development

Source : The Economist.

Beauty facilitates life: this isn’t a dubious statement but a postulate that has been scientifically proven on several occasions. Since 1974, Mr Efran showed in his study “The effect of physical appearance on the judgment of guilt, interpersonal attraction, and severity of recommended punishment in a simulated jury task” that ugly-looking defendants are more severely punished during a trial than those who are considered beautiful. Likewise, attractive-looking people are more likely to gain a place in a queue, benefit from help when they need it, etc.

In the professional field as well, the influence of physical appearance has been recognised for several decades. In 1981, Mr Solomon showed, with supporting experiences, that job applicants’ clothes were often a decisive factor in recruitment (“Dress for success: Clothing Appropriateness and the Efficacy of Role Behavior”).

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3. Cosmetics brands defend the idea of multi-faceted beauty

With its advertising campaign “family is sacred”, Eram counts on irony to twist advertising clichés about the family unit.

By showing families with gay parents or a “cougar” mother in a relationship with a younger man, the brand has distinguished itself.

It has been an original and provocative initiative which has disturbed the most conservative people in France.

A campaign which reflects social mutations

“As my two mums say, family is sacred,” announces a mixed-race little girl surrounded by two women with clear skin. “As my mum and her boyfriend, who could be my older brother say, family is sacred,” claims another little girl who is fair-haired. With stepfamilies, lesbian couples, “cougar” mums in relationships with younger men, or adopted children, identities are multiplying. The figure of the mother may be heterosexual or homosexual, family can be “reconstituted”, but the spirit of family remains. This idea surprises and calls out to people in an advertising world which doesn’t always echo social changes. But more than merely being surprising, this ad provokes. It plays on the wavelengths between the expression “family is sacred”, which refers to traditional and religious values, and images reflecting the new family structures. Especially by making the kids be the ones talking, Eram insists on the fact that their lives are not destabilised by these social mutations.

Besides, the brand explained the meaning of its campaign in a speech taken up by the French newspaper Libération: “At a time when there are more and more divorces in France and homosexual marriage has just become legal in New York, Eram speaks frankly and in streets and magazines it posts portraits of families which are never shown in ads:  restructured, recomposed, split. Children who have two mums, others who have one father, a mother and three stepmothers and families in which the stepfather is young enough to be a brother. In other words, the way families are in “real” life.  But if families split, the spirit of family stays. Because, be what may, family is sacred. “

Facebook for experimental marketing

The idea of “sacred family” was considered as a sacrilege by some customers. However, Eram had anticipated this kind of reaction by creating a page on Facebook entitled “let’s talk about family” in order to receive people’s comments. But the dialogue was quickly morphed into a fight between conservative positions: “What you are promoting isn’t family. You want to weaken and break up the family. Gay parenting is a form of child abuse because it’s a lie about identity”, and progressive visions: “a family is a group where people stick together, whether it’s an ordinary family, a stepfamily, one with a single parent or a gay parent!”. To Eram, Facebook was one of the tools used for communicating this advertising campaign and for observing customers’ reactions.

With the “family is sacred” series of advertisements, the brand has shown that it has a progressive approach. Going against the grain of traditional ads, Eram makes a splash.

A feminist and anti-stereotypical brand

In its new campaign, Eram provokes in two ways: by talking about a homosexual couple and, especially, a lesbian couple. The brand has become quite fashionable and now wants to expand its clientele.

Eram had already distinguished itself in the past, however, by taking a stand for feminism. In 2001, the ads: “no woman’s body was exploited in this advertisement” was poking fun at the traditional image of women being treated as an object by staging an animal, an object or a naked man wearing women’s . In 2004, the mark chose videos that would ironically rework advertising clichés about sexism. One shows a woman who is attending a job interview with men and asserts: “Well, let’s say that my weak spot is that I’m a woman. So someone who’ll be pregnant in two years, who needs to be at home by 7 to look after the kids and who’ll take you to court if you pinch her bum in the photocopying room. On the other hand, the advantage is that, for the same work, you’ll pay me 3O% less than a man. But, well, we spend money much less stupidly than you do… Eram, you’d be crazy to spend more”.

In 2011, the brand took to parodying the ads from “The Kooples” by staging trendy couples. The slogan is also ironic: “Karl is a photographer, Bahia is a DJ. They fell in love at first sight at a roof-top party in New York City. The shoes cost €45.90 and this is really true”.

With its funny campaigns, Eram takes a stand using humour, irony and provocation as a strategy to question social values and get people to talk about it.

The brand was congratulated with the 38^th Prize for Exterior Communication in Berlin for its “Family is sacred” and “Couples” campaigns.

Sabrina Bouarour

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In ancient Egypt, body hair was considered to be impure and a symbol of animality: pharaohs and the religious had to remove all body hair, and women weren’t allowed hair in their pubic region. Muslims were very early to wax their legs, using sugar-based wax that they prepared themselves. But the arrival of Catholicism in the West prevented the spread of such practices. Catherine de Médicis even went as far as banning female hair removal, apart from plucking the forehead which was fashionable during the Renaissance. Waxing as we know it didn’t take off until much later, in the 1920s, with the arrival of short dresses, followed by paid holidays (1936) and transparent nylon stockings from the United States (1946). The first advertisement for female waxing (see opposite) appeared in 1915, it reads: “Summer Dress and Modern Dancing combine to make necessary the removal of objectionable hair.”

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2. (Français) La « duplexité » féminine ou la tendance à la « demi-vérité »
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Source : Offre média.

“Unlike men, women are more capable of doing several things at once”: the age-old dictum rings true for media consumption too, according to Deloitte.
While television and the press are the two media that influence women’s purchasing decisions the most, it¹s rare that women dedicate their full and entire attention to them: much more than men, they like to use several media
simultaneously.

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3. What do women want—online? A response from Quirks magazine

From the 11th to the 17th of July 2011, the Roxy Pro surf contest took place in Biarritz, in partnership with Orange.

Gathering together the best female surfers on the planet, including reigning world champion Stephanie Gilmore, the event created a sensation on surfing websites… all the more so as the contest was broadcast live on the brand’s website. Novices were also catered for, as Roxy organised introductory surf lessons and sports demonstrations alongside the main contest. A nice way of showing that board sports aren’t reserved for men…

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2. Choreography for Japanese lingerie brand Wacoal
3. Sunsilk launches a web series for their new shampoo