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PR 101 Rant #75 We Need More Women Executives

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Before I start, a personal note: Diabetes is a growing scourge. Worldwide 347 million people have it. In the U.S., it has afflicted more than 20 million people. That number is growing. It can cause blindness, heart attack, stroke, amputations, and a host of other problems. It is a hidden disease because people with Diabetes look like they are okay. They are not. Many of my friends and family members have been affected. Every year to fight this disease I participate in the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure bicycle ride in Wisconsin. I am asking for your help by donating money to support me in the ride. The vast majority of the money raised goes to fund research. So please click on this link and donate whatever you can afford. Thank you.

The marketing world needs more women executives. I cannot say it anymore directly than that.

The Key Reason Why

“Women who sit on corporate boards are more likely to “rock the boat” and be more open to new ideas than their male counterparts — skills that often translate into better decisions and financial success for the company, according to a new study,” Huff Post Business Canada reported. “The survey, recently published in the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, found that of the 624 board directors polled in Canada, women were more likely to use ‘co-operation, collaboration and consensus building’ when dealing with complex decisions.”

Co-operation, collaboration and consensus building are to me three most of the important things to do in creating a successful company. I know a lot of men though to whom those words represent weakness. It’s their company dammit and they are going to run as they see fit – even if it’s into the ground.

Let’s look at some numbers

According to the website Infoplease:

  • In 2011, there were 158.3 million women living in the United States. That compares to 153.3 million men. I think the spread is wider now.
  • Currently 57.7 percent of women 16 and older who participate in the labor force, representing about 72.6 million women in 2012.
  • In addition 41.7 percent of women 16 and older worked in management, professional and related occupations, compared with 35.1 percent of employed males in December 2012.
  • The median annual earnings of women 15 or older who worked year-round, full time in 2011 was $37,118. In comparison, the median annual earnings of men were $48,202. The female-to-male earnings ratio in 2011 was 0.77. That’s just wrong.

A Huge Market

Therefore woman are increasingly dominating many aspects of society. This is a market to which the old ways of doing things won’t work. I would like to think the sex of people designing the campaigns to reach this market didn’t matter. But I would be very wrong.

A lot of companies still seem to think that using half clad women in their marketing efforts is the way to sell their product. Most women I know are insulted and frustrated by those commercials. Why do companies do something that is going to anger more than half the country? I don’t understand it.

Look at the recent Dr. Pepper soda commercials. The actor specifically says Dr. Pepper is not for women. Let me get this straight: a company wants to tell more than half the public not to buy their product? Women in this country still do the majority of grocery shopping. And where is most soda sold – you guessed it – the grocery store.

I have to believe that if a woman had running that campaign, she would have to Dr. Pepper and said: “what are you, @#@#$%^& crazy? You want to remain a minority brand?”

Yes, before you bring it up, there are campaigns directed at women that are sensitive. I have to credit Dove soap for working hard to kill the stereotypical and incorrect picture most advertisers have of women. But, that soap is a women-specific product.

I do have to give Ford Motor Company credit. Their commercials seem to be mostly gender neutral. I am waiting though for a commercial for the F-150 pickup truck that features a woman driving the truck

I hope that, and a lot of other changes, happen soon.

 

 

 

 

The post PR 101 Rant #75 We Need More Women Executives appeared first on JJCC.


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